I
Ghastly hands Tanith a mug of tea, their fingertips barely brushing, before he moves to sit on the couch. It's directly across from her. She's sitting in the armchair with her sword on the table. As he sits, he relishes the feeling of the soft leather, happy to no longer be a statue. They're waiting for Skulduggery and Valkyrie to arrive. Sending a futile glance to the door, Ghastly hopes that they'll be here soon to end the awkwardness.
Tanith resituates and he turns at the noise. She's looking at him curiously. He shifts under her gaze, suddenly self-conscious.
"We missed you, you know," she says, breaking the silence. "I mean, I don't know you all that well, but it definitely affected Skulduggery when you were gone. Even Val seemed a bit shaken up."
"Oh," he says, not exactly sure how to reply. He studies Tanith instead, how the curls of her honey blonde hair fall messily around her shoulders, the way her fingers are rubbing the rim of her cup in a fidgeting fashion, the spark in her cloud blue eyes. She sits there patiently while Ghastly takes his time to respond, quietly sipping her tea.
"Well, it's good to be back," he replies somewhat awkwardly.
"Good to have you back," she agrees, flashing a grin that makes his heart thump wildly in his chest. He almost spills his tea. Tanith looks amused by this, and he sends her a smile of his own in response.
The atmosphere shifts suddenly, awkwardness evaporating into comfort. Tanith asks him about what clothes he's making and he asks how her day was. They fill the time with smiles and easy conversation, refilling their mugs as they wait. The door opens. Skulduggery and Valkyrie walk in, bickering, and over the rims of their mugs Ghastly and Tanith share amused smiles.
II
The kettle is already on the stove by the time that Ghastly hears the harsh knocking on his door. He hurries to it, opens it, and Tanith walks in. It's snowing behind her; the roofs all have a thick coating of white and it's already started to pile up on Tanith's motorbike. Her boots are covered in slush, her waistcoat is soaked, and there are goose bumps on her arms. She walks inside quickly and he shuts the door. It's warm in Bespoke Tailors, contrasting the frigid weather outside.
"Bloody hell," Tanith says, "it's freezing out there!" She plops herself down on her the armchair, hugging her arms. He tosses her a blanket which she readily accepts, burrowing herself and trying to keep from shivering.
"I've already got the kettle heating," Ghastly says.
"Perfect," she says from where she's snuggled in the chair.
The kettle starts whistling, so Ghastly goes over to turn the stove off. Opening the cupboards, he grabs her favorite kind of tea along with her preferred mug. It's the large white one with the blue stripes and the chip on the rim that she likes to play with. He takes a random mug and tea bag for himself, deciding that as long as it's warm and comforting, he doesn't really care what it is.
He returns to the living room, mugs in hand, and offers Tanith her mug. She stretches, the blanket falling around her waist. Their hands meet like they always do when she moves to take her tea. Her fingers are cold to the touch. It sends shivers through him.
"Thanks," Tanith says, giving him that smile that warms him just as much as any cup of tea would. Ghastly grins in return, then retreats to the couch across from her.
She kicks off her boots, the brown leather stained even darker by water. He frowns, seeing her damp socks. Her boots are sopping, leaving her socks soaking and her feet cold and red. He idly wonders why her feet red; it could be from how wet her feet are, but it was possible that her boots don't allow for proper circulation. Well, he'd have to fix that.
She's looking at him with that curious spark in her eyes again and he shrugs, sending a sheepish smile her way. Rolling her eyes fondly, she decides to let it go, asking instead how he's doing.
III
When Tanith walks into Bespoke Tailor's, the sewing machine is whirling and the water is boiling in the kitchen. "It's me!" she shouts. Taking off her new boots, the warm and incredibly comfortable ones that Ghastly had made for her, she walks to the kitchen and turns off the stove.
"Thanks," calls Ghastly from the other room. She can still hear the sounds of the sewing machine as she works on making the tea. Drizzling a bit of honey into Ghastly's tea, she smiles. He always says he likes it better when she makes the tea, but she's yet to tell him that all she does is make his a little sweeter. A silly secret to keep, but one she enjoys nevertheless.
"No problem," she says. She walks into the living room, two steaming mugs of tea in her hand. Looking around, she finds Ghastly sitting at the sewing machine. There's a slight hitch in his stitch when she places the mug gently on his desk.
The suit he's working on is beautiful; it looks sharp and the seams are all perfect. It's a dark blue in color, managing to seem both effortless and sophisticated all at once. She admires it and hums appreciatively. Ghastly catches her staring. She's pretty sure his face is a little redder when he turns away.
"When are Skulduggery and Valkyrie coming?" he asks, focusing on his work again.
"They aren't," Tanith replies nonchalantly, "I was just riding in the neighborhood and decided to drop by. Also, I really wanted some tea because it's really cold outside and other than my feet, I'm freezing."
He spots her boots where she discarded them by the door, grinning. "You're wearing the boots I made you."
"Yeah, of course I am," she says, "They're good boots, great boots. Much better than my old ones."
"Of course they are; I made them, after all," Ghastly says before he can stop himself.
Tanith laughs, the rich sound filling the room as she takes a seat. Instead of taking the armchair like she usually does, she sits on the couch, motioning for Ghastly to join her. He looks at her with surprise evident on his face. Grabbing his mug of tea, he slowly makes his way over to her, his hesitancy becoming more obvious with every step.
"I don't bite," she says playfully, flashing him something between a teasing grin and a mischievous smirk. Either way, it's not doing good things to his heart, which has decided to start running laps in his chest.
"I don't know," he says, "You're pretty good with that sword of yours."
"Yeah, that's true," she says, nudging him playfully with her elbow, "I am pretty great, if I do say so myself."
Ghastly smiles. "I'd have to agree with you on that one."
"Flatterer," she accuses, laughing.
"I try my best." he shrugs, the movement pushing his shirtsleeves up higher when they rub against her arm.
He glances over, ready to apologize, but it dies on his tongue. Tanith looks completely at ease, sipping her tea with her legs tucked under her. He thinks about how awkward they were when they first met. Things have changed. His heartbeat still speeds up whenever he sees her, but it's different now. He's always known that she was attractive, but he's starting to think it's something more. She jumps into danger to help her friends without hesitation, her sword flashing and her kicks flying. He marvels at her bravery and loyalty. Her eyes light up and she starts rambling when she talks about Star Wars or Gordon's books, and he thinks he could listen to her all day and be content. Their once awkward relationship has shifted and suddenly Ghastly looks forward to the next time Skulduggery will drag him into some crazy life-threatening adventure, if only to have an excuse to see her again.
"Thanks for having me over today," Tanith says, "I mean, you didn't really invite me, but you let me stay and didn't kick me out. That was nice. Always a plus." She grins at him, shifting on the couch.
"I'm glad you dropped in, actually. And you made me tea, so how could I say no?" He takes a sip from the steaming cup, as if to prove how much he likes it.
The grin spreads on her face, showing how obviously amused she is. "Well, I could always stop by if I'm in the neighborhood again, as long as you don't mind me turning up out of the blue uninvited."
She's joking, but something about the way that she's looking at him makes him want to say yes anyway.
"I'd like that," he says after a long moment.
The surprise on her face is fleeting and she hides it well under the rim of her cup as she takes another sip. "Yeah, sure," says Tanith, sending him a softer smile that makes his ears warm up and his heart swell.
IV
Christmas night is cold, the wind whipping around the walls of Bespoke Tailors. Ghastly Bespoke sits in the armchair in the living room. His eyes are unfocused and hazy, one of his shirtsleeves rolled down clumsily. On the stove in the kitchen, a kettle of water is boiling.
The whistle is deafening, but it still takes Ghastly a minute to realize that the water's ready.
He makes his way over there slowly. His feet drag with every step and he rubs his eyes, in need of a good night's sleep. When he gets to the kitchen, his hands go straight to the cupboard to fetch a mug and a teabag. Instinctively, he grabs the large blue mug with the chip on the rim. The one the woman with the toned arms and the playful smile adored. He looks down at it blankly.
That evening, the Remnant crisis had been resolved when Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain used the Soul Catcher to capture the Remnants. That evening, Tanith Low had been possessed, fleeing into the night and evading capture.
His heart hurts; the woman he loved was gone before he'd even had her. Fatigue suddenly takes over him and he slumps, letting the counter take most of his weight. For once, he doesn't even feel like having tea.
The kettle's whistle is still screaming.
He lets it.