Artemis sat at his desk, eyes fixed on his stock portfolio on his computer screen, essentially trying not to go broke, and become twice as rich at the same time. The stock market is extremely unforgiving if you slip up. Not that Artemis Fowl II would ever "slip up". He mentally scoffed at himself for even allowing the notion to take up that split second of his precious brain waves. How embarrassingly inefficient.
Perish the thought.
He glanced down at his diamond encrusted Rolex; 10 pm. It had been around an hour since she said she'd drop by. To accommodate for that, he was working from his bedroom tonight as opposed to his office.
Artemis Fowl had a bit of troublesome problem on this particular night. Now, usually, problems were no more than minor inconveniences to Artemis. His brilliant intellect had downright saved the world from apocalyptic outcomes on more than one occasion. Why he had even cheated death itself once already. Of course, he had some help. Butler, the fairies... Especially one newly promoted Major Holly Short.
And therein lies Artemis' problem.
Holly Short.
Artemis shut his laptop and rubbed his eyes, trying to relieve some of the strain, only to discover that he may as well have pushed the strain into his entire brain. As capable as his mind was, this simply was something beyond his abilities. It was also entirely unavoidable, as if a bullet train was rocketing straight at him and he simply couldn't do anything about it.
This is probably why people drink. He thought to himself as he rubbed his temples. In his mind, he had the scenario played out, word for word, step for step. But he knew full well that when the moment came, none of that would matter. That's just what she did to her. Granted, she always had that effect on him, but as of recently, with his mind at the age of 21, and his body at the age of 24, (time travel does odd things to a person) it was becoming unbearable. He could barely function at a level comparable to a brilliant normal person, which is sub par to Aeremis' standards for himself.
He left his desk and walked over to his too big four poster bed and flopped onto it unceremoniously on his front. He groaned internally, berating himself for being so out of control. This is so completely unnecessarily ridiculous and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it.
It was in that moment that his phone buzzed a specific pattern in his pocket. Proximity alarm. Specifically, his window. Which could only mean one thing.
He lifted his palm up towards the open window, seemingly at nothing. This was not the first impression he needed to make tonight. Suit wrinkled, hair scruffed, eyes possibly bloodshot, and face buried in his bed.
"D'Arvit Fowl, how the hell did you know?! I didn't make a sound AND I'm wearing Foaly's new and improved shimmer suitsuit. At this point, I wouldn't put it past you to have bugged me in my sleep!" Holly exclaimed as she shimmered into visibility, huffing as she pulled off her helmet. She couldn't see it, but Artemis was smirking into his sheets, having gotten one over Foaly once again. He had already seen the new designs, one of his many plunders from his hacking expeditions into Foaly's systems, and had promptly found and exploited the weakness. Small victories mattered too.
His mind was going off topic but, Holly's voice brought him back to the moment, as much as he was dreading it. "You're gonna pass out, sooner or later if you stay like that, and by Gods Artemis, if you dragged me all the way here from Tara just to blank out on me, I will kick your arse so hard, you'll feel it yesterday." She threatened, mildly annoyed that she'd been there for more than three minutes and he hadn't so much as looked at him.
Artemis was feeling a lot of things. He was frustrated, angry even, disappointed that he was so terribly out of his depth, that he had ever allowed himself to end up in this situation. Of course he had already predicted the words Holly would say to his every statement once he began. He had several psychology degrees and years of friendship on his side. And yet he knew, the word weren't coming to him. He hadn't even looked at her and he had already fallen to pieces. And that was when the inspiration hit him.
If the words aren't right, then... He would say nothing.
He huffed a deep breath to steady himself because he knew, the moment he looked into her eyes, it would decide everything.
He pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet, and sharply locked eyes with her. He maintained a flat look, almost cold. Calculated. She wouldn't see it, but it took every fiber of his being to not physically recoil in that instant, when she looked back at him with her mismatched eyes. She was pouting adorably at him, and her brow was glaring but her eyes... They were beaming. She was always happy to see her best friend. They both knew it.
Artemis' mask didn't crack. He had barely held it together. Now the battle begins. He paced over to her slowly and deliberately, confusion replacing the mixed expression on Holly's face.
"Artemis?" she spoke his name inquisitively, and with an innocence that belied the life that she had lived. He stopped exactly one foot in front of her, and dropped to his knees to be at eye level to her. Her eyes widened and she flinched when she saw him.
He was cold. So very very cold. Not his skin temperature. His eyes. They were frozen solid. Blue as the deep ocean, and hard as glaciers. He hadn't fixed her with that look since he had kidnapped her all those years ago. And Artemis knew this of course. This new plan was going perfectly so far.
"Cat got your tongue, mud boy?" she put on a false bravado, regaining some of her composure. For a split second, Artemis' impassive mask cracked. Annoyance fluttered across his brow. He still wouldn't speak of course, for he knew that until this battle was his, one word out of his mouth and he had lost. Still, he wouldn't allow Holly so much as an inch. He would take back control.
He raised his hand up slowly, and Holly's fingers twitched reflexively towards her trusty Neutrino. It seemed she hadn't noticed, but Artemis didn't miss it.
She's scared still. And she doesn't trust me right now. Fine.
"You can drop the bit now, Fowl. It stopped being funny before you even started." Holly shot at him, trying to bust through this stupid mime game that he had decided to play. Still, she knew something was off, but she still had no idea what was going on inside his head. She was distracted by trying to figure out his game when he made his move.
Artemis moved his hand steadily and wrapped his slender fingers around her neck and held firm, and of course with just enough pressure to make her uncomfortable without causing pain. Holly's eyes genuinely bulged out in shock as he put his hand on her.
"W-what the hell are you doing?!" her voice shook. With confusion, fear, and anger. She was losing control. Her hand snapped to her holster and once again, Artemis saw. This time, he didn't bother to hide his feelings. He let his disappointment and annoyance show in his eyes.
"Cut the games, Fowl. Let go of me right now before I force you to." Holly knew she could easily disable him in at least 20 different ways before he could so much as raise another hand. She meant her threat. Or at least, she thought she did.
Artemis was not phased. This was the make or break moment. This was it. Either everything falls apart right here, right now, or something beautiful happens. He steadied himself and squeezed slowly.
"Artemis! Stop! I am going to hurt you! This is your last warning!!!" she screamed at him as she whipped out her blaster and planted it squarely against his chest. He would not get away with this.
What the hell was he thinking!? Surely he hadn't gone back to his insane fairy stealing twelve year old self. Is he being controlled? Manipulated? Impossible. Artemis would never allow that to happen.
Rational thought was becoming harder and harder as Artemis slowly cut off the oxygen to Holly's brain. The safety was off, and Artemis' eyes were still deathly cold.
Holly was on the verge of tears. Had he lost himself again? Had she lost him? Was this some sick twisted way of cutting her out of his life once and for all? What the hell was happening??? Was he going to kill her? Would she actually have to take him down?!
No! She refused to accept it. This made no sense at all and therefore, there was something else going on. Something that Artemis knew that he was not telling her. And right now, all she could do was trust him again.
Holly shut her eyes and dropped her gun, and in that instant, Artemis' vice grip became a tender caress.
I am going to be in a world of hurt after this, but it'll be worth it. It was over. Artemis had won the battle. Holly's arms dropped to her sides as she opened her eyes to look at him again. This time, it was her turn to recoil.
She could see a hurricane of emotions in his eyes now. They were no longer unmoving and as obsidian. His eyes were screaming apologies at her and begging for forgiveness for what he had just put her through.
"A... Arte...mis?" her voice was hoarse and barely a whisper. But in the quiet of the night, on the hills of the Irish coast, it was as clear as if she had yelled it. A single tear betrayed her, as it escaped her eyes, and rolled down her cheek.
His hand trailed up neck, his palm resting against her cheek as he wiped the moist trail away with his thumb, willing for the sadness that plagued the beautiful elf in his hands, to disappear. Holly may as well have been in shock. She was frozen where she stood in confusion, as a part of her noted that she had spent far too long in that state that night.
He let her see the pain and regret he felt show through his eyes. This was all becoming too much for Holly to bear. "D'Arvit Artemis, enough already! Just tell me what the hell you're thinking!" she exclaimed at him, beginning to lose her patience with his insane behaviour.
For his part, the words wouldn't come. First and foremost, he'd need her forgiveness before anything else. He took her right hand in his and raised it between them, his fingers caressing the light ring of scar tissue where her trigger finger had once come off and reattached. He guided her hand to his face as she watched, bewildered, as her hand was placed against his slightly stubbled cheek. He gave her a pleading look before finally breaking eye contact, looking down at the floor, hanging his head a little.
At the moment, Holly didn't have the complete picture just yet, but she was smart enough to figure out the next part. The whole thing of elves being emotionally empathetic may also have pushed her along, and she got the message clearly.
"Artemis." her voice was clearer now. Concern layered it, as well as some of her strength returning. "Artemis... I forgive you... But only if you tell me what is going on. I can't. I can't take much more of this." she bargained.
She lifted his chin up, and took a deep breath before taking his face in both hands, tilting him up to face her once more. When he opened his eyes this time, she was not ready for what he was showing her.
Emotion so raw and powerful that it felt like an explosion rocked her. She saw in his eyes, a desparate cry for her to accept him, a fear of something so deep and so all encompassing that he could not understand. Instinctively, she smiled at him, an expression of reassuring. Artemis responded, and if Holly had been stunned before, it was a thousand fold this time.
He stared at her with unbidden wonder in his eyes, a boundless joy that had crept its way to his lips which twitched into the genuine smile that he wore only in her presence. The unadulterated unfiltered side of Artemis that she and she alone was privy to.
Finally, the pieces fell into place in Holly's mind. She finally understood what was going on with her idiot human genius. She smiled unreservedly, as tears of joy this time, threatened to betray her once more. She closed her eyes and leaned into his palm and sighed contentedly. How many nights had she dreamed of this impossibility? She couldn't count them. The absolute worst pain that she had ever experienced was his death, and ever since the miracle that he had created to come back to her, she felt something that had been indescribable until now. It was confusing and terrifying and so beautiful and brilliant all at once. Now... It all came together.
When she opened her eyes to look at him again, she saw longing, tenderness, affection, and that even he was struggling with the gravity of the moment. This was it. There was no turning back now.
She stepped forward and pressed her self against him, capturing his lips in her own as sparks erupted between them. Whether they were her own magic, or an illusion in her mind didn't matter. She simply melted into the kiss as he responded after a split second being caught by surprise, grabbing her in his arms, as she threw hers around his neck. Their lips danced together in perfect harmony as the world crumbled around them, as nearly a decade of adventure and peril and joy and sorrow all came together into one single truly magical moment.
They finally broke apart, panting for breath, foreheads touching, extending and memorising the moment in as much detail as possible, neither one opening their eyes to come back to the real world. Artemis swallowed audibly. There was one final thing to be done.
"I love you." he said, understanding that he had essentially given himself to her wholly and completely, while being flabbergasted that she had done the same.
Holly's elfin heart could barely contain all the emotions that Artemis was drawing from her. She buried her face into his neck, hugging him tight as more tears tore away at her strong demeanor. A few sobs shook her, as he rubbed her back, soothing her.
"You should have just said so, you D'Arvitting idiot." she mumbled into his neck, sending shivers down his body. "I know... I'm sorry. The words, they just wouldn't come properly and I couldn't trust myself to not screw this up and lose you forever." he whispered into her ear, his breath tickling her overly sensitive elfin ears.
"Tough luck, Arty... Now you're stuck with me forever." She placed a small tender kiss on his neck, and a small genuine laugh escaped his mouth. Another one of the rare genuine Artemis things that only Holly would see.
They both knew that this was just the beginning. There would be a million and one struggles ahead, even without the whole different species thing. But Holly had faith. All she knew is that she would never again be able to bear being without him. Especially after hearing him say those three words.
"I love you too, Arty. More than I'll ever be able to tell you." she held him tighter as she declared her feelings for him, unafraid. She had no reason to be afraid anymore. Artemis was here, and he was hers as she was his. He would find a way. She knew he would. Artemis sighed, truly and completely happy.
Eventually they pulled apart to look at each other, to get back to reality. Artemis was smiling, only slightly, but more genuinely than he ever had. Holly on the other hand wore an expression of shock as she gasped and flinched in his arms. Artemis panicked and cautiously asked her. "Holly? Is something wrong?"
She didn't respond for a few seconds, as his heart raced for a different reason now. She slowly raised her hand and placed it on his left cheek, her thumb gently stroking his cheekbone.
"Arty... Your eye is... Hazel again."