~The Wings We Lack~
Valkyrie ducked her head under the spray, then reached out with a sigh and stilled the flow of warm water with the twist of a knob. She stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself. Relishing the softness of the blue material against her skin, Valkyrie sighed again, this time out of contentment. It had been too long since she'd showered in her own home.
Over the past two weeks, she and Skulduggery had been tracking a murderer in Northern Ireland. Her reflection had handled school and home duties as usual, but Valkyrie hadn't seen her parents for a fortnight until today. Skulduggery had brought her back to his house on the single occasion they'd returned to the Sanctuary for backup - Ernest Fraud was remarkably violent, even for the Skeleton Detective - but they hadn't had time to visit Haggard. And so Valkyrie hadn't paid a visit to her shower for weeks. Very upsetting.
She towelled herself off, finally relaxing her muscles. She pulled on fresh pyjamas and ran a brush through her dripping hair, then ambled back to her bedroom, checking on her sleeping sister as she passed. A smile lifted the corners of Valkyrie's mouth. It was good to be home.
Valkyrie hummed quietly to herself as she headed into her bedroom, swinging the door closed with her foot. She brushed her hair over her shoulder, leaving a damp spot on her pyjama top. Slipping off her necromancer ring, she turned to place it on the bedside table and jumped. Her bed was occupied.
"What are you doing here?" she asked Skulduggery, the first question that came to mind.
He looked around. "I appear to be ... sitting on your bed."
"Yes, that sounds right." Valkyrie moved to join him atop the quilt.
"Your powers of observation continue to serve you well."
"You're funny," she deadpanned, tucking her legs up comfortably.
"I know. Those are lovely pyjamas."
Valkyrie looked at him sideways. "Thank you. I would make a comment about your suit, but it's exactly the same as the one you wore yesterday."
He chuckled softly, and they sat in silence for a moment, just listening to the steady drip of Valkyrie's wet hair, the television playing downstairs, the faint sounds of Alice's breathing from across the hall. Valkyrie looked over to see Skulduggery watching her gently. She met his gaze, and he didn't look away.
"Did you want something? Or did you just miss me too much to let me go for more than an hour?"
"On the contrary, I thought you might be lonely without me. See how thoughtful I am?"
"Will you stop answering all my questions with questions?"
"Why? I find it enjoyable."
"How hard is it to give a straight answer? Is there something you aren't telling me?" she asked, honestly curious.
"Clearly. If there wasn't, you wouldn't be asking anything."
"Huh." Valkyrie took a moment to ponder that. "Fair enough." She checked her watch. 9:27. Early enough, but later than Skulduggery usually dropped around. "I take it you're not just here to say hello."
He shrugged. "It looks as though I have nothing else to do tonight."
Valkyrie raised an eyebrow.
"How are you, after that last case?" Skulduggery asked, relaxing against her pillows.
She hesitated. "I'm alright. Fraud didn't hurt me, but it was kind of ... disturbing."
Skulduggery nodded. "I thought you might want some distraction." He paused a second. "The stars are bright tonight."
Valkyrie admitted she hadn't really looked. She stood up and wandered to the window, finding herself gazing skyward with Skulduggery's hand on the small of her back. She turned to agree, tell him that the stars were bright tonight, but he interrupted.
"Valkyrie? Do you ... do you want to come flying?"
Her heart leapt. Flying. "Love to," she answered breezily. "Why?"
Skulduggery's head tilted gently to the side. "Do we need a reason?"
A smile graced her face. "No," she told him, as he tucked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. "No, we don't."