It was a rather dark and late night when a Bentley drove through the streets and shops in Dublin. In high speed, the driver turned with a ridiculous precision through every narrow turn.
"What's bugging your brain?" asked the driver dressed in a smart dark blue suit.
"Hmm?" was heard from the absent minded young lady.
"Val?" while the other hand on the steering wheel, Skulduggery waved his other hand in front of Valkyries face. "Hey... are you drunk?"
"What?" she asked slowly, and turned her head towards the skeleton man. She met his eye sockets and felt her heart fasten it's beat and her face redden, so she turned her face away from the man not wanting him to see her blushing.
"If you've start drinking it would explain a lot," Skulduggery continued without noticing Valkyrie's rather flushed face. "You've been sluggish lately and unfocussed the whole day… the past months more specifically".
"I have not been drinking".
"Well that's good news. Although, this means you're starting to become forgettish and vacant. Like a ninety years old auntie with a lot of fluffy cats".
"… What? Fluffy cats? Forgettish is that even a word? No wait, never mind. I've just been… in deep thoughts about something stupid and ridiculous and should never be spoken of until one of us is dead… or seriously buried like a real corpse".
"I was a real corpse once, without all this intellect and smartness".
"You're lanky and old with a big ego, that's all".
"I beg your pardon?" Skulduggery placed dramatically his skeletal hand on his chest. "Me! lanky?" he repeated in disbelief.
"Yes".
"Now listen here young lady. I'm tall, yes. I'm slender, well of course, I am a skeleton. I'm smart, swift, agile, sharp and graceful and my tremendous intelligence and perfect composure would NOT be described as lanky".
"Huh, no, of course not…," her eyes had locked themselves staring in to outer space of nothing particularly. Skulduggery sighed.
The Bentley parked beside Gordon's house. It was Valkyrie's house since the day she turned eighteen, but she saw this big house as her uncle's. Especially since Gordon was still roaming inside. She didn't have much time hanging around at the house lately either. Her investigations and trainings had taken over most of her time. So, times for relaxing with a movie or a book at home were very few. Even if she needed to sleep, she would most of the times slag on Skulduggery's couch.
Valkyrie had felt the car slow down to a stop and came back from her thoughts. She opened the car door and stepped out. She leaned down her head to see Skulduggery, "um… do you... do you want to come in for awhile?" she asked.
"No, I'm going to head back to the sanctuary and help Ghastly to prepare some files, he needs them by Thursday for the next meeting. He's a busy man, so I'm trying to lessen his work, as the noble friend I am".
"I'll tell you what's been troubling me if you come in and make me something to eat".
He pondered for a second before he answered, "alright, but you are to love my sandwich without any complaining and maybe, only maybe you'll get some scrambled eggs on the side".
"Deal," she beamed. "I don't have any eggs though".
"Excellent".
"There." Skulduggery placed a plate on the table, with the sandwich on top. "Now tell me".
"When I said sandwich, I was implying on something more… fun." Valkyrie lifted up the sandwich between her thumb and index finger. The cheese slid down from the buttered bread slowly and landed on top of the plate.
"Ah, ah!" Skulduggery wagged his finger, "no complaining".
"But-"
"Ah!"
"Thi-"
"Eat".
"Skul-"
"Mmm!"
Valkyrie was about to speak again, but was silenced with one of his finger pressed against her lips. "Eat. The. Sandwich".
Valkyrie putted the cheese back on the sandwich and took a bite. She made the face you would make if you had to watch the most boring movie you knew, and had to watch it again.
"So what've been tormenting your mind?" he asked ignoring the obvious expression on her face. She coughed and covered her mouth so bread wouldn't fly over the whole table. She had forgotten the deal.
"Well, um… let's see," she chewed on a piece of bread and cheese slowly, debating whether to just spill the truth out, or worm herself out of it. "Let me think".
"Forgotten what has been bugging you these past months just now?" he teased.
"No. But if I have kept it secret for so long, it's obviously delicate," she grumbled.
"Just rip the patch of your skin fast and now, consequences come later, and you've told me worse secrets, both of us have as a matter of fact," he pointed out.
"Yeah, I know, but this is a whole new chapter," she sighed and put her head in her hands.
"Well this is getting rather exciting," Skulduggery beamed and leaned back on the bench behind him. "No way out of this situation now, my dear Val".
Valkyrie groaned in frustration. 'Now or never,' she thought. 'Just spit it out. Get it over with, now, no wait… now'. She lifted her head up from her hands and turned to look at Skulduggery, who looked annoyingly relaxed.
"I think," she started. "I am in… an unexpected dilemma".
"What kind of dilemma?" he urged after a minute of silence.
"An unexpected one".
"Ah-ha, well yes, I understood that".
"Then why did you ask?"
"I…," he stopped his hand in the middle of a motion. "Don't start being withy," he retorted in an annoying tone.
She eyed him and stood up. Skulduggery stood dead still.
"I've got a strange feeling," she said quietly.
"A strange feeling?" he asked slowly. She nodded.
"Really now," he said. "About this feeling, what does it consist of?"
She lifted up her hands in level with her chest and started to babble. "Well you see I've had a feeling for awhile now, which popped up from absolute nothing!" She looked at her hands which were fidgeting in the air. "Okay, some people might have made a joke there and here about it, which made me think. And it hasn't gone away which I thought it would after a while".
"I see?" he said unsure what to make of it.
"And, and you see I thought it was just temporary, but it been nagging me for more than a month now. As you might have noticed," she had started to pace around the kitchen, "Um, I don't have a clue what to do, and you might think it'll be a bother to know about this feeling. That's why I've been keeping in secret, obviously".
Skulduggery was standing perfectly still waiting patiently for Valkyrie to calm down and sort out her mind. He eyed her while she was pacing around, babbling. He had a vague idea what this whole secrecy might be about.
"-but it might still destroy our friendship…"
"Might destroy our friendship?" He repeated in a question. "What kind of man have you fallen for exactly?"
She came to a halt, she had gotten a flushed face from his words. "I've fallen in love". She stuttered out.
"Falling in love isn't something bad," he chuckled and then got serious. "It's whom you've fallen for. Judging by the way your acting, it's a rather bad case".
She laughed nervously, "Depends".
"Depends on what?" he asked sternly.
"Depends if you see yourself as a bad case…"
The kitchen fell in silence for a painful moment. "…oh," he lifted up his hand to his chin.
"Well that is a different case".
Valkyrie nodded, not facing him and her heart was making hard poundings against her ribcage.
"I got to say that you have a rather different taste when it comes to men," he mused. "Not bad though".
She sighed in frustration and walked out of the kitchen to the living room. Skulduggery followed her. She stopped in front of the CD player. He stopped close behind her.
Skulduggery scratched the back of his skull. "Sorry for being insensitive about your feelings, I understand it must have been troubling you for several reasons," he said softly.
"Don't worry about it." She dragged her finger on top of the CD player and gained a small pile of dust. "I'm used to it," she said dryly.
Skulduggery went to stand beside Valkyrie and bent down under the shelf and browsed through the CDs.
"Ah, here we go." He stood up and had a CD in his hand. He looked at the backside of it.
"This has to be one of Gordon's, can't imagine that you enjoy listening to this kind of music".
Valkyrie peered over his shoulder. "Frank Sinatra," she read. "Haven't heard him before".
"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief. "We can't have it like that, can we." He shoved Valkyrie to the side and started the player. He took the CD out from its sleeve carefully and placed it in the player. "Now," he pressed play and turned around, "we shall dance." He offered his gloved hand towards Valkyrie.
She let out a snort. "Yeah right," she said looking skeptically on his offered hand and crossed her arms.
"That's right," he said and took a step towards her. She let out a yelp and unfolded her arms. Skulduggery took that change to capture her hand with his and pulled her against him. She was about to step back, but his other hand had snaked around her waist to keep her locked against him. "Can I have this dance with you?" he asked and added, "please?"
Valkyrie bit her lip and glanced towards the windows; in case someone was peeping, then turned back to face him.
"Alright", she said with a tiny blush. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, and he led her smoothly to a more open space in the living room. Valkyrie looked down on the feet below them and tried to copy Skulduggery's.
"Concentrating on the feet won't make you a better dancer," he said laughing at her failure to copy him.
She huffed. "I'm trying here!" She argued with her eyes concentrated on his feet. She stepped two times on his feet, and then she felt his hand lifting up her chin so she was staring in to two black holes.
"Look at me and I'll lead," he said seductively. Valkyrie felt her air choke in her throat and her face went beat red. Skulduggery laughed at this. "If falling in love with me takes away your stuck up attitude towards me, I won't mind it a bit".
"Oh shut up," she grumbled in embarrassment.
Skulduggery had started to hum along with one of the songs. He paced up the tempo and to Valkyrie's surprise she wasn't stumbling on either hers or his feet.
"Dancing an old people's dance, I'm doing pretty well," she beamed and smiled broadly.
"You're doing well because I'm leading," he said.
"You should be happy I'm not stepping on your feet," she said while trying to do so. Skulduggery noticed her attempt to trample over his feet and twisted her out of his embrace and spun her around. Valkyrie let out a squeal and was pulled back to him. She burst out in laughter clutching his shirt.
He slowed down the pace and embraced her waist and kept his other hand on top of hers, which was clutching his shirt. They danced in silence for the rest of the song. Valkyrie kept her eyes most of the time on his necktie and only glanced discreetly to where his eyes should have been one time.
"Why do you love me?" he finally asked.
Valkyrie pondered for a moment before she answered, "I don't know actually. You're not even a complete man".
"Ouch, you're just rubbing it in, aren't you?"
"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I meant to say that you're a pile of bones with a big ego," she mused.
"I can almost feel your love in those words," he grumbled. "Well, it must've been my charm that made you head over heels over me".
Valkyrie let out a snort. "The feeling just sneaked up on me from behind and infected my brain".
"I think it's the teenage hormones that are messing with your brain".
"Don't you think that teenage hormones should stop interfering since I've already turned twenty-eight?"
"I thought it would too, but seeing you drooling and ogling every time some guy passes, it seems like you're very late developed towards adult lif- Ouch!" Valkyrie stomped on one of Skulduggery's feet, hard.
"Serves you right," she huffed. "And for your record I don't drool and ogle. I analyze the good looks, you never know if you'll find a great catch".
"Well, you've been wasting your analyzing on human boys, while the man in your dreams was none other than your incredible partner in crime".
"No one else," Valkyrie mused. She felt her face heat up. "I-I mean, you should feel lucky, you know," she claimed nervously. Valkyrie felt Skulduggery's piercing stare all over her mind. "Having such a stunning and beautiful woman in love with you, you must be overwhelmed with joy".
"Hmm, I wonder about that," he mumbled. She gave him a glare. "Hey now, of course I am," he defended with a laugh. "I've always known you've loved and respected me though… maybe not in the romantic way," he continued, "I've always been proud having you by my side".
A smile crept up on Valkyries lips; same did Skulduggery's gloved hand once again. Their dance came to a stop as he lifted up her chin towards his skeletal face and leaned in insanely close to Valkyrie's. Her heart leapt like a rabid horse.
"But you're fifty years too early to ask me out," he said gravely. Valkyrie's eyebrows flew up with a frown.
"S-say what!" She smacked away his hand from her face, obviously flustered. "Now you listen you little rodent," she huffed with flushed cheeks. "Did you hear anything about me asking you out?" she questioned. Skulduggery was about to answer her but was smothered before getting a chance to speak up, "NO, I don't think so," she continued. "I simply spoke out my feelings to a friend," she said huffing with anger. "Who simply neglected my feelings and made fun of it".
"I'm didn't make fun of your feelings," he protested. "Just took advantage of it for my own benefits".
"And the differences are?" she asked annoyingly.
"Different," he said. "I can't see why the outburst, I didn't say no did I?"
She stared at his white bony face for long moment. "But… but you, you said." Valkyrie pointed her finger warningly in front of his face. "Don't make fun of me," she warned.
"But I didn't say no, did I? I said you were fifty years to early, that's all," he said with a shrug.
"That's usually a sign to buzz off and give up," she said annoyingly. He simply shrugged and tilted his head. She stared at him skeptically. "Where is this heading?" she asked. He shrugged again.
Valkyrie let out a sigh of frustration, massaging her temples. "I'll say it again," she said and locked her eyes on Skulduggery's. "I love you Mr. Pleasant. In a romantic way," she said underlining the last bit.
"Yes".
"And what do you feel about me?" she asked, feeling stupid over the whole matter at the moment.
"I," he started, and waited a second before continuing, "think I don't have the same romantic feelings towards you right now". He crossed his arms and stared long, "but there's definitely something there".
"Something…" she repeated raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, but I think we need to wait at least thirty or fifty years before making a conclusion of it all," he stated, putting his hands to his sides, obviously proud of his answer.
Valkyrie rolled her eyes, "alright Skulduggery, if you insist," she said crossing her arms. "But I believe you will have trouble keeping your composure till then," she said with a taunting grin.
"I can't imagine how that could ever happen," he asked baffled.
"Just don't be surprised when it happens," she said sweetly.
"Don't be ridiculous," he mused. "Anyway, this has been a remarkable evening, but I better head down to the sanctuary," he said glancing at the grandfather clock and went to the kitchen to get his hat and coat.
Valkyrie was standing in the hallway when Skulduggery came back from the kitchen. He put the hat on its rightful place on top of his skull and slid the jacket on swiftly. He stopped in his tracks in front of the door where Valkyrie stood beside it.
Skulduggery let his gaze wander over Valkyrie. Valkyrie felt his gaze and her cheeks redden. She cleared her throat. "Do you want me to open the door for you?" she asked embarrassed.
"Ah, no I'm fine, thank you," he said breaking his gaze. He opened door and stepped out.
"W-wait," Valkyrie stuttered and went after him. Skulduggery stopped halfway down the stairs and turned around, seeing Valkyrie stopping in front of him. With a forceful grip she pulled Skulduggery's collar towards her. She crashed her lips on to Skulduggery's teeth, then backed away quickly letting go off his collar. "Goodnight," she said feeling her face burning up and ran for cover towards the hallway and closed the door behind her.
Baffled he stared at the closed door. In loss of words he turned back and walked hurriedly to the car.
Valkyrie heard the engine start running and drive off. She stared blankly in front of her, and let out a grunt of frustration. "What on earth did I just do?" She covered her face recalling her action. "I kissed him!" She screeched.
End
I was thinking of continuing this story. It ended rather abruptly, so probably yes.