I just finished reading Goliath and I must say it's a barking brilliant book, I'm almost nervous to even write for it. But the ending was so openly inviting, I couldn't resist.

Obviously if you haven't read the full series, this isn't the story for you because it's filled with all kinds of lovely spoilers for the ending and so on.

If you have read the book, you know very well that it's a very open ending for our young heroes, going to work for Dr. Barlow with a whole new world to uncover.

This is simply a small portion of what could be going on for our lovely couple….

Kraken—One Roof

The room was barking tiny.

Only a single bed stuffed in the left corner, a dusty window flooding the room with a bumming grey light of the dull afternoon sun, hidden by the old buildings of London. The kitchen was simply a box dug into the wall with the bare essentials, and a single washroom adjusted to its left. The interior made the room it's only savior, given how it was indeed, very fresh.

Either way, though, it all seemed wedged and messed in Deryn's opinion, but it would be the place that she and Alek would be spending together for the next two months.

It only took the Leviathan a few days to reach the London ports from New York, and although Deryn certainly sniffed back a few of those unsoldierly tears she was hardly going to let leaving her home behind phase her work.

She still was a decorated soldier after all, and a barking good one at that.

"Tiny," Bovril repeated as Deryn shoved herself inside, spotting every wrong thing with every corner of every wall in the room, Alek trailing behind her with their bags—a surprisingly low number to his fortune—that she had carelessly left in the doorway during her rant of the bum-rags who had placed her in there.

Of course, though, it was the lady boffin who had decided that Alek and Deryn stay on site in London with her for the two months she needed to stay in her native stomping grounds.

Being aboard the Leviathan had proved strenuous on her societal duties, and although the London Zoo and her exemplary society had managed just swimmingly without her direct orders, they took little time jarring unfinished business, duties, and decisions to be tended to. Enough to take up two months of onsite work, it seemed. And that mess could only mean one thing.

It would be two months before both Deryn and Alek could fly again.

The tiny excuse for a living arrangement was directed from Dr. Barlow who had no problem explaining to her people that her two new assistants would be staying in her complex in the spare room on the fifth and top floor. Two floors above the third floor, which the lad boffin had all to herself. She had described them both as boys, of course, and with only one vacant room left in the place, her and Alek would have to do more than play house to pull off keeping the fact that Deryn Sharp was indeed a decorated officer worthy of being onsite with the granddaughter of Darwin. And not some daft girl sleeping in the same room with her just-barely man of the hour.

"It's not as bad as you're making it Dylan," Alek said, using her male name in the fear that any of the wandering men in the halls would hear them. She was certainly kicking up quite a scene, mocking every inch of her new home.

"Barking tiny," Bovril chuckled on Alek's shoulder before jumping down into the bags, finding a new comfort in the soft fabrics of Alek's silk jacket, humming content whistles it had picked up from Alek's whistles to get the worms glowing aboard the Leviathan. The sound alone was enough to make Deryn stop her blathering for a moment, looking over at the beastie lounging in Alek's jacket, whistling a song that could only fill her memory.

Memories of the Leviathan.

Alek seemed to realize this, and shut the door behind him, walking over to the girl to offer her a heavy hand on her shoulder, turning her to an angled look at him.

"I miss it too," Alek admitted softly, his words barely above a whisper over the beastie's whistles. "But this is our home now."

"Aye, it's just so…different."

"Aye, indeed." Alek agreed, copying her lilt in a humorous approach to the situation. "But, at least we're together. Leviathan or not."

She could only offer him a smile. His green eyes shining in the way they always had been ever since they kissed atop the Leviathan's topside. Up to that point, Deryn had only thought of what it would be like to have no secrets between them. For him to know that she was a girl, for her to kiss him in confession…and for him to kiss her back with those same words perched on his lips.

But the real thing was so much more real than she had anticipated, even though the mere words of the thoughts in her head sounded just as daft as the look in Alek's eyes.

Deryn hadn't anticipated what her last ride on the Leviathan would be like, but she hardly expected being able to call her and Alek an item when it happened.

The climb off the ratlines back to the party was definitely tricky, for climbing down proved harder than shifting her weight upwards in determination, simply going down meant being naturally pushed down by gravity, and getting smacked in the face by the cross breeze blowing over the ship, only serving amusement for the madness within her that brought her and Alek up the ratlines in the first place.

And of course, her weak knees from a good half hour of topside kissing didn't help either.

But, all the while, being on no-secrets terms with Alek meant that they knew how they felt about each other. That they had feelings for each other, and that Alek's dafty move of throwing the pope's letter over the side of the ship meant that finally—without a doubt—they could be together.

If only she wasn't still know to everyone but a handful of people as Dylan Sharp.

Their being an item was a definite secret, though between the two of them, it did prove to be—as Alek had said—a bit tricky. It was all so new and fragile, the glances across the corridors, the urge to always take his hand in hers, and of course, the urge to kiss the barking daylights out of him.

But, they had managed quite well for an ex-prince and a common girl dressed as boy, sneaking about to the dark corners of the halls, climbing the ratlines for privacy when the middy's where only a few in numbers aboard the topside, and their most valuable means of privacy…at night when Deryn turned into her cabin early to rest her leg.

Nevertheless, snapping herself back the present, sneaking about in dark corners, and cabins for nightly visits was in so many ways different from actually living under the same roof. And by the looks of the tiny sleeping arrangements, sharing the same bed.

Her cheeks heated at the thought.

Alek could almost count himself smug when a long pause flooded between Deryn's smile at his kind words and her deep blush running up her cheeks and ears. He slid the hand that was on her shoulder down her arm to grasp her hand, entangling her rough fingers with his and stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I do believe you're blushing, Mr. Sharp." Alek teased.

"Mr. Deryn Sharp." Bovril interrupted its whistles to add, with a cackle, of course.

And even though Deryn was, at that moment, concocting a million different witty snips to say to him and his arrogant dafty self, she only squeezed his hand before going over the Bovril and the bags, grabbing them and moving them over near the window just to do something other than get lost in his eyes.

"You know dead well what you do to me, your princeliness." She said softly, low enough so she hoped Alek hadn't heard her. "Just promise me you'll use your forces for good."

He didn't answer, though. And in a fraction of a second, she felt his smile against the back of her neck, his arms wrapping around her slowly and loosely enough to show that he was still a novice at anything romantic.

"I'd prefer the reddening, Deryn." He whispered to her, making no slow movements to turn her head about, placing a steady hand under her chin, and kissing her just as soundly as always.

"I do believe you're blushing," Bovril said.

It was barking insanity, what he did to her, Deryn thought. But as long as she wasn't as mad as that boffin Tesla had been, she supposed getting a little lost in Alek's dafty ways wouldn't kill her.

He was one hell of a kisser after all.

0o0

"How are my assistants holding up?" Dr. Barlow barged in their room with Tazza and her own loris in tow. The noon sun soon turned into a shining light being swallowed by the blues of the London evening.

Both Deryn and Alek's heads snapped up from their recreations and Tazza made it's way over to Deryn, the girl scratching it's ear. Alek was unpacking his clothes into the closet, Deryn's already having been stuffed inside, and Deryn lay on the bed, Bovril mounted happily atop her stomach, and humming all kind of content at the girl stroking his fur, but feeling a little left out now that she was showing that affection to Tazza. She simply stared up at the ceiling through her motions, counting all the spade looking figures she saw on the wallpapered top.

"I thought you weren't going to flaunt the 'assistant' term ma'am." Deryn spat, not bother to prop herself up. She was all too comfortable.

"Well, you did take the job, Mr. Sharp; you might as well live up to the appreciated title I give you." The lady boffin countered, looking over at Alek who made no other indication he could even hear the bickering ladies other than the small smile tugging at his lips.

"Is there more to this visit other than cheery banter?" Deryn asked instead of making a remark towards her titles. The lady boffin would be quite a handful to get used to, with her saying one thing and calling another.

"The dining hall is open for dinner if you two want the complex's food, but of course you have your own kitchen for personal meals." Dr. Barlow explained.

"How's the service?" Alek asked.

"Same as the officer's mess on the Leviathan, though the food is more delectable"

"And where will you be dining Dr. Barlow?" Alek asked.

The lady boffin regarded him with a mischievous smile. "I believe your wildcount will be escorting me to dinner on the town."

"Quiet suited to each other." Bovril said, repeating Klopp's words at the party.

"You and that bum-rag?" Deryn snorted. "Good luck not putting your fork in your throat halfway through the meal."

Alek only smiled, he wasn't surprised that Volger had decided to accompany them to London, but the nature of his whereabouts were still so mysterious. He had told him he was there to help Alek's elevation towards the throne, he didn't make it clear that he would be in his company. The wildcount made his living arrangements elsewhere, probably keeping close enough to Alek so he knew what he was doing, but that Alek didn't know anything about the wildcount.

But apparently he still had time to escort lady boffins to dinner.

As for Alek, he just wanted a simple meal, having had enough of the grand dining he had done with Tesla. So he'd let Dr. Barlow and Volger have their outing, he'd stay happily tucked away with Deryn.

"Then I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go check out this place's dining." Alek said with one last clip of his last jacket being hung. He pulled the straps of his suspenders back up over his shoulders and looked over at Deryn, still comfortably lying on the bed with the Dr. Busk's fabricated compression still on her knee. "I'll bring you back something, Deryn." He told her, walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Any requests?"

"I'm not crippled you daft prince," Deryn told him, sitting up gingerly even as she spoke and shooing Tazza away. Alek knew she had been on her feet that whole day, saying goodbye to the Leviathan and the crew and running errands with him and the lady boffin before they made it to the complex. Either way, she wasn't going to let herself become confined to a room again, and Alek knew that all too well.

He released her shoulder as she slide from the bed, Bovril making a comfortable and proud travel position on her shoulder. She gave Alek a firm look, telling him, for sure, that she wasn't going to let her leg stop her from anything, even something as simple as getting dinner from the complex's mess.

"Alright," Alek said softly, an even softer smile on her lips soon making him mirror her movements.

"Barking destiny," Bovril said thoughtfully, and Dr. Barlow quickly cleared her throat.

"I just hope you two remember that you are my young and gentlemanly assistants," the lady boffin offered before walking towards the door. "The dining area closes at ten." She told them before closing the door behind her.

"Mr. Sharp." Bovril added.

0o0

In ways he could only pin on Deryn's odd habit of momentarily dropping an argument when she was met with food for the fact that Alek convinced her to take their dinner of freshly roasted chicken and stirred vegetables back up to their room.

"There's not even a barking table in this place!" Deryn exclaimed, arms waving up high.

"Madness," Bovril said as well, throwing his tiny arms up in the air just as Deryn had.

Alek didn't even answer, going into the side closet near the kitchen and pulling out a small folding table. The legs sprung out wider when he turned it upwards, and Deryn swallowed at the food plate in her lap, sitting on the bed and placing the food on the table the second Alek brought it over. He sat beside her, though the table wasn't big, it could hold two plates and cups if they were all placed in the right section of the table. And Bovril didn't find snacking on his plate of fresh fish on the floor near the window.

"See, still not that bad." Alek told her, a sigh of content falling from his breath between chews, and Deryn thought it was a quiet enough time between then to lean her shoulder ever so closely against his. It wasn't anything to reddened by, by the pair still blushed at their touching shoulders.

He had finally figured out that Deryn didn't hate the room just because it was small, but because she thought she'd be trapped inside. But he wouldn't let her mold in a room, for two months. Boffin assistants or not, they were going to see the grounds of London for all it had to offer, until they could fly again.

The thought of flying brought the next words Alek spoke to the forefront."So where do you figure the Leviathan is headed now?" He felt it right to ask, taking a forkful of veggies into his mouth.

"It's hard to say," Deryn noted. "Their destination to London is supposed to be a repair stop, but that'll only take two, three days tops." She sat her fork down and looked out the open window, the cold chill winding over Bovril's fur, but the beastie looked at peace, eating its fish and whatnot. "And of course you were supposed to be thrown in the brig, me too if that bum-rag Malone had released my story." As if the mere mention of that incident made Alek realize how much he was really willing to do for the girl beside him. He lined their whole arms side by side, and laced his fingers over hers, and placing his fork down as well, giving her his full attention.

"It's just hard to say," she repeated to him simply, even though Alek was expecting her to know all about the Leviathan's whereabouts, he forgot how quickly information to her had been severed when Dr. Barlow reported to the captain that she would be taking midshipman Sharp and former Prince Alek for her own assistants in London.

And just like that their decorated service to the mighty airbeast was nothing more than a story for the papers, and fond chapter in the captain's log book. The bravery of the small, 15-year-old middy and the dashing prince in distress turned hero.

Her gaze dropped almost instantly, and he could see her eyes becoming more and more far away. They were probably flooding with images…memories of her time served of the brilliant ship, and the only thing she had left of it was a knee injury, her middy uniform, a fabricated loris…and of course, her dashing prince.

Alek did something daring, leaning towards her and kissing her cheek, a sweet and gentle gesture that was in great contrast to how whenever they did kiss, it seemed like they were starving for each other's breathes. Wanting to stay joined at the lips for as long as they could by breathing heavily through their noses. Alek smiled at the thought against her skin, it was partially his fault that they kissed so hungrily. If he hadn't been so daft in learning her secret, there might not have been so much emotional build up between them. But then, if she would've have just told him, as well, the problem could've been fixed all the same.

Deryn's cheeks heated up again.

"Reddening," Bovril whispered quietly, its eye shining over at the two in a happiness that neither of them expected. Did the beastie really understand the bond between them? Their friendship, their romance? It was quite perspicacious, after all.

Alek recognized the next look in Deryn's eyes. They were softened, curious, and just a tad bit daring. She wanted to kiss him, and surely wasted no time claiming his lips.

Their picked over plates and placed down forks were easily forgotten as they encircled their arms around each other. He held her against him tightly, finding an odd urge inside him to finally feel all of her, and not just the warmth of her body through her middy's uniform.

She only wore a tailored buttoned and collared shirt, white and cleanly pressed for her steps off the Leviathan with Dr. Barlow and Alek, cameras flashing and reporters scribbling of how a simple middy aboard the airship had become such tight allies with the lady boffin and the former Austrian prince. Nonetheless, though, Alek could still feel the binding Deryn had on, pressing her chest back just as tightly as he held her against him, his lips skating softly over hers.

It was a slow kiss, none of that sloppy business. And Alek could feel Deryn leaning into him, placing all of her weight into his arms. She was releasing all of her tension into him, and he could feel it coming off of her in waves. Her sadness over taking her last steps off the Leviathan, her fear of being in the lady boffin's world of small, stately rooms, being called an assistant, and the desperation to fly even though she knew it would be two months before her feet would leave the ground again.

But still, there was a certain vigor about her kiss. She was relieved in certain ways, and Alek was sure she was sharing the same relief he was. That even though they had lost so much, thrones, midshipman duties, and a home thousands of feet in the air, they seemed to have gained so much.

"You'll still need…something more."

He smiled into her lips at what Deryn had told him when she was confined to her cabin after she'd injured her knee, and instantly remembering the words he told Malone during his last interview with him.

"Let others wage war, you, lucky Austria, shall marry."

And pulling away from Deryn, breath thin, a permanent smile on her lips and shining in her eyes, he knew he'd made the right choice.

He was among his ally, his best friend, his lover. The only thing that kept him going when the war he was certain was his destiny to end not even a week ago still raged on.

"Barking spiders, Alek," Deryn breathlessly noted, her smile still not fading.

"Forces for good," Bovril added.

"We should be retiring for the night, don't you think?" Alek mentioned, looking out the window to the darkness of the city below them, the street lights giving everything a golden midnight hue.

"Aye, it's been quite a day." She moved quickly to reach over to take her and Alek's plates to the kitchen counter, not bothering to rake them or even bring them back to complex's mess. They'd do that in the morning, Alek supposed.

It was when that thought left him and he looked over at the bed he was sitting on that Alek realized that there was really only one bed. He felt daft for skipping that fact so easily, and he figured Deryn had already narrowed down those facts, but was just too embarrassed to bring it up.

But it was night time and they were tired, so there was no more avoiding it.

Before he could get a word out, though, Deryn had already made her way into the closet, grabbed his night shirt and made her way into the washroom to splash some water on her face and change for sleep. He took that momentary privacy to change while she wasn't in the room, practically ripping his clothes off and throwing them in a pile near Bovril—and in some cases, on Bovril—and slipped on his long, stripped sleeping shirt.

Slower than Alek had anticipated, the door to the washroom clicked and Deryn emerged, a bundle of her white collared shirt and trousers in her hand, and a washed out red sleeping shirt replacing her daywear. Alek suspected her slow time changing was still due to her knee, but she would hardly ask him for help undressing, even though he'd gladly close his eyes and do whatever he could to assist her.

The medical beastie on her knee was perfectly visible in her night shirt, and Alek blushed at the daring nature of her garment. The fabric stop right above her knee, leaving her legs perfectly bare to him, and although when midshipman Dylan Sharp removed his calf high boots and socks from his flight suit, Alek thought nothing of it, there was something alluring about Deryn Sharp wearing a knee length sleeping shirt.

It was also, the first time he'd even seen her in anything but day wear or her middy uniform. He swallowed hard.

"A bit tricky," Bovril chuckled, while Alek's mouth ran dry as Deryn strode across the room, placing her pile of clothes in Alek's pile hear the window, leaning down to stroke Bovril's fur.

"Goodnight beastie." She told the loris softly, and then stood to lock eyes with Alek.

"Don't you look cozy in your night wear, your princeliness." She teased him, walking over to the bed and climbing in, gingerly as ever in mind of her knee beastie. Alek watched her, mesmerized by her every move at the moment and he swallowed hard, only to find that there was no moisture in his mouth. "And looking quite daft as well." She added, being egged on by Bovril's chuckles.

"S-sorry," Alek shook his head, but still stood frozen in the middle of the room. Deryn was laying simply on the bed, her arms raised behind her head as she regained her position staring at the ceiling designs, but with her arms raised, it raised her night shirt as well, and a little more of her legs showed….

"Barking spiders," Bovril whispered.

"I was just wondering how I was going to do this." Alek finally found it possible to form sentences, drumming his fingers at his sides.

"Do what?" Deryn asked, either acting oblivious or finally being the daft one for a change.

"This sleeping arrangement." Alek finally said in one, strained breath, his cheeks coloring quickly, as did hers. Their gazes didn't meet.

"Aye, it is a bit of a trick isn't it?" She said, looking down at the bed. It wasn't a huge bed, but it wasn't tiny either, Alek followed her gaze, thinking the same thing she was. They could possibly share it, but that was insanity.

"I guess I'll sleep on the floor," Alek offered, looking over at Deryn's leg and feeling it only proper that he let her have to bed. He wouldn't let his injured lady sleep on the ground, even though she'd take up the offer without a second thought, claiming that if she could climb ratlines she could stand sleeping on a barking floor.

"Or you could stop being a dafty and get in here."

"You daft prince," Bovril cackled.

"I'm not sure that's….proper."

"What's propriety between us, Alek?" Deryn almost laughed. "We're an ex-royal and a girl dressed as a boy sharing a barking room!"

"I suppose so," he said softly, his blush still coloring his face and his gaze falling down to his bare feet on the wooden floor. It was hard and cold beneath him, and all he wanted was her warmth.

And he got it, when she got from the bed and walked over to him, folding him into her arms slowly enough that he just melted right into her. She was inviting but when he placed his hands on her sides, as he always did, and leaned into her he immediately snapped back, putting at least two feet between them.

"What's wrong now, you daft prince?" Deryn groaned. "You sure make such a fuss, don't you?"

Alek regulated his breathing before trying to answer, but soon figured that there was no proper way to tell her that with her night shirt on and being out of her daywear he felt her skin beneath the fabric, her bare legs against his, and he felt that she had taken off her chest bindings.

Deryn seemed to follow his gaze down to her chest area, and immediately lifted her arms to cross over her chest, turning so her back faced him.

"Oh," She let out softly.

"I'm sorry," Alek sighed. "I'll take the floor now."

"No, you won't." Deryn closed her eyes and said, in a swift move that Alek didn't even see coming, she grabbed his hand and lead him over to the bed, practically spilling him on it and then climbed in behind him.

Alek's eyes were wide when he finally registered what she had done, and his blush only grew redder.

"Now get some rest you dafty." She told him, turning over and clicking the light off, filling the room with only the outside streetlight's midnight gold.

Alek finally relaxed from his stiffened shock and pulled the covers over him, turning over so his back was facing Deryn's and vice versa. Their backs touched lightly, and a tug at Alek's heart continued to throb even after he fell asleep.

Even after all he has lost, given up, and changed about his life. He was glad that he somehow found himself there in the small complex room in London. Sleeping with his back against Deryn Sharp's, her foot nudging his a little too often for him to call it sleep kicking, and the raspy whispers of the giggling loris soon taking a spot between the two.

"We save each other," the beastie whispered. "That's how it works."

Okay, so what do you guys think? This could be a oneshot, but if you guys like it, I have a few more things I can do with it to add a few more chapters.

Besides, who wouldn't want to know how Deryn and Alek survive living together?

Reviews are always welcomed.