Hey! Thanks so much for your great reviews, I'm really happy you liked my attempt at angst :) Please review and tell me if I'm giving Valkyrie too much Bella Swan Syndrome :3
Also, I've got massive headcanons for this story, so if you have any questions or want to know more PM me and I'll try and post answers to try and make things clearer.
Love is not some victory march
It's a cold, and it's a broken Hallelujah
The sky was a slate grey over Haggard as Valkyrie sat huddled at the pier. She checked her phone again - punctuality had never been one of Hannah's qualities - and looked up as she heard the crunch of shoes against gravel.
Gary stood in front of her with a grin as he hooked his hand into his jeans pocket. ''Alright?'' Valkyrie grinned. ''No offense Hannah, but you've changed since the last time I saw you.'' Gary smirked and offered her his hand. ''Come on. Hannah and Nathan are off kissing somewhere so I told her I'd take care of you.'' ''Really?'' ''No, but I have nothing better to do. Come wench, take me to the cinema!''
She let him pick her off the ground and they started towards the bus stop. ''Never call me wench again. And now we're seeing a film?'' He shrugged. ''I was thinking I could chat you up during the new Disney film that's out. It's so cheesy mice have been known to nest under the seats.'' She laughed.
''Well, I always said I'd end up with a guy that could handle his Disney movies.'' Gary took her hand as the bus drew up and bent to place a kiss on it, brown eyes sparkling.
''Guess I better go halves on the popcorn then.''
''Oh, you charmer.''
''I've been practicing asking you out for three months now, I bloody hope I come across as charming.''
She raised his eyebrows as they paid the fare and took their usual seats at the back of the bus. ''Three months? And you've never said anything? Gary, you're really thick sometimes.''
''How?''
She leaned across the space between their seats and kissed him. ''I like you, too.''
Dark eyes flew open.
Valkyrie sat up in bed, noting the Sunday mid-morning light streaming through her open curtains. The dreams came every night, and while she never really got used to them, she knew what was coming, more or less.
She padded into the kitchen-cum-living room, which was still slightly alien to her after four days of living there.
''Rough night?'' Tanith, who she genuinely liked, even if she didn't know her that well, smiled at her as she pushed a plate of pancakes across the kitchen bar. Valkyrie slid into a stool and frowned. ''Yeah, actually. How did you know?''
Tanith ran a hand through her unruly blonde waves. ''I, well...I heard you shouting.'' Her expression was sympathetic and slightly awkward, but Valkyrie only felt puzzled.
''That's weird. My dreams aren't scary or anything.'' ''Mmmm? What're they about?'' ''I was rem-'' She broke off and took another bite of pancake. ''Never mind. Sorry if I woke you.'' Tanith waved her away. ''Nah, I was talking with Ghastly on the phone until the early hours, so I was already up. You going to finish that?''
Valkyrie shook her head in apology and scraped her mostly-full plate into the bin before moving to help with the dishes. ''Uni starts on Monday. Got any plans for tonight?''
The other girl shrugged. ''I was thinking about having my friends over for a DVD, if that's OK?'' Valkyrie put the final bowl in the rack to dry. ''Yes, sure. I was thinking of going out for a run anyway.''
''What? Oh, no!'' Tanith twisted round with a pleading look in her eyes, drying her hands on a dish towel. ''I was really hoping you'd stay and hang out with us. It would be great if you all got to know each other, and we hardly know one another either!''
I'm actually surprised you don't know about me. My face was spread across half the newspapers in the country a few months ago. Valkyrie forced down this hard thought and shook her head instead. ''I want to check out campus, you know, I might as get some exercise done while I'm at it. Maybe another time.''
Trying to not feel guilty about Tanith's hurt look, she got changed back in her bedroom into one of her old T-shirts and left with a call of ''I'll be back later!''
Switching on her battered iPod, she selected a fast track with a bass that drowned out any stray thought she might have and set away from the dorms, keeping up a fast pace. The smacking sound of her trainers against concrete was the only other thing she could hear, and when she was like this, music pounding in her ears and blood rushing through her head, she could feel peace.
A few hours later, hair still messed from the wind, she pushed open the door to 465, clutching the bag of doughnuts she'd brought as a white flag for Tanith. Hopefully she could pass off her nerviness at breakfast on term starting tomorrow. Valkyrie pushed open the door with her shoulder, taking a breath. ''Tanith? I brought - oh.''
Her roomate was on the sofa under a blanket with Ghastly; Skulduggery (that cannot be his real name) and the boy with the big hair were streched out on the floor. China, the beautiful dark-haired woman, was sitting elegantly on a winged armchair, looking amused as the Back to the Future opening sequence flashed on the TV screen.
''Hey, Valkyrie.'' Tanith twisted around in Ghastly's arms and beamed at her. ''You're back just in time for our epic Back to the Future marathon! We kind of already had lunch, but there's some leftover pizza in the fridge if you want that.'' Valkyrie shook her head slowly, tossing the bag of doughnuts onto the telephone table and inching towards her room.
''You know, I think I'm going to catch a shower and-'' her speech slowed to a halt as Tanith's eyebrow impressively rose higher and higher. ''Valkyrie. We start university tomorrow. You need to relax. Take your iPod out, grab a slice of pizza and sit next to Fletcher. That is, of course,'' - she directed this last sentence to the blonde boy - ''providing you don't hit on her.'' He shrugged. ''No promises.''
Valkyrie uneasily popped the iPod buds out of her ears. ''I really should sort out my papers for term tomorrow. Sorry.'' She tried to ignore Tanith's wounded look and poured some popcorn into a bowl for her afternoon-revision sugar fix. Fletcher turned around from his spot on the floor with an easy smile. ''Don't let Skulduggery at that,'' he mock whispered, nodding his head at her bowl of popcorn. ''He really shouldn't take on all those extra calories. Believe me. He'll eat it all.'' Skulduggery turned around with a frown, thick brown hair falling across his forehead. ''Are you calling me fat?'' Fletcher innocently looked up at the ceiling and Skulduggery kicked him. ''Ghastly, he's calling me fat!''
Ghastly, arms around Tanith's waist, rolled his eyes in a manner that told Valkyrie he had to mediate between the two more often than not. ''I'm actually trying to watch this movie. Sort it out yourselves.'' His words resulted in a furious, silent wrestling match between Skulduggery and Fletcher which ended with Skulduggery sitting on top of the younger boy. ''I think you should lose some weight, Skul,'' gasped Fletcher as he struggled beneath him. ''I'm definitely feeling these extra pounds.''
A giggle escaped Valkyrie's lips and she was shocked by the sound of it; it had been such a long time since anyone could make her laugh. Skulduggery noticed her chuckle and looked at her. ''You should see dinnertime. Fletcher and I's food fights make World War Two seem like a friendly spat.'' She smiled carefully as she picked up the popcorn bowl and headed for her bedroom, feeling her roomate's close gaze. ''Maybe sometime I'll come see if I should support Germany or Britain.''
Tanith beamed.
It was a little past nine o' clock when Tanith's friends finally left; Valkyrie could hear them calling out goodbyes from her position on the bed, unopened revision guides and essays spread out in front of her.
There was a knock on the door, and after pulling a few of the guides towards her Valkyrie replied with what she hoped was an airy ''Come in!''
Tanith's head appeared around the door, and when she spoke her voice was soft. ''Hey. I just want you to know, it was really nice of you to say you would come out to dinner with us sometime.''
Valkyrie gestured at the armchair beside the wardrobe, and Tanith grinned at the invitation before crossing the room and sinking into it. ''I know you don't know the others that well, and that Fletcher is kind of excitable, but you get used to that. It might take a few years,'' she added with a wry smile, ''but eventually you do.''
''Have you known each other a long time?''
The blonde girl drew her legs up underneath her, face thoughtful. ''I guess so. He's almost two years younger than me but we grew up together - we were the only kids from London at our school so we kind of bonded.'' Valkyrie nodded. ''That explains your accents. And the others?''
''Oh, there's a lot of stories there. But come on, what about you? We should get to know each other if we're going to be roomates! Tell me everything.''
Valkyrie hesitated, and Tanith winced. ''Sorry. I'm too curious for my own good.''
''No, it's fine. I'm just kind of a private person.'' Her gaze strayed to the picture on her cabinet, the five teens grinning wildly at the camera in their graduation caps and gowns. Tanith followed her line of vision and her eyes lit up in interest. ''Oooh! Are they your friends?''
Valkyrie felt herself go blank and she struggled to keep her face from crumpling. ''They're people I know.'' Tanith frowned slightly and Valkyrie hoped her voice was under control. ''But really, I'm exhausted. We better get an early night. Term starts tomorrow.''
The blonde nodded, standing up and giving Valkyrie a final smile. ''Night, Valkyrie. Have a good sleep.''
''Goodnight, Tanith.''
After she brushed her teeth, switching the light off and settling into bed, Valkyrie turned onto her side. The graduation picture looked back at her, dimly lit by the moonlight spilling through her window. ''Do you miss me?''
The grinning faces didn't reply, of course. They never did. ''I miss you.'' She rolled over onto her back, looking dry-eyed at the ceiling. ''So much.''
