When Annie suggested that Finn and Gale stay the night at her apartment after the photo shoot, Madge had expected any of three scenarios: A) the boys sleeping in the living room; B) all four of them sleeping in the living room, so that Annie could be with Finn and still keep an eye on Gale; or C) Annie retreating into her bedroom with Finn, but not before threatening Gale with death should he make a move on Madge.
Madge didn't quite expect this.
It had been a long day, but Finn and Annie had fallen asleep in each other's arms on the drive back to Reykjavík, and they had woken up as refreshed and energetic as if they'd had an entire night's sleep. And once they realized that Gale and Madge were already looking for flights to Oslo and Copenhagen, they literally cracked their knuckles and took over.
"I don't know what's going on," Gale whispered to Madge as Annie aggressively swept the coffee table with one arm, sending her mail flying to make space for her laptop. "But it's kind of scary."
"Just go with it," Madge advised. "Traveling is their forte, after all."
"Forte?" Gale watched Finn sit himself down next to Annie, wrapping his arms around her waist and nibbling at her ear. "Looks more like foreplay."
Annie looked up just then, and Madge had to quickly reprogram her face so her best friend wouldn't see her cringe. "Ninety dollars, American, one-way from Reykjavík to Oslo," Annie announced triumphantly. "And eighty dollars from Oslo to Copenhagen. The flights you found earlier were upwards of three hundred dollars for each leg."
"Wow," Gale said, visibly impressed. "How'd you do that?"
"The flight search engines don't always index the low-cost carriers," Annie explained. "But I know all the budget airlines that have routes out of Iceland, so I went straight to their official websites. It also helps to be flexible with your dates—it's usually cheaper to fly in the middle of the week. For the flight to Oslo, I lucked out and found a really good last-minute deal, if you're willing to fly tomorrow."
Madge had traveled with Annie several times before, though this was the first time they had flown outside the US together, and she knew of her best friend's tendencies to sound like a human guidebook. But from the way Finn was looking at Annie, it was as if she had quoted the Kama Sutra. "Dear god, I love you so much," he said reverently.
Gale cleared his throat loudly before Finn and Annie could start making out right there in the living room like Gomez and Morticia Addams. "What do you think, Madge?" he asked, raising his voice. "Should we buy these now?"
"Hang on," Finn spoke up, reluctantly tearing his eyes away from Annie. "Why stop there? I have heaps of frequent flyer miles. I can get you free flights on better airlines, if you're keen."
Gale and Madge exchanged glances. "That's an incredibly generous offer," Madge began. "But I don't think we can accept it."
"'S all right," Finn assured her. "I claim most of my own travel as a business expense, anyway. And if it weren't for you and Gale… well." He tightened his arms around Annie, who leaned back against his chest and gave him a contented smile.
"That's exactly why you should keep your miles," Gale told him. "You should save them for yourself, and for Annie. So you can see each other as often as possible."
"Cheers, mate," Finn said, looking surprised and genuinely touched.
Gale turned to Madge. "So, should we do this?"
Madge peered over Annie's shoulder at the screen. "I didn't think we'd fly out so soon. When is your friend expecting us?"
"Anytime this week." Gale pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Let me just text Thom to make sure."
It wasn't long before he received a reply. "We're good," Gale reported. "Thom's roommates are okay with it. But they're all at work until four, so they can't pick us up."
"Easy peasy," Annie said confidently. "Take the train or a bus from Gardermoen Airport, leave your luggage in a locker at Oslo Central, and go exploring downtown until your friends turn up."
"You're doing it again," Finn growled before going in for another kiss.
"Wait!" Annie giggled, fending him off half-heartedly. "We're not done with the itinerary yet. We need to get in touch with Jo."
"You think she's still up?" Madge had never seen Johanna Mason go to bed before three a.m., but that had been years ago, before they had careers and tax returns and enough disposable income to fly around Europe.
Annie double-clicked on the Skype icon on her computer. "There's only one way to find out."
.
ooo
.
Earlier that day
Copenhagen
"That is well disgustin', Jo."
The melodic lilt of Enobaria's native Jamaica usually softened her south London accent, but this time it gave her voice a hard edge. Her condescending tone bounced off the tiles inside the ladies' room at work, where she was watching—and judging—Johanna as she touched up her makeup.
"I thought you liked this technique." Johanna carefully peeled off the piece of scotch tape she was using as a stencil for her winged eyeliner. "You called it, and I quote, bloody brilliant."
Enobaria rolled her eyes. "Don't play innocent with me. You know what I mean."
Do I ever.
It was Tuesday, and Johanna had seen Darius every day since hooking up with him on Friday. Today, however, they were going to his place for the first time, and she was going to stay the night. The significance of this milestone, and the speed at which they had arrived at it, was not lost on Johanna.
It wasn't lost on her friend and colleague, either. "You've broken your no-repeat policy," Enobaria reminded her, as if she would ever forget. "You're constantly textin' him—with no dick pics to show for it, I might add—"
"Why would I need a photo of something I see often enough?" Johanna wondered aloud.
Only Enobaria would be alarmed at the apparent lack of sexting between a grown man and woman who had met just four days ago. Even if said woman did promptly text Enobaria the morning after, saying HALP I'VE FALLEN ON THIS GUY'S DICK AND I CAN'T GET UP.
"To share with friends and family, of course! What's the point of pulling a fit lad like that, if he only sends you those ridiculous internet memes and pictures of small animals?" Enobaria shook her head reproachfully, as if baby hedgehogs were singularly responsible for everything that was wrong with the world. "All that, and now you're going over to his? Oh, how the mighty have fallen."
Johanna snorted back a laugh. Enobaria could be such a drama queen sometimes. It was one of the reasons why she was so much fun to be around.
Technically, of course, none of it was inaccurate. For all his smoldering at the club on Friday night, the everyday version of Darius Johansen was actually kind of a dork, but that suited Johanna just fine. Things between them could go from silly and light-hearted one moment, to hot as fucking hell the next, and honestly? She wouldn't have it any other way.
"Soon, you'll have embarrassin' nicknames for each other," Enobaria predicted. She paused and glared at Johanna. "Unless you already do."
"Well," Johanna mused as she unscrewed the cap from a tube of mascara, "I did call him SpongeBob NoPants yesterday. It's got a certain ring to it."
Enobaria shuddered. "God, you both have the sense of humor of a nine-year-old. Is this it, Jo? Is he The One?" she sneered, holding her hands up and making air quotes with her fingers.
"We're having fun, En. Get off my case. Jesus Christ."
She would never admit it to Enobaria—hell, maybe not even to Katniss—but Darius had been surprisingly candid about his intentions, and she had been surprisingly receptive.
"I'd like to see more of you, Johanna," he told her over breakfast on Saturday morning, after their first night together.
"You're going to need an X-ray," she quipped. "Or an MRI."
"You know what I mean. Last night, and this morning… I don't know about you, but I thought that was great. The best, actually."
He smiled sheepishly and covered one side of his face with his hand, as if he couldn't believe how forward he was being. When his hazel eye peeked out at her through his fingers, to see how she was reacting to his bold admission, it sent her limbic system into overdrive. She could almost feel parts of her brain lighting up in response to the stimulus. The amygdalae. The hippocampus. The prefrontal cortex. Everything that had to do with memories, emotions, and decisions.
Like the one she just made.
"Seeing as we've already done it four times, I'd say the evidence supports your hypothesis. Still…" Johanna bit her lip, unsuccessfully trying to hide her grin. "We should probably keep testing, just in case."
And that was how they ended up having sex for the fifth time. On her kitchen table. Tasting of coffee and Danish pastries.
.
ooo
.
On a bike, the Ørestad district of Copenhagen was half an hour away, both from Johanna's laboratory in the city center and from Vesterbro, where she lived a stone's throw from the nightlife. With the flat terrain, a cool breeze tempering the warm sun, and the verdant expanse of the countryside slowly coming into her range of vision, it made for a leisurely ride.
From a bird's eye view, the mixed-use complex where Darius lived looked like the number eight, with homes, offices, and commercial spaces built around two central courtyards. Each unit opened out to its own garden, which in turn opened out to a walking and cycling path that ran up, down, and across the entire structure. It was a ten-storey building all around except for the southwest corner, where the architects had carved out a prominent V-shaped gap. But the gap wasn't there for looks alone: it was perfectly positioned to let in warmth and light from the late afternoon sun, and to provide idyllic vistas of blue skies above and green fields below.
"People were joking that we could use the roof as a ski slope in the winter," Darius said, gesturing toward the moss-covered inclines that served as the "arms" of the V. "But we don't get enough snow."
"Goddamn," was all Johanna could say. After a year of working in the Danish capital, she still couldn't get over the feeling that the entire city was a permanent art installation.
Beyond its aesthetic appeal, the building's design also fostered a sense of community, and Johanna felt a little self-conscious when children cheerfully waved at them as they pedaled past. Darius—who was so easygoing and smiled so much that Enobaria had dubbed him the human emoji—waved back.
After a few more minutes of cycling, Darius pointed out his apartment coming up ahead. As he slowed down, he rose out of his seat and lifted his right leg, gradually shifting his weight to the left until he had dismounted in one seamless movement.
"We can bring the bikes in," Darius told her, hefting his bicycle up onto his shoulder as he fished in his pants pocket for the house key. Even though Johanna had seen him naked many, many times before—to the point that being fully clothed in each other's presence seemed like some sort of achievement—the sight of his muscles flexing underneath a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows was an entirely new level of sexy that she wasn't prepared for.
"I haven't done much decorating," Darius warned as he ushered Johanna inside. "But it's clean, and it's home."
"Are you kidding? I love it." The apartment was full of natural light, making it look bigger than it was. The minimalist furniture made efficient use of space, and the wall-mounted bike storage looked like modern art.
"So what's the plan for tonight?" Johanna asked. Yesterday, they had come to a vague agreement to cook dinner together, and to spend some time on her Danish. From experience, Johanna knew the latter would result in either sex or a marathon of the cult comedy series Drengene fra Angora, most likely both.
Darius finished hanging up their bikes and turned back to her. "Well, you mentioned the Christmas dinners you have back in Minneapolis, and how similar they are to Scandinavian food—though, sorry, I cannot accept rødkål made with jelly instead of juice," he teased her as he stepped closer, his hands gravitating to her hips. "But you've never actually had Christmas Eve dinner here, because you flew back to the States last December. So I thought, what if we had a Danish juleaften right now? Roast duck, potatoes… and of course, your favorite red cabbage, prepared properly for once."
Johanna's mouth practically started watering at the thought. "Yes, please," she said, her own hands automatically reaching up to undo his tie. Danish office wear tended to be on the casual side, but Darius knew she liked ties and was happy to oblige.
"For dessert, we can have traditional rice pudding with cherry sauce," Darius continued, slipping his hand underneath the hem of her asymmetrical tunic. "And wash everything down with all the gløgg you can drink."
Even though Johanna wasn't normally ticklish, the sensation of Darius's fingers climbing up her lumbar vertebrae was driving her wild. But she gave him a noncommittal shrug and kept a straight face. "I prefer beer to wine, actually."
His tie now unknotted and hanging loose around his neck, she tugged on one end to remove it. The silky material made a thwipping sound as it slipped out from under his collar and fell to the floor.
"I'll make you change your mind," Darius vowed before leaning down for a kiss.
You probably would, Johanna thought, feeling herself smile against his lips. Enobaria hadn't said so in as many words, but she was right. If there was one thing Darius was good at, it was making Johanna change her mind about everything.
.
ooo
.
After dinner, Darius managed to teach Johanna an entire Christmas carol in Danish, and by the end of the night they were singing it in what he claimed was the traditional way: shouting the words at the top of their lungs while running hand in hand from one room to another.
It was manic, it was frenetic, it was totally insane. Johanna blamed the mulled wine.
"It's so fucking fast," she gasped as they collapsed onto his bed.
"It's more fun to do with a big group of family and friends, and in a bigger house," Darius grinned, pulling her on top of him. "And we were supposed to start by dancing around a Christmas tree. Maybe next time."
"I don't think I pronounced half the syllables in that damned song."
"That means you're doing it right."
Just then, Johanna heard her phone ring. She raised her head and looked around the bedroom before remembering that she had left her things in the living room.
"The Skype ringtone sounds like a robot chewing gum and blowing bubbles," Darius remarked.
"Crap, that's probably Katniss," she said, straightening her elbows into a pushup position. "I forgot to tell her I wouldn't be able to Skype."
"Go on, then," he said, slapping her on the butt right on top of her SpongeBob boyshorts. "I'll be here when you get back."
"Do you—do you want to meet her?" Johanna found herself asking. Although she had shown Darius photos of Katniss and vice versa, she hadn't gotten around to introducing them to each other yet.
And maybe it was the wine, but the smile on his face was making her giddy. "I'd love to," he told her warmly.
When Johanna retrieved her phone, however, it wasn't Katniss Everdeen's Grumpy Cat impression flashing on her caller ID. Instead, it was a name and a face that she hadn't seen in years.
Darius came up behind Johanna just in time to steady her when she stumbled backward, suddenly light-headed. "Maybe there is such a thing as too much gløgg," he joked. "Aren't you going to get that?"
It took a few more seconds before Johanna could speak. "It's not Kat," she rasped as she lowered herself onto the couch. She needed to sit down for this.
Darius joined her on the couch and looked at the phone in her hand. "Who's Annie?"
"She's… my ex-boyfriend's sister."
"Oh." Darius grew quiet. Then: "Are you going to answer?"
"I don't know." Johanna's heart leaped into her throat. What if something happened to Rafe? What if something happened to—
"I can go back to the bedroom if you want," Darius offered. "Give you some privacy."
"No, I—" The words caught in her throat. Unconsciously, she sought out his hand with her own. For once, she didn't want to face this alone. "Stay. Please."
Almost instantly, the feeling of their fingers laced together filled Johanna with something not unlike courage. Darius squeezed her hand and nodded wordlessly.
Johanna answered the phone.
Annie Cresta was every bit as drop-dead gorgeous as Johanna remembered, if not more. "Jo!" she exclaimed, her cheeks rosy. "I was afraid you weren't going to pick up."
"Hey, Annie," Johanna said cautiously. Annie wouldn't look or sound that happy if she had bad news, would she? "What's the occasion?"
"Wait, let me get everyone in the frame." The video feed turned shaky for a moment while Annie fiddled with her computer, and Johanna used that momentary lull in the conversation to turn her phone on its side so the video could change to landscape orientation. "Surprise!"
Of all the things Johanna expected to see, it wasn't this. Annie's best friend Madge Undersee was a given. But they were joined by a very attractive man, very obviously Annie's boyfriend, who was a dead ringer for Finnick Odair, the pro surfer. Last but not the least, the fourth person rounding out their little ensemble was—
"Gale?" Johanna said, confused to find Kat's boyfriend—or, rather, ex-boyfriend—on the screen. "Are you in Seattle?"
"Hey, Jo," Gale said, leaning closer to the webcam. "Funny you should ask. We're in Reykjavík."
"You're in Iceland?" Johanna had a hazy recollection of Katniss saying Gale was going to Europe, but she didn't know when or where. "What are you doing with Annie and Madge in Iceland?"
As the four of them took turns telling the story, Johanna's jaw dropped lower and lower with each new piece of information. Baggage claim. Job interview. Ph.D. Photo shoot.
Annie's boyfriend was Finnick Odair, after all. His tanned good looks aside, it was his accent that finally convinced Johanna he was the real deal. Way to go, Annie.
"This is some Twilight Zone shit, you guys." Johanna shook her head in disbelief.
"Enough about us," Annie said. "How are you? I miss you."
A lump formed in Johanna's throat. When her relationship with Rafe went down in flames, it had hurt too much to stay in touch with Annie beyond the requisite birthday and holiday greetings. Maybe she could make up for it now.
"I miss you, too," Johanna told Annie sincerely. She glanced at Darius and pointed at the screen. I'll introduce you, she mouthed.
Okay, he mouthed back.
Johanna held her phone at arm's length so Annie and the others could see Darius sitting next to her. "Let me," he said, taking the phone from her. He let go of her hand and put an arm around her waist instead, to steady himself.
"Thanks. Guys, this is Darius," she said, a little awkwardly. For survival reasons, she didn't tell them his last name. "Darius, that's Gale, Madge, Annie, and Finnick—um, Finn."
Darius moved closer to her on the couch and gave the others a wave and a smile. "Hej."
Everyone except Finnick looked shocked. "I like your taste in men," the redheaded Australian informed Johanna, a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Finn," Annie scolded her boyfriend. "She hasn't even said… you can't just assume."
"It's okay," Johanna felt compelled to say. "We… we're going out."
"Going out," Gale echoed, as if the idea of Johanna Mason dating was completely foreign to him.
She scowled. "Yeah. Ever heard of it, Hawthorne?"
Madge intervened. "Nice to meet you, Darius," she said, shooting Gale a scathing look. "You and Johanna look great together."
Gale blushed—blushed!—and looked at Madge with what appeared to be actual hearts in his eyes.
Holy shit. Gale Hawthorne and the Princess of the Pacific Northwest? This was a coupling Johanna wanted to see, and she could say that without any guilt or disloyalty. Katniss and Gale made a great team, but she had never been a hundred percent sold on them romantically. Besides, lately she couldn't get Kat to shut up about that Peeta guy anyway.
Gale always did think Madge was cute. Back in college, the screensaver on Johanna's laptop had been an automated slideshow of all her photos, and there had been several from when she went hiking with Rafe, his sister, and his sister's best friend. Didn't Gale do a double take each time Madge's face came up on the screen? He'd especially liked a picture of her picking strawberries.
No, a voice in her head disagreed. That was Thom.
"Dibs on the blonde," Thom had said, more than once.
"In your dreams," Johanna had retorted each time, and for some reason Thom always found that highly amusing.
She groaned inwardly at the memory. Definitely Thom.
"Are you visiting other places in Europe anytime soon?" Darius asked the group, bringing Johanna out of her reverie.
Gale and Madge looked at each other. Johanna knew chemistry—she was a neurochemist, after all—and what she was seeing between these two was about as textbook as you could get.
Gale answered for them both. "Annie and Finn have to stay here in Reykjavík, but Madge and I are flying out tomorrow to visit Thom in Oslo."
Of course they were. "That should be interesting," Johanna deadpanned.
"Come to Copenhagen," Darius encouraged them. "Johanna and I will be your tour guides. What are you interested in? Nightlife? Food? Architecture?"
"Madge and Gale are really into Vikings," Annie said, elbowing her best friend in the ribs.
"That's perfect," Darius declared. "I studied Old Norse at university."
The astonished silence that followed was so absolute, Johanna could have heard a pin drop.
"Say what?" Gale said, aghast. At his side, Madge had gone pale.
Darius frowned. "I studied… Old Norse?" he repeated uncertainly. "I mostly work on modern languages now, but Old Norse was my specialty."
"The coincidences just keep on coming, don't they?" Annie said dryly.
Finn jumped up and started pacing around the room. "Fate," he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "Fate!"
"Okay, someone's going to have to catch me up on this," Johanna groused. "Whatever this is."
"It's nothing," Madge hastened to say. "I just have some books in Old Norse that belonged to my grandfather. I brought them to Iceland so I could have them translated, but when I got here… I had second thoughts about asking people I didn't know."
Darius's eyes lit up. "How about me?" he suggested. "I'm not a total stranger. I can only do it in my free time, but I won't charge you anything."
"I have finished scanning them all—I can email the files to you anytime," Madge hedged. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose."
"It's my hobby," Darius assured her. "I wish I could do it more, but there aren't many opportunities. Trust me, I'm more than happy to translate your grandfather's books."
"Wow," Madge said. "This… this is so much better than I could have hoped. Thank you."
"You're Johanna's friend," Darius told her. "You're like family."
"Ooh," Annie said, looking intrigued. "That serious, huh?"
Johanna decided it was time to change the subject. "So," she said. "Madge, Gale. When are you coming down to Copenhagen? And for how long?"
There it was again: that fleeting but intense moment of eye contact, somewhere between a schoolyard crush and senior citizens celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary. "In four days, maybe?" Gale proposed to Madge. "We can spend Wednesday to Saturday in Oslo, then Sunday to next Wednesday in Copenhagen. That'll give us enough time to come back to Reykjavík and hang out with Finn and Annie some more until our flights back to the States."
"Barf," Johanna proclaimed. "Friday and Saturday are the best nights for Copenhagen. Besides, what about Stockholm? I thought your new boss told you to start looking for a place to live already."
"That is true," Gale conceded.
"I'm up for it if you are," Madge said to Gale. "But we might need to spend fewer days in the other cities to make it all fit, and we should double-check which dates have the cheapest flights."
"Look at them, Annie," Finn said, sitting back down next to his girlfriend and wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. "They're learning. They're growing up so fast."
Gale's grin disappeared. "Shit, if we're going to Stockholm, that means I have to get in touch with Clove."
Annie let out a gasp. "Oh my god." She grabbed Madge's arm. "What if you run into Cato? The way things are going, it's practically guaranteed."
"Who's Cato?" Gale frowned.
"That's right," Johanna realized. "That Swedish exchange student you used to have a crush on—wasn't he from Stockholm?"
"No, he was from Gothenburg," Madge said automatically, before turning beet red.
"You remember!" Annie laughed.
"Oi, oi, oi," Finn said sternly. "What's all this, then?"
"It's nothing," Madge protested for the second time in the past ten minutes. Johanna caught her sneaking a glance out of the corner of her eye at a transparently disturbed Gale. "He was just this Swedish guy who interned at Microsoft in Redmond years ago. Really—it's ancient history, and nothing even happened anyway. I thought he was cute, but I didn't make a move and neither did he."
"Typical Swede," Darius chuckled.
Johanna made a face. "You're one to talk. I was the one who asked you to dance."
"Aw, honey." Darius gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. "You remember!"
"Gross." Annie sounded disgusted, but she looked delighted. "You've changed."
"Everything changes, Annie," Johanna said.
Annie's expression softened. "Some things never do."
.
.
.
A/N.
I wanted to write a couple more scenes, but in the end I figured I would rather post a short chapter than go another week without an update.
Last-minute discounts on plane tickets can and do happen, but it's still safer to book well in advance if you can. YMMV (literally), caveat emptor, etc. etc.
Jo and Darius finally stopped banging long enough to do something plot-worthy. :P He's coming off as a male Mary Sue at the moment, but I promise there's more to these two than fluff and smut. BTW, if you're in the mood for some canon divergence, I wrote a one-shot about Jorius in District Thirteen. It's called "Axe/Avox" and you can find it on my profile as the fourth installment of The Future is Open.
Thank you everyone for your feedback, especially on last chapter's Clato! It'll take some time before we go into their story in depth—they're based in Sweden, and Gale and Madge will be traveling to Norway (Thelly) and Denmark (Jorius) first. (Back in the US, Everlark will get their own arc, as well.) For the anonymous/guest reviewers, I wish I could PM you, but please do know I'm always grateful.