"Val, please. Tell me, what's going on with you?"

Valkyrie jumped and looked over her shoulder to where Fletcher was draping himself over the back of a chair. She turned and faced him.

"I – nothing, nothing that... that's important..."

"I'm just worried about you, you know. You can tell me," he reasoned.

"...I can't...you – you can't...hear it," she admitted confusingly. "I'm sorry, Fletcher. I've been thinking about things. I promise I'll come clean, but right now I can't do that; is that okay?"

Fletcher looked disheartened, but nodded soberly. If nothing else, Valkyrie was completely her own person and Fletcher knew – possibly better than anybody – you didn't change that. You had to back off, even if it meant uncertainty and worries. "How are you doing with Tanith being... gone?"

Valkyrie allowed the emotions to show unbidden across her face: despair, anguish, guilt and the faintest trace of hope. "I sound so, so selfish saying this, but... I really want to talk to her. I know she'd understand – could help me through it."

"You can be selfish, Valkyrie. You have a right to be, don't you? What with saving the world so much, when you never get the recognition you deserve."

She trembled slightly. "I know I can destroy it far more easily."

"We all believe in you. You're not that person; you're not someone who wants to see a dead world. If nothing else, it'd be a waste of you and Skul's efforts, right?" he said with a small, unfelt smile.

Her lips twitched upwards, and she held her arms out.

Fletcher paused and looked disdainfully at them. "Isn't that implying that I'm the one in your arms? I have to be manlier than that, surely!"

She let her arms fall limp. "As if there's any point trying. If you want to be a man, you surrender your hair gel to me."

He got up slowly, speaking as he rose. "What, you mean... no hairstyles, no awesome spikes... ever?"

"Let's give it a test run, for a week. Is that less scary, pretty boy?"

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to look good!"

"Yeah, except you don't. I've seen your hair when it's less than seventy per cent gel, and it isn't so bad, hanging in your eyes like that. I didn't even know it was that long!"

"What, really? Isn't it boring and unoriginal?"

"I like it normal. At least you don't have random people staring at you in horror."

"I thought they were staring at me because they thought I was hot..."

"You would, no matter how blatantly they were looking at you with fear and how many were middle-aged men."

Fletcher grinned.

"What? You would!"

"Oh, never mind. Okay, look, I'll take you up on that week thing."

"You don't survive; I get a box of chocolates?"

"It isn't interesting without a little gambling. I pass with flying colours and you confess how much of a manly man I am... and go on a date with me."

"That isn't much of a prize for a couple."

"I haven't just talked to you like this in ages. Everyone's flitting around and always doing something because of the Remnants. So when I say we go on a date, I mean it. No interruptions, no reschedules and I decide when we go and where. Okay?"

Valkyrie looked a little shell-shocked. "Okay," she said quietly. The Remnants. He just totally made me forget about my worries. The fact I was thinking about Caelan makes me feel so guilty. I...I do love him. Not just because he looks out for me; it's always going to be him that I can just hang around with, talk about nonsense to so we don't think about other things, and make myself look stupid and childish around.

Oh my God my eyes are watering. When am I this emotional about anything?

"Hey, I didn't get my hug." She looked through slightly blurry eyes to see Fletcher standing in front of his chair with his arms stretched towards her.

She walked over to him, clutched at his shoulders and let her head rest on them. Squeezing her eyes shut, she refused to cry. Deep breath. Swallow. Control your emotions.

As Fletcher pulled away from her, she gave him a peck on the cheek and smiled. "I... I love you."

Fletcher beamed at her and ran his fingers through her hair. "You too."

"Wanna know something?"

"What?"

"You like being less dominant than me."

"I do not!"

"Hate to break it to you Fletch, but the Remnant told me himself. While I was otherwise occupied at the time, I now have full ability to tease you about it."

"What a bastard... He lied to you!"

Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "I'll show you lying," she muttered, dragging him by the arm towards the bedroom.

Hah, that ending... They weren't going to do anything NC-17, I promise you!

And lucky you. You don't have to wait another YEAR for an update. I'll try uploading more frequently for all you Fletchyrie fans.

In other news... I can't remember being off school for illness for more than a day. I'd prefer going to school than being ill, I really would.

A quote from Linkin Park that sort of relates to this story: "Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learnt to hide so well. Pretending someone else can come and save me from myself." I should totally do an AMV with that song when the movie comes out.

EDIT: Heh, a couple of people have pointed out seeing these stories on deviantART. If you didn't guess already, it's my own account uploading them :) Ask me on dA if you have any doubts!