Ta da! The Grand Finale. At last.
With thanks, as always, to the lovely ilex-ferox.
August 26th
He was watching a redhead dance when Minerva joined him.
"Ah, yes, Vianne," she said, following his line of sight. "Planning to go out in style are you?"
Artemis' lips twitched. "Something like that." He sipped his drink thoughtfully. "You know, I believe I may have over-indulged these past few months. The thrill has begun to wane."
"Oh, you're only sulking because I made fun of you over Suzanne. You just need to try something different, Claudette and Pierre are looking to expand their horizons."
"Perhaps." Artemis sighed, scanning the crowd with indifference. "Perhaps," he repeated.
Minerva shrugged. "Well, I'm off to play the good hostess. Don't spend the night lurking, it's not becoming."
"What a pity you won't be able to continue these parties once you start at Trinity," he said suddenly. He seemed sincere but there was a something in his voice that gave Minerva pause. She turned to look back at him but he was gazing into the depths of his whiskey.
"Artemis—"
"Surely no one would expect it of you. After all, Ireland's so far off and the weather's simply horrible," he continued lightly, interrupting her. His voice was conversational but his mouth twitched.
She smiled. "And I'll have an absolutely tiny flat," she sighed exaggeratedly. "But it's such an opportunity for me, you must realise. Everyone has to grow up one day, chéri."
Artemis nodded. "What a shame." Then, raising his glass to her with a smile, he said, "I'm surprised you didn't think of it sooner."
"I had, but they took ages with my paperwork."
"Bureaucrats!" Artemis tsk-ed, shaking his head.
She kissed his cheek fondly. "Enjoy yourself, Artemis."
"Coffee and sunrise?"
"What do you think is getting me through?"
Artemis laughed.
It was still dark when Artemis sank, exhausted, onto a deck chair. He stretched his legs out in front of him, watching the lights of the town below. His balcony really did have a lovely view.
"Busy night?"
"Oh good God!" Artemis clutched at his heart.
On the balcony rail across from him stood Holly. She grinned.
"Don't hurt yourself now, Fowl."
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to say happy birthday. I'm a bit early, but I don't think I'll get another chance to do it in person." She eyed his rumpled clothes and hastily tied tie. "You look a mess."
"It's been a ... long ... night. How did you know I was here? Foaly?"
"Butler, actually. You weren't picking up so I called him. He gave me your window and everything. The man takes his job seriously. I wasn't going to come but he ... uh... he said I wouldn't be interrupting anything. I'm not, am I?" Holly's eyes flicked past him into his darkened room.
"Interrupting? No, I never bring them to my room." He said it without thinking.
"Them?" Holly raised an eyebrow. "How does Minerva feel about that?"
"Minerva? Why would she care where I - oh. Oh." He clicked his tongue, "For heaven's sake, I'm not involved with Minerva." Unconsciously, he pulled a face.
"You're not?" Something odd came into Holly's voice.
"No, goodness, of course not. She's madly in love with Butler. Didn't you know?"
"Bu – no. No, I did not know."
"Has been for years now."
"I ... see. Right. Well, if not Minerva, then who?"
"Oh, different people. Lately I've been ... seeing ... rather a lot of people actually. Tonight it was Claudette and Paul. No, Pierre. Sorry, I've had a bit to drink."
"Yes, I can smell that."
"Of course."
They sat in awkward silence for a moment, each gauging the other.
Holly licked her lips. "So, did you enjoy yourself? With Claudette and Pierre, I mean."
Artemis shrugged. "Yes. But my mind was elsewhere."
"Quantum physics?" Holly joked.
He laughed, "No, something a little more concrete." He looked at her and his lips twitched as if at some private joke.
"Right. So, are they together then?"
"Claudette and Pierre?"
"No, Butler and Minerva."
"Oh. Yes, yes they are. Have been since before we came back from Hybras, in fact."
"Wow." Holly looked impressed.
"Can't say I blame her," Artemis said thoughtfully.
"Butler is rather amazing," Holly agreed.
"Oh, no, I meant being attracted to someone older. Someone stronger. Someone you can ..." he shrugged, frowning at the distant horizon, "... trust, I suppose. Not to belittle Butler's many other talents, of course."
"Of course." Holly bit her lip, looking up at the sky.
Silence descended again.
"Look, Artemis—"
"Holly, I—"
"Sorry, you go—"
"Please, continue—"
They stared at each other for a moment. Artemis gestured for Holly to speak.
"I was just going to say that if you have someone that you'd rather be ... seeing ... right now, you don't need to stay for me. I just wanted to say hi. You know, catch up a little."
Artemis smiled wryly. "There's no one I'd rather see, Holly."
"Oh." The elf scrutinized her toes rather fiercely.
"May I kiss you?"
"What?" Holly's head shot back up.
He was standing very close to her all of a sudden. "I'm much better at it now, I promise." His face was open and shockingly earnest.
"That's not really the—"
"Please," he said, beginning to smile. "It's my birthday."
"It's August 26th," she huffed. She wanted to take a step back but there was nowhere for her to go. "Are you really that drunk?"
"To be honest," he said, "I feel extremely sober all of sudden." He came closer still, his cheek nearly touching hers, and spoke into her ear. "Please."
She shivered. "Artemis," she swallowed, her throat dry.
He kissed her cheek, innocently, the way they did sometimes, and his thumb traced her jaw.
"I play for keeps," she said at last putting her hands up against his chest, though whether it was to keep him away or to draw him closer was unclear. "And I've never liked sharing."
Chuckling, he raised his head to look at her. "You won't have to."
"Really? Because it certainly sounds like—"
"I've been practising?"
"...Not quite what I was thinking."
"It's like I said, Holly," his thumb was still running along her skin, "there's no one I'd rather see."
She worried her lip again, looking away from him.
"Just once, Holly."
She peered at the paling horizon a moment longer before turning back to him, eyebrows raised. "Really, Artemis? You took your clothes off for Claudette and Pierre but I'm only going to get one measly kiss?"
Artemis blinked.
He swept his work off the desk with one arm, the other holding her to him. Her legs were around his waist and she kissed his neck, working her way up to his earlobe as her fingers struggled with his tie. Successful, she whipped it off him, throwing it into the shadows around them. The desk was cold against her back and she shivered as she cursed his buttons, her impatient fingers slipping. As she struggled, he kissed her and kissed her; the zipper of her uniform coming open easily. Their movements were frenzied, their kisses greedy. Holly ripped his shirt in the end and he yanked her one-piece off together with her jumpsuit. They let everything fall, heedless of how or where it landed, desperate to touch the other's skin.
She sat up on the edge of the desk to undo his belt, his hands in her hair as they kissed. Her feet pushed his trousers and pants down and he stepped out of them, kicking them away, his hands tightening on her thighs, bringing her ever closer.
He could feel the heat radiating from her as he dipped her back towards the desk, fingers splayed at the small of her back. The fingers of his other hand slid up her inner thigh and into her until she moaned, her back arching, her breasts straining towards the sky. He felt his heart stutter as he looked at her. He lowered his head and kissed her breasts to distract himself from how much he loved her. Taking his mouth away he blew on the hardened nipples and she gasped at the sudden cold. Her body bucked beneath him, demanding, and he withdrew his fingers from her. She reached down to help guide him in. It was his turn to gasp.
The desk creaked below them, protesting, and her nails drew lines up the white skin of his back. His breath was erratic. He slipped a hand under her head, cradling it gently; the single tender gesture amid the violence of their hunger.
She cried out when she came, and he pressed his face to her skin, wanting never to come; wanting forever to be so close to her, his body pressed to hers, nothing but sweat between them.
Of course, he did in the end, and sobbed softly as he did so.
Her arms wound around his neck, holding tight. Their breathing came in gasps. He shook and shivered in the aftermath of his orgasm and felt her do the same beneath him. He had come undone again and found, for the first time, that he was glad he had.
"Stay with me," he murmured, raising his head.
She nodded, and her smile was so full of love that he looked down - suddenly shy.
He carried her to the bed, unwilling to let her go. She clung to him, arms around his neck, legs around his waist. But he was older now and, while still not strong, strong enough for this.
"I won't drop you," he said, vaguely indignant.
"I know," she told him, nuzzling into his neck. "I'm not worried." And he smiled, his ego mollified.
The bed was soft and they both sighed as they lay down. She chuckled, rolling onto her side to look at him. With one finger she traced a line under his left eye.
"Do you miss it?" he asked.
"Sometimes," she nodded.
"I've considered wearing a contact lens," he admitted.
"Really?" She looked genuinely surprised. "Why don't you?"
"I thought you'd make fun of me, to be honest," he said. "It would have been such an obvious gesture."
"Foaly and Mulch might've, but I wouldn't have." She ran her hand along his collarbone now, following the ridge of bone up to the knob of his shoulder. "Secretly, I'd've been pleased."
"I'll bear that in mind," he said.
"Do," she smiled, sitting up. She looked down at him, his pale, delicate body stretched out below her. His body was like his hands, she thought: long and thin and fine. She lowered her head and kissed the pink circles of his nipples. He shivered and laughed a little breathlessly, the sensitive skin ticklish under her lips.
"How long have you been waiting to do this?" she asked.
"Longer than I care to admit."
"Why?" She looked down at him. In the dark her mismatched eyes were indistinguishable from each other.
"Surely that's obvious," he said.
"Maybe, but I want to hear you say it."
"Because I love you." He didn't look away. "Because I loved you before I even knew that that was what I was doing."
Holly licked her lips, those dark eyes unfathomable.
"And your excuse is?"
She smiled a little. "Surely that's obvious."
"Holly."
She brushed damp hair from his forehead. "Because I love you. Because I have loved you despite the fact that I knew exactly what it was I was doing."
"Stay with me?" he asked again.
"Silly Mud Man," she said, one hand coming to rest on his cheek. "That's all I've ever wanted to do."
His arms came around her and slowly, gently, they came together again, no longer hurried, no longer desperate. Their bodies curled and curved and came ever closer the one to the other; until they were neither one nor the other but both again as they had been once before, long ago. And at last, slick with sweat and soft with love, they fell asleep.
"Sorry I'm late, Artemis, I—" Minerva checked herself in the doorway.
The room was a disaster. There were clothes everywhere, several chairs lay on their sides, and all the books and papers which had once lain on the desk had been swept to the floor. Wound in tangled sheets, two people lay sleeping on the bed; one lay on his back, the other on her side, curled in towards his skinny ribs, her head resting on his chest. One of his hands lay in her hair.
"—will come back another time," she finished, closing the door quietly behind her as she went.