"We only have one bed," Holly said, flinging open their front door, hand still in Artemis's. "Don't be weird about it."
Artemis bristled at the accusation. "I wouldn't dream of it." Holly just stared at him dubiously.
"You were weird about it last time. And that was just an accident."
"I wasn't mentally prepared last time," Artemis informed her. But, in truth, he was unconvinced such a thing as being mentally prepared to share a bed with your best friend turned accidental and unwilling wife existed. So he added, "don't we have a guest room?"
Holly grinned in an I knew it sort of way. "Sure, but the bed hasn't arrived yet." She pulled her hand from his, gave him a hearty clap on the shoulder, and disappeared into the house. Artemis heard running water moments later and assumed she was getting ready for bed. He sighed, climbing up the stairs to do the same.
He was already settled in the king-sized bed, reading, when Holly stepped out of the master bathroom, toweling down her hair. Artemis rather thought it would be dry before it even touched the pillows, there wasn't much to retain water, after all. But her hair was far from the only thing on his mind. She wore pajamas quite a lot prettier than the Spider-Man ones he'd seen her in before. The two piece set was a soft shade of sea-foam green that brought out the green tones in her hazel eye, and complimented her rich skin in a way that sparked thoughts of nature. Artemis found himself embarrassingly caught on the simple beauty of Holly in her casual nightwear. He forced his eyes back to his book, trying not to be weird about it, but the task was a tricky one.
"I'm turning off the main light," she told Artemis, and he nodded, reaching out to flip on the lamp by his head. Holly easily maneuvered to the bed in the dim light and slid under the covers with no hesitation or unease. "What are you reading?" Holly asked, and Artemis flipped the book up to show off its cover as he said:
"The Sea~Wolf. You started it at my house, do you remember?"
"Yeah, the night you proposed. How could I forget?"
"I did no such thing," Artemis spluttered. "We were already married, I only—," but his ramblings were cut off by Holly's laughter.
"I know, Arty. I'm only teasing." She turned onto her side, facing Artemis completely. "I liked what I read of it."
"It is my favorite of Jack London's works," Artemis confessed. "I've read it a dozen times, at least. You ought to finish it when you have the time."
"I have the time now," she said, and Artemis looked to her with incredulity. Did she want him to hand over his book? That hardly seemed fair, as he was currently reading it. "Read it to me?" He stared at her a moment more, then smiled a small smile and opened to her dogeared page. He cleared his throat and began to read:
"For the most part, the remaining four hunters leaned on the table or lay in the bunks and left the discussion to the two antagonists. But they were supremely interested…" As Artemis read, Holly drifted closer and closer, as if drawn to him by his voice. Her eyes stayed open and alert, keenly interested in the novel for almost forty pages. By the time she'd drifted to sleep, Artemis's throat scratched from the effort of reading so long, but he was sad to mark their place and put the book aside. Holly was curled into his side now, breathing soft and deep, content as Artemis had ever seen her. He hated how much he loved it.
He reached for the lamp and turned it off, then sunk down into his own pillows, careful not to disturb Holly.
Artemis woke up to the pleasant sensation of warmth pressed in hard against him. He knew even before he was entirely to wakefulness what—or who—the source of that warmth was. Holly seemed in no hurry to wake up, and Artemis didn't fancy speeding up the process, either. He sat up carefully and reached for his phone, quickly checking to make sure the world had not fallen apart—any more than it already had—while he'd slept. Confident that everything was as it should be, his attention snagged, once again, on his best friend.
Artemis Fowl II knew that he was in love with Holly Short. He'd known it for years. He knew, also, that he would never love anyone as he did Holly. It was simply an impossibility. No one but she could understand him so fully, had been through it all with him. There were many beings in the world—under it, mostly—that knew of Artemis's change of heart and character. Who knew how much he'd grown and how far he'd come. But no one else but Holly had experienced it so personally so as to know it and understand it almost as well as Artemis did. He had kidnapped her. As his first interaction with her, he'd tranquilized her and locked her up. Held her ransom for a treasure that, indeed, he had needed, but the price he had paid for it was one he was still trying to pay off. And yet, Holly had forgiven him. That was one of the reasons, Artemis was sure, that Holly was the only possible person for him. She'd known him when he was at his worst. And still, she loved him. Maybe not in the way Artemis selfishly wished she would, but she did love him.
Artemis sighed, low and heavy, tearing his mind away from such thoughts. He didn't dwell on it much. He couldn't. His elf kissing days were over, and with good reason. He owed it to Holly to let his feelings, if not go, than settle like silt in the river of his mind. But it was hard to push it all aside, at times. More and more frequently, he found his treacherous mind aiding his heart's plea for Holly. It was why this fairy bond was so dangerous, why acting the married couple was so terrifying.
"You look like you've swallowed a dwarf's—,"
"Thank you, Holly," Artemis said pointedly, and Holly laughed. He hadn't noticed her waking. He worried at how long she'd been awake, at what his face might have betrayed to her in that time.
"Speaking of swallowing, are you hungry?"
"A little less now than I had been previously," he told her dryly.
"Come on then, I'll teach you how to make an omelet. No fancy chefs for you down here," she smirked. "And we can't live off of pasta the entire time we're together."
Artemis pretended to be reluctant, but he couldn't hide his smile as he climbed out of bed and ambled down to the kitchen with Holly.
Artemis, to no one's surprise, proved terrible at making omelets. Holly just laughed at his disaster of a breakfast and promised to whisk him into shape. She'd then laughed at her terrible pun for so long that Artemis had been unable to resist joining in. When they finally had their wits back about them, Holly plunked down at the table and Artemis followed, eating his omelet with surprise.
"It looks wretched," he said, "but it doesn't taste half bad. It's no culinary masterpiece, but I do believe I've been forced to endure worse meals."
"You're such a snob," Holly said with a huff of a laugh. "And, yeah, it's pretty hard to entirely screw up an omelet." They continued to eat, a happy quiet over them, for several minutes.
"I'm going to have to tell Butler and Juliet," Artemis broached, breaking the comfortable silence.
"You mean you haven't already told Butler?"
"No," Artemis shook his head. "Beckett is the closest of any human to know about our situation, and all he knows is that we went on a date."
"Well, since my whole world knows about us, I don't see why it should be a secret from your family."
"You think I ought to tell my family?" Artemis asked, alarmed.
"Artemis, haven't you had enough of secrets?"
"It's not so much a secret as a private matter," Artemis ruffled at her question. "I am hurting no one by keeping it to myself."
"No," Holly agreed with a tilt of her head. "But it can't hurt to share, don't you think?"
"My mother wouldn't know what to do with herself if I told her I'd been married to an elf by an imp, on accident, while she was in her room sick near to death. She'd be upset I didn't invite her to the wedding, no matter that it was unbeknownst to us or that she was too delirious to have noticed one way or the other."
"She'd want us to have a proper wedding, I'd bet." Holly snorted.
"I'm sure she would," Artemis said, though he hadn't even thought of it before now. "And she'd be devastated upon our divorce. Even if we explained everything to her." Holly's playful grin fell from her face at the mention of their marriage bond and the fate it would ultimately have to meet. Sometimes it was easy to forget that it was a serious thing they were trapped in.
"I guess she would be," Holly sighed. "Tell the Butlers, and tell your family, if you want. I won't be upset either way."
"Even if my mother insisted on having you over for an excruciating cup of tea?"
"Even then."