The sun was out in full force and barely a breeze to stir the air this far inland. Shoes clung to blacktop for a fraction of a second too long, releasing with a sticky smack and the wafting stench of tar. Kay encountered the oil and grease aura of the shop further from the building than usual today.
Why would Arthur ever pick a salt breeze over this? It was this smell that truly embodied calm. Soothing. Home.
She glided past Ben and Pat on the tips of her toes. They were too busy digging at the underbelly of a Toyota Corolla to acknowledge her wave. She tapped the desk bell to shave-and-a-hair-cut as she glided past it toward the back.
"Sure, why not. Just make yerself at home why don'tcha," called Lance. "No need ta say hi to anyone else'r anythin'."
Veering off course, Kay rounded the desk to intercept him with a warm shoulder squeeze.
"Good t'see ya." The corners of his eyes crinkled as he wiped his hands on a rag. "Artie was moonin' all over the last few days. One more day and he'd'a stormed the labs. Membrane kid still got ya hopping?"
Dropping her tote bag, Kay shrugged, sheepish. Things had calmed down a lot, thanks to Dib's intervention, but there was still tons of work to do. The existence of sirens had been deemed "need-to-know" information which the public did not, in fact, need to know. According to Dib's genetic simulations, as there was only one full-blooded siren in the world, obvious siren traits would weaken and vanish within a few generations. However, Dib was still required present a report to the inquiring branch of government that had allowed him access to their case in the first place. It disclosed all that was known about siren physiology and included a proposal for Kay and Teles Pepper to work with the Membrane Institute to rehabilitate previously untreatable mental cases that were currently consigned to asylums and group homes. There had been some rumblings about using the siren voice for national defense, citing the success of Dib's first few studies and the mysterious deaths surrounding Aji's jailbreak. Teles had flatly refused, adding that they could not force a siren's cooperation with an undesired project, as anyone who tried would likely be dead or under sway in seconds.
Dib backed their position as much as he could, calling in favors and promising loads more research and the development of other non-lethal uses for their voices-all of which, he noted often and loudly, would be much easier to brainstorm and develop with the cooperation of the sirens.
"More R&D in the local psych ward," Kay admitted. "I think we're wrapping that project up, though. Mom wanted to make sure she took care of the people she affected when she was chasing you before we move on, but we've almost worked our way through everyone there."
"All balanced out?"
"Yeah. Most of them are getting released back to their families. There's still a few that need more sessions, though. After this we'll get a few weeks' break while the higher-ups wrangle about which cases to send us."
"Well, hope that break's soon."
Kay considered the pay for her work to be quite generous, but it often meant packing a three-day bag and bunking with her Mom in Dib's lab. Arthur always made a sad face when she left. It was just too long to be away.
"Me Too. Where's Arthur?" she asked.
The words hardly left her lips before a pair of arms-one flesh, one metal-circled her waist from behind. His face pressed into the crook of her neck, just below the edge of her knotted silk square, inhaling deep as if memorizing her scent all over again. She twisted around in his arms, wrapping herself around him. Her feet left the ground as he hefted her, spinning.
"Cripes, get a room," Lance groused. "And not here! The twins'll be back for after-school work any minute. Don't need Ginny gagging all over the sight'a you two bein' gooey."
Kay laughed, the tension between her shoulders uncoiling as Arthur sheepishly set her down. He lifted his hands to sign at Lance, who waved a hand dismissively. "Nah. Don't even. Been three days, just get. Catchup. I'll finish the Johnson car myself."
Arthur grabbed her tote and slung the strap over his shoulder, tugging her arm eagerly.
"Tell the twins hi for me!" she called over her shoulder to Lance. "Send them over tomorrow for homework help!"
Arthur pulled her out of the shop, then dropped her arm, signing, Dairy Queen? In-N-Out? Paradiso? Dib's a workaholic so you must be starved. Your pick!
Kay laughed again, pulling Arthur in for an affectionate kiss. "Well yeah, he's a bit obsessed, but you're always hungry." She poked his stomach.
He recoiled, still grinning. Yeah well you're always humming in your sleep. Not that I mind. The things you learn? He shrugged, flashing his left hand. A gold band circled the ring finger of his prosthetic.
She clinked a matching ring to his, agreeing, "Yeah. You learn all kinds of things."
He caught her hand, squeezing it and pressing his forehead to her knuckles.
"I missed you too," she said softly. She brought a hand to his face, lifting it so she could see his eyes. "How have you been?"
"Fine," he said shortly, his eyes shifting direction and color. "Peachy."
She ran her fingers along his cheek, drawing his attention again. "Still those dreams?"
"Rainbows and sunshine," he growled. "What do you think?"
She swallowed the sting, refusing to flinch as she stroked his face. "So how about we pick up a bucket of chicken and head for the cliffs? You always seem to sleep a little better for a few nights after you listen to me vent."
He lifted his hands, signing, We'd like that, whether he'll say it or not.
"Hey, you two!" came a sharp yell from across the street. Kay glanced up to see Vivi hunched over, cupping hands around her mouth to be heard. "Get a room!"
Arthur rolled his eyes flicking his fingers at Vivi in a "shoo" gesture. Kay grinned, waving.
Waving back, Vivi called, "Hey Kay! Hey Squire! If you lovebirds get some free time, come by the shop. We'll order pizza and hang before Doc snatches me back to manage his calendar, yeah?"
"Then pencil in pizza on his calendar and drag him along," Kay called back. "He doesn't get out of the lab enough."
"You know that only works if he's too distracted to catch me pulling stuff like that."
"Then find the distraction window! Have Dulcie use puppy eyes if you have to. I don't think he's seen the sun in two weeks."
Vivi flashed thumbs up and walked off down the sidewalk.
Kay climbed into the van as Arthur hopped into the driver's seat. Glancing over, he suggested, "Call ahead for the chicken? We can grab it and go."
"Sure." Kay dialed up the local Popeye's as Arthur headed over. The box was hot and dotted with grease spots when she picked it up. She held it carefully in her lap as Arthur turned the van toward the coast and made a beeline for the cliffs.
"The twins will probably be over tomorrow. They always need help with homework."
Arthur snorted, grimacing.
"You're still bugged you can't get info from them?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Aren't you?"
"A little, but Lance is giving them a good home while the authorities sift through Missing Persons."
"It's been months since they showed up, Kay. I don't think they're going to find anybody, especially if Ginny and Gareth won't give up any info." An edge crept into his voice. "This would be so much easier if I was allowed to look through their memories."
"Come on, Arcturus." Kay rested a hand on his arm. "You've seen the way Ginny looks at you. She thinks the world of Arthur, always battering you with questions and showing off her ideas. The last thing you want…" she took a deep breath, rephrasing her statement into a question. "Do you really want to break that trust? You can't get in without someone knowing what you did."
Arthur's shoulders loosened, but he sighed. "One would think if she trusted me so much she would tell me where the hell she's from at this point. Nothing from Gareth on your end?"
"Nothing new." Kay loosened the silk knot at her throat, rolling down the van window. "You know what bugs me, though? The way they keep their hair shaved. Reminds me way too much of Lewis."
Arthur glanced at her, sharply. "What do you mean?"
"Like how he insisted on dying his hair, hoping it would keep him from being recognized. I mean, both of them have kept their heads practically hairless this whole time. It could be just a phase, but…" she shrugged, uncomfortable.
"Yeah. I get it." Arthur shifted his gaze forward. "The thing is, I have a whole stack of little details just like that about those two that bugs me and I don't get to do anything about it." The corner of his mouth pulled up. "But I guess I'll stop. Artie's making it loud and clear he's sick of sorting through those details right now." Arthur's right hand left the steering wheel, his fingers weaving through hers. "We missed you."
She squeezed his hand back, settling back into her seat. The rest of the ride passed in companionable silence.
The van pulled up to the base of the cliffs and Arthur put it in park. Kay climbed out, sprouting and plucking a feather out of habit. Picking her way a few yards down the base of the cliff, she chose one of the smaller holes. It was her favorite path, a major pain for the first five minutes of crawling before opening up nicely for the rest of the tunnel. She set the plume down in the mouth and wiggled inside, pushing the bucket of chicken ahead. Behind, Arthur grunted, his prosthetic scraping along the stone.
Before too long, the tunnel opened up enough for Kay to stand at a stoop. She offered Arthur a hand up and the two of them made their way up the slope, which coiled back around itself to the cliff face several yards up.
Kay plopped down, tugging Arthur down next to her and shoving the chicken at him. "Your turn to hold it. I think I'm going to smell like chicken for the next 24 hours."
The smile reached all the way to his eyes, melting her even before he signed, You won't smell like chicken. You always smell like the ocean. He fingered the silk square around her neck, tugging it gently.
Nobody else was around. She undid the knot, tucking the silk into her pocket. There wasn't much she could do about the scars on her lips, but scarves and silks around her neck cut back the number of curious stares. Few people asked, but she didn't even want to think about it. She hated the constant reminder. But Arthur…
His fingers were at the back of her neck, drawing her closer. His lips brushed over her neck, addressing each scar. Goosebumps rolled up her arms. It was hard to remember how much she hated her scars when he was kissing them so tenderly.
In a few minutes they would share a meal, blowing off steam about the last three days and catching up about Dib and the shop. In half an hour, Kay would wing her way out over the ocean, singing as long and as hard as she could so she could retain control over her voice in day-to-day life among humankind. Later that evening they would go back to their new rental home, away from prying eyes and friendly banter alike.
But for now, there was just Arthur and his mouth, working its way up to hers. She caught his lips and leaned into the kiss. It was going to be like this forever, and she couldn't have asked for a better way to live out her life.
…...
Note: KICKING INTO GEAR, YES. I have settled into my new home. I am thrilled to finally launch this fic. Couple things. I don't intend to do any lemony scenes but I will likely pull "camera pans away" on occasion. I don't intend to make Dib a major player in this fic so it does not merit the "crossover" category. Mature rating is for intense imagery and violence, as per usual. If you can, consider supporting me on (pat reon)! If you can't, thank you for reading anyway! Chapter title excerpted from Ordinary Miracle by Sarah Mclachlan.