Chapter Five

The tension stretched after he turned off the broadcast. Artemis felt powerless. Of course, that was because he was powerless. He could do nothing, including go outside. After how angry those fairies had sounded outside Police Plaza, he doubted the general public would be happy if they saw him wandering Haven's streets in person. Unable to contact - let alone help - his fairy friends, he simply curled up on the couch, leaving only briefly to find and use the bathroom. He'd waited longer stretches of time before but somehow this felt worse, waiting to hear what fate would befall not just himself but the last people in the world that he cared about.

He grounded himself by rubbing at the soft, supple material of the cushions. They had tiny seams hidden around the edges. Barely perceptible, perhaps, to those who weren't as touch oriented, but Artemis focused on following the seams until they were out of reach, then returning to explore a different branching point. Now that he had more reason to analyze the seams he could tell that they formed a pattern; floral, perhaps, knowing how connected fairies were to nature. Then again, perhaps it was meant to resemble water or a more abstract design.

A distant memory flashed through his mind's eye at the thought: snow whirling past his face, forming vortices midair before dispersing. He was clinging to something metallic, cold even through his gloves, and there was a slightly smaller form beside him. The face had no detail but the outline remained clearly Holly's.

Were they both in just as much danger now as they'd been that day, clinging to a dangerously radioactive train? Realistically, he had to admit, no. The worst the fairy council would do was send him back above ground, and though the idea worried him, what they would do to Holly and Root... Artemis grimaced, cutting his speculations off there. Worrying would do no good. He had to find something else to focus on. The couch cushions weren't so interesting that he could wile away an entire day examining them, and he might as well get used to navigating the apartment so Holly didn't have to lead him around.

If finding his way to the bathroom with inadequate instructions had been hard, mapping the rooms with no guidance was even harder. Holly's furniture occupied that awkward height between Artemis's knee and thigh. He found that reaching out each leg in a slow sweeping motion before he stepped mitigated the worst collisions, though, and made his way from room to room.

The living room connected seamlessly with the kitchen. Artemis only realized he'd found the kitchen when he bumped into a worktop, cool and marble-like beneath his fingertips. He circled the L-shaped worktop before striking off in what felt like the direction he'd taken to find the bathroom. Yes, there was a doorway. This one was open, though. Hadn't he closed the bathroom door after leaving? He usually did regardless of his surroundings. Force of habit.

A door opened somewhere behind him; the exhausted, slightly feminine sigh that followed clued him in immediately.

"Captain Short? Holly? Is that you?" Backtracking toward the noise's source, he waited for a reply, not bothering to hide his anxiety. "There was a protest outside your headquarters, according to the news. Someone told the press that you brought me below ground. What happened?"

She made a startled sound. "So that's what that was all about? I only saw a bunch of people standing around to glare at anyone in a uniform when I went in." He felt her moving around, close enough that the displaced air generated a perceptible shift. "But they didn't cause any actual trouble, thank the Gods. The Council did enough of that."

Given that her name had been leaked, Artemis found it odd that nobody had said anything to her. Holly had the distinction of being the very first female Recon officer in LEP history, after all, and surely people would recognize her if they'd seen the leaked video. But perhaps not. Goodness knew what quality the video had been. It could have been too difficult to make out the details at all. On the other hand, maybe they had recognized Holly and been so nervous about confronting her directly that all they'd been able to do was glare.

"What qualifies as actual trouble?"

Holly patted his leg. "Nothing Root and Vinyáya couldn't handle. Got the others to come around eventually, let you stay on the condition that you get trained up to be a proper strategic analyst. So for now you're going to be issued a provisional work visa."

A wry grin tugged at his lips. Root going up to bat for him against the Council? That must have been quite the discussion, knowing what he did about the gruff old elf. Artemis decided to thank him in person next time he got a chance. Despite being Holly's superior, Root had no doubt been risking quite a bit to help him.

Dishes clattered to his right. He hadn't even noticed that he was alone again.

"So," Holly began, "the Council decided you can stay. They want you to work as a strategic analyst.

Weigh in during missions, be involved in planning, that kind of thing."

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "They trust me enough to give that much influence?" But his mind raced several steps ahead. Greater responsibility usually meant more accountability, and more excuses to be monitored by those who were truly in charge.

"You'll be working directly with the commander, so in theory he'll be able to keep an eye on you for them. Not that I agree with that kind of thinking, but at least they're willing to let you stay."

And there it was. He would be monitored like the proverbial hawk. Artemis sighed, reaching up to lace his fingers together behind his head. Academically, such a thing made little difference, of course. He was sure he would be able to do his job without problems. He would accept nothing less from himself. The underhanded gesture was distinctly irritating, though; did the Council really think him such a threat that they needed to keep tabs on him? What was the worst he could do? He had no friends above ground to spill the beans to, as it were, and if he was going to reveal fairy secrets for money or fame he would have done that a long time ago. Hell, he would have just told Spiro about them instead of encrypting the C-cube so heavily and refusing to help him break the encryption.

Well, what was done was done. And perhaps he could excuse the paranoia at first – this situation was a truly unprecedented one, after all.

"A good outcome, then." He stood and moved forward cautiously, following the clattering sounds as Holly moved about the kitchen, putting things in the sink. Best to keep his hands off the counter, then. He didn't want to have to go through the hassle of washing up again.

"I think so, all things considered. I'm sure they'll calm down about everything, you know. Just have to give them a little time." More clatters, then a heavy thud. A loud, rhythmic chug started a moment later, its repetitiveness oddly soothing. Dishwasher? "So, I got you a few things on my way back. That's why I took a bit longer than I thought I would. They should make it easier to get around and whatnot."

Artemis would have blinked if he'd still had eyes. As it was, he tilted his head, puzzled. "You got me... Holly, you didn't have to. You've done so much already–"

Her amused snort cut him off. Shortly afterward, a soft bundle was shoved into his arms.

"You still need clothes and things. That jumpsuit is one use only. I didn't get much, just a basic set of work clothes, a spare, and three sets that you can wear around the house." She paused. "And socks. I hate not having socks. My feet get cold."

Fairies did hate the cold. Then again, Artemis wasn't a great fan of it himself. Ironic. Wasn't there some law that the Irish were supposed to be immunized to chills?

"Thank you. Really."

The clothes felt quite nice to the touch. Whatever the material, it seemed to be well made. He found his way to the couch and sat to examine them: that felt like a formal shirt with a stiff collar, and wrapped beneath that was what could only be a pair of slacks. Artemis rubbed the fabric back and forth between his fingers, appreciating the texture. Not the highest quality, but he appreciated having something that felt close in function to what he used to wear. The rest of the clothes decidedly did not remind him of his suits, as they seemed to be t-shirts and warm but breathable sweatpants. Perfect for lounging around the house – or so people had always said. Artemis had never been enamored with them before, but who knew? Maybe he would learn to enjoy them now.

He was about to unwrap the plastic package at the bundle's center when he realized that there was something hard inside it. Brow furrowing, he probed deeper, finding a thin plastic (no, metal) device. It was smooth, apart from what felt like a volume toggle and power button on the side. Along with clothes and underwear and socks, Holly had gotten him a phone or a tablet of some kind.

"A phone?"

She'd evidently been waiting for him to notice it, because her voice came from somewhere very close by.

"A small tablet, really, by our standards. It's got text-to-speech settings and things, so I figured that would be helpful. You can look through things on the web and listen to podcasts. Stuff like that." She let out a thoughtful hum. "I think there are apps for going to the store and things, too. You can post a picture of the shelves and someone will tell you what you're looking at."

Artemis opened his mouth, then closed it again. He repeated the process at least two times – admittedly, he was too flustered to count – before he managed to figure out what to say.

"I... this is very thoughtful. Thank you." The tablet felt solid and reassuring in his hand. Not too heavy, not too light, and just the right length and width. Where had she found something like this on short notice? Had it been custom made? He hoped not. He didn't want to have inconvenienced her – goodness knew he'd done that enough today. "Is there anything I can help you with? I heard you doing dishes a moment ago."

Not that he had, well, any experience doing such things, but he was willing to learn. He had to do something.

"Er, I was going to make dinner. It's getting late. Do you want to help make curry?"

Curry? Artemis didn't know what to think about that. He rarely deviated from a mild, Mediterranean diet. "I can't say I have experience with making curry. But if you're willing to teach me?"

A hand reached out to touch his arm, guiding him toward the kitchen. He – cautiously – placed his new things down before following. When she let go he lay his hands on the counter, listening as Holly moved around him, opening and closing cabinets. Getting out a pan to warm things in, no doubt. But to his amusement, she also set a large can next to his arm, then placed a comically small can opener into his other palm.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help it. "Homemade from the factory, I take it?"

That earned a snort from Holly. "Hey, that's Auntie Myra's best to you, Mud Man. And her curry is to die for."

"I might die, at that," he admitted. "Spices are not my forte."

"It's the sweet stuff, just some dried pepper. Don't worry. I wouldn't go hard on you your first time trying a new food."

Artemis applied the opener to the can to cover the fact that his heart had started beating like a hummingbird's. For goodness sake. He knew he'd had a burgeoning crush on Holly years ago, but this was ridiculous. He needed to keep a hold of himself. While he had no idea what time might bring, he had to be careful right now or he might put his foot in his mouth and risk alienating the only genuine friend he had left.

Once he'd finished opening it, he picked the lid out and handed the can to Holly. A rapid series of clicks filled the air, then something whooshed rather explosively.

"Good lord."

"Sorry," Holly said, though she didn't sound particularly apologetic. He could hear her grinning. "That burner's a bit touchy."

"Clearly."

oOoOo

Years ago, if someone had told Holly that she would have none other than Artemis Fowl standing in her kitchen and that she wouldn't want to hit him for being there, she'd have told them to get some new air holes drilled into their skull. Funny how life turned out that way. But no, leaning back against the counter and standing in companionable silence felt... good, after such an insane day.

Holly rubbed one ear tip thoughtfully as she closed her eyes, breathing in the scent wafting from the pan. She'd gotten so used to living alone that she hadn't even noticed how lonely she'd become. Maybe she'd invite Foaly over soon. They rarely made the time to hang out together outside work; the centaur had his gadgets to tinker with, and Holly was always trying to make up the paperwork she'd been putting off. Perhaps it was time for that to change.

A quiet clacking sound made her look around. Artemis was searching for the pan with a spoon. When had he even gotten one? Clearly he was sneakier than she gave him credit for.

"Hey," she laughed. "Put that down! You can wait until it's ready."

He could look so innocent, even without eyes. "But how will we know that it's ready unless we taste it, Major? It's a human tradition – the cook tastes first. Or cooks, in this case."

"Oh, is that so?" Snatching the spoon from his grasp, Holly plunged it into the pan. "Then in that case... mm, this is great. I might just eat it all myself!"

He tsked, but the smirk playing at the edges of his lips softened the disapproval. "Really. Do you treat all your guests this way?"

Holly reached up and tapped a second spoonful against his lips. Yeah, yeah, you big baby. "Roommates are different, Fowl. Now shut up and put that in the sink while I get us some bowls."

Maybe this would all work out after all.

oOoOo

Author's note: First and foremost, I wanted to say thank you to my dear friend Max, who has supported me so much in writing this. I also wanted to thank everyone who has read and - most of all - reviewed! Big thanks especially to the lovely guest called Zachary who left a review on . It was so thoughtful, and gave me more insight into what it's like to have visual impairments, and for that I'm super grateful. As I don't have a visual impairment myself beyond needing glasses, I've always approached this fic from the viewpoint of wanting to be as respectful as possible. Cheers, all, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy!