A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly, or Tanith. Here Val is about 20. Ghastly has quit his elder job and is back to tailoring. Tanith is back and Remnant free, yay! This was a stand alone one-shot at one time, it makes sense to repost it here.

Skulduggery sat across from Ghastly's worktable looking at his old friend. He'd dropped by for no particular reason, which meant, Ghastly knew, that he had a reason. Skulduggery was never, he reflected, what anyone would call sociable. "Well, what is it?" Ghastly asked, as he pulled out material for a new coat for Valkyrie. He was still annoyed at Skulduggery for letting her wear her old one into battle against a dragon. What was the man thinking? All his beautiful tailoring, wasted. Trust Skulduggery Pleasant to find a dragon, then manage to enrage it.

But Valkyrie had come back laughing over Skulduggery's solution to the magical beast. She wasn't upset at all that he'd whipped off her jacket and got it incinerated. Ghastly Bespoke was. He sat at his workbench with a sigh, smoothing the material flat. Skulduggery had been nothing but a bad influence on her since the day they had met.

The day Skulduggery saved her life. He corrected himself. Ghastly knew Skulduggery cared about Valkyrie, that his friend would never willingly put her into needless danger. He knew too that Valkyrie would never leave Skulduggery's side willingly. At times like this he regretted giving up his Elder status to return to tailoring. He supposed peacetime was making him soft.

Skulduggery still hadn't answered. Ghastly stared at him, trying to read his reasoning in the hollow eye sockets. Skulduggery looked away first and Ghastly frowned. "Why do I feel I'm not going to like this?" He asked. Skulduggery wouldn't answer him. Now this was new. Normally the man never stopped talking. Ghastly tried a softer approach. "It's about Valkyrie, isn't it?" Skulduggery nodded in response, still not meeting his eyes. This could mean only one thing. Ghastly put his face in his hands and sighed.

"How long have you known?" He asked. Skulduggery looked at him, shrugged slightly. "And you're here to get my permission to court her? Isn't this something you should ask her father?" Skulduggery's shoulders slumped. Ghastly shook his head. For a warrior Skulduggery could be a real coward when it came to showing his feelings.

He didn't even plan on telling Valkyrie, Ghastly knew. He was here asking Ghastly to approve but he wouldn't dare say a thing to Valkyrie. "You do know if I approve you still have to say something to her. It isn't fair to make her wait this long."

Skulduggery's head whipped up in surprise. "What?" His normally deep voice coming out a rather high-pitched squeak. He coughed, recovered his dignity. "What do you mean, she's waiting for me to say something? What did she tell you?"

Ghastly smiled. "She didn't tell me anything, she told Tanith, who of course told me so I wouldn't kill you the day you got up the nerve to walk in here." Ghastly sensed Skulduggery's smile. He shook his head. He would never in a million years have though of his two friends as a couple, but it did make sense. He could only hope Skulduggery would say something to Valkyrie soon. The door opened and Valkyrie strode into the shop with Tanith.

Skulduggery rose, went to greet his partner and Tanith came up to Ghastly. "They make a cute couple, don't they?" Ghastly said to Tanith. Skulduggery jumped and looked at Valkyrie. Ghastly could swear he was blushing. Valkyrie engulfed Skulduggery in a massive hug, and luckily for him, he didn't have to say a word.

Aw. Too fluffy?