Chapter 3: Jinks
Jinks thinks about the way Myka and HG would get together sometimes.
He tells himself it's not weird in the way that Pete thinking about it would be weird because Pete's not gay but Jinks is gay and Myka and HG are a little gay for each other and he is not about to get off on his two female coworkers getting it on. But he still thinks about it, because South Dakota is a difficult place to be gay.
They'd be in a bookstore, Myka's parents' bookstore probably. And Myka would have taken HG with her for Thanksgiving or Christmas or something, some winter celebration. And HG would be glowing and beautiful in the flickering light from the fireplace, and Myka's parents would love her and be completely charmed by her literary knowledge and general demeanour. Jinks knowns Myka has never brought anyone home; either from work or a partner. Since HG is the first person Myka's taken home to meet her parents, they would make some assumptions. They would ask HG some awkward questions and HG would exchange an uneasy glance with Myka before replying to any of the questions, her answer always formed in a way that made them sound like their relationship could go either way, because, from this line of questioning, HG wouldn't be sure what Myka had told them.
"How long have you been together?" Myka's father would ask finally, watching the solicitous way HG pulled out Myka's chair from the dining table, the way Myka guided HG into the lounge with a hand on her lower back.
And Myka would smirk as HG got less and less comfortable and would eventually exclaim: "We're not together. Yet." And Myka's father would clap HG on the back and tell her that she has no time to waste as they headed into the lounge for hot beverages and Myka's mother would squeeze HG's arm and offer her cookies and tell her what Myka's favourite books are, a large number of them being HG's own. HG would be offered a large chair, part of the suite and Myka would perch herself causally on the arm of the chair, taking cookies from HG's plate. Mr Berring would ask if HG's parents had a sense of humour; Myka would have slipped into calling her HG.
HG would eat the cookies, bemused, would lean against Myka, who would lean back against her, using her as a backrest. HG would close her eyes, revelling in the warmth of the home and the people within and especially the warmth where Myka was pressed against her. Then she would open her eyes and clear her throat.
"You'll think me awfully old-fashioned, Mr Berring, but may I have your permission to court your daughter?" HG would ask, and Myka would sputter out her tea. Mr Berring would nod, Myka would shoot a surprised look at HG and HG would smile and take Myka's hand in her own.
Later, Myka would lead HG to her childhood bedroom and show HG her bookshelf. Myka would look up shyly when HG noticed many of her own books on the shelves, and HG would turn to her, reach for her waist and hold her.
"The world is a much better place than I could have imagined when I wrote this drivel," HG would say, "Solely because it contains you." Then Myka would cave, lean down to kiss her fellow agent. She hadn't been sure if HG was just playing along when she was speaking to her father, wasn't sure if she'd been reading too much into the incidental touching HG near constantly did all the time at every opportunity – catching her hand over the salt shaker, slipping her hand over Myka's to speak to Artie on the Farnsworth while pressed tightly against Myka's back, brushing past her in doorways when there was plenty of room for them both to pass without HG's breasts pressing into Myka. But she'd think back, back to the way HG looked at her from the start, like she'd found a tiny glint of hope in a world otherwise devoid of it and realise this had been a long time coming. Kissing HG would be like coming home at Christmas - it'd be warm and familiar and filled with anticipation.
When Myka pulled away, HG would smile and cup Myka's face.
"You are worth every obstacle I faced to meet you," HG says quietly, and Myka has never received a higher compliment.
"You really need to do something about your hair, Myka. Your sister has a good hairdresser," Myka's mother would say at dinner, and HG would blush because she was the one who mussed that hair up so beautifully.
Jinks puts his half-finished report down and goes downstairs. Clearly his concentration is shot. He can see HG and Myka sparring on the lawn of the bed and breakfast; HG flips Myka and she goes down hard, on her back. HG throws herself down on the lawn next to her and then Jinks is in the kitchen, peering into the fridge, then the pantry, then the cookie jar. He takes two cookies, and on his way to the stairs he sees Myka point at a cloud, lying on her back with HG's head on her stomach. Myka's arm comes back down a little too casually on HG's stomach and Jinks smiles.