Skulduggery – Crow

Anton – Bear

Ghastly – Panda

Dexter – Wolf

Saracen – Weasel

Erskine – Snake

Solomon – Raven

Chapter 45

Nadia's mother agreed, after much charming by Tanith and Dexter, to leave Nadia with them for the afternoon. She didn't so much as see Nadia before leaving, which was good, because they were giggling and kissing each other's lips and being way too close physically for parental supervision. Or any type of other supervision.

Fletcher apparently didn't get that memo.

"This is the living room!" He almost shrieked, causing Wolf to jump through the door to check on them. He looked at them with narrow eyes and Valkyrie just sort of watched as Nadia turned in her lap and, causal as anything, stuck her middle finger up. He snorted a laugh.

"You two are going to kill me," he said, shaking his head. "That's my baby sister – we took a vow to look after her. And here, this girl is sitting on her!"

"I'm in no pain," Valkyrie smirked.

Nadia and Wolf laughed. Valkyrie did lay her legs out flat and Nadia turned so they were crossing each other on the L-shaped sofa, Nadia still sitting on her but a little less touchy. Fletcher got over his craziness and sat down, Wolf coming over and sitting down in a seat too. Crow came in from the kitchen and gave the girls hot chocolate each, made so amazingly with cream and real chocolate with whipped cream and powdered chocolate atop, before sitting in his usual armchair which had been removed for the Christmas tree but was now back in place.

He was glad about it and they all knew it.

He'd informed them all.

Several times.

"What are we doing then?" Fletcher asked with a grin.

Valkyrie and Nadia looked at each other and shrugged. "I don't know," Valkyrie said. "Maybe a movie? Or go out for dinner. Or both."

He grimaced. "But that's date stuff. I meant us as a whole."

Panda and Tanith joined them in the living room and sat around too, Tanith leaning into Panda just slightly. Valkyrie made no comment but did smile a little. She'd ask about it later.

"Maybe a game from the cupboard," Tanith suggested, sitting down. "You were meant to be training today, but you're probably all messed up still."

Valkyrie nodded quickly. "Kenspeckle gave me a week of rest."

"Well we shouldn't go out then should we," Tanith said sweetly. "Either we stay in, or your fit enough to train."

Valkyrie made a face. "So, I'm meant to just sit around and make cakes all day?"

"Cake!" Nadia said excitedly, sitting up. "Let's make cake!"

Valkyrie stared at her and sagged. "You mean it, don't you?"

"Yes. Come on, up."

Valkyrie did as commanded and they went to the kitchen without further discussion. Nadia seemed to have a recipe memorised and was raiding all the cupboards for the stuff she wanted. Bear and Wolf had long ago gone through all the stuff Gordon had been given and bought over his life and narrowed it down to the best things that could hold the largest quantities of food.

As it happened, what started out as baking a cake turned into them having a flour fight, which turned into kissing, which stopped abruptly by Nadia deciding to make several cakes. That led to more food throwing and laughing, a great big mess, five cakes of different types and a lot of icing, and then finally making dinner.

Nadia had decided they had to make an Indian dish, one of her and her father's favourites, which was nice to have but also scary because Valkyrie, despite loving the flavour of spices, could not stand too much heat. Much to her shame.

Nadia didn't care and took great joy in adding a lot of spices in great quantities. Just the smell made her nose tickle.

When it finally came to eat, they all sat around the table and shared out the meal, Mughlai Kadhai paneer Nadia told them, and it was certainly spicy and unpronounceable to Valkyrie's Irish accent. They had some packet naan bread already which they ate it with and some rice Valkyrie had insisted wasn't to have anything spicy done to it or she'd die which had made Nadia laugh loudly.

"You will not like dinner at my house Val," she had said. "You'll be crying from the heat." She did at least make coconut rice. It was really good.

As it was, Valkyrie loved the food, but she was right in thinking it would be too spicy. She suffered through just for the joy of watching Fletcher though. At least Gordon and the Dead Men had given her spicy food before, Fletcher looked as if he was about to have heat stroke. He was red and sweated furiously and had to give up and just had naan and rice after an admittedly good attempt. None of the others had a single problem with it and Valkyrie just knew that she'd have to learn to love the heat quickly because she knew Nadia would be giving her spicy food whether she liked it or not so long as she was cooking.

It was a nice thought though. Having Nadia look for her. Her already flushed face covered the blush.

Fletcher teleported away and got them ice cream for dessert which was a beauty in itself, and they all enjoyed it over a movie. Nadia and Valkyrie snuggled on the sofa in the corner while the others packed onto the other sofas to give them mock privacy. They didn't kiss more than a silent peck on the cheek and were content to just hold each other in the big throw blanket Valkyrie had gotten from her room. She'd caught Nadia smelling it deeply a few times and had grinned but made sure Nadia didn't know she'd been caught. It was just so cute to Valkyrie she could barely contain herself and had wrapped an arm around her waist.

By the end of the movie, Tanith had fallen asleep practically draped over Panda and Fletcher was looking between the sleeping Tanith and loved-up girlfriends. The answer of who to gawk at was given by Bear who made the move towards picking him up and physically moving him again, so Fletcher wisely teleported away.

It was getting dark by then and Nadia needed to be home. As Dexter had to be elsewhere for something 'important and business-like', he agreed to take Nadia home on his way. They kissed at the door and spoke briefly before she left for the car and Valkyrie waved them off. It had been a nice day.

.*****.

"Valkyrie?" Fletcher asked her.

They were in the study room, officially the study room now with a computer and projector and whiteboard and giant bookcase with all sorts of random and educational books on it – Valkyrie suspected Crow had been allowed to help with stocking it which was why there was so many 'For Dummies' books. They had been trusted to do their work while Tanith, who had been left to teach them while everyone was out, had gone off for some reason Valkyrie forgot.

She'd also found out Tanith was being paid to be their tutor and that was why she was so into being teacher. She had wondered, as she didn't think this was really her gig, but being paid to do it made more sense. It was good, they got to spend time together, Valkyrie didn't have to go to school, and Tanith made money spending time with Valkyrie.

She looked up from her maths book. "Yeah?"

"Um, I know you've been dating Nadia a while now…"

"Fletcher, if this is another question on if I have another friend who will date you, the answer is still no, and I will not ask Nadia if she will set you up–"

"No, no, no! No, not that. Um," he chuckled nervously. "Um, I was just curious I guess about what you've, you know, done."

"Done?"

"Yeah. I think."

"Fletcher, if this is for some sort of fantasy–"

"No!" He said quickly, then put a hand up and looked back at his work somewhat defeatedly. "Look, just forget I said anything. It was really stupid."

She looked at him and put her pencil down. He actually looked upset and they'd been getting on well that last week she decided, reluctantly, to give him a chance to not be stupid. "When you say how much, do you mean how far?"

He shrugged uncommittedly. "I s'pose."

She took a deep breath and thought about it. "It's not much. I mean, we kissed and stuff but nothing too big. But I was thirteen for most for the majority of our relationship so far."

He nodded, perking up a bit. "So nothing, like, serious?"

"Me and Nadia are in a serious relationship," she said quickly. "We're young but I am very certain about her. But no, none of the 'all the way' stuff."

He went a little red but nodded, looking just over her shoulder. "But you would know what to do if you did?"

She thought about it quickly. "I think so. But each person is different, so I guess I will have to learn some things…"

She trailed off and he nodded, trying to keep the conversation up despite the awkward, personal energy. "So," he continued, "how do you know it's the right thing? I mean, everyone knows the general stuff, but how would you actually know the other stuff?"

She looked out the window behind him. "You mean like – like what is the right thing at that moment? Rather than just general stuff?"

He nodded, beet-red.

She shrugged, deflating a little. "I don't know yet, do I? I might ask one day. Like, maybe Tanith, or maybe even Nadia. But not yet. I mean, I was taught about relationships and the science of it all, but not really the act itself. I'm pretty sure it's just along the lines of what I'm told though."

"Told?"

"At the time, I guess I'll be told what to do…"

"Oh." That led to a long, awkward silence and Valkyrie looked back at her questions, thinking over what Fletcher asked her. "Are you nervous?" He asked quietly after a long while.

She sighed heavily. "I don't know. I know I don't want anything to change yet so why worry? I like to think when I'm ready I won't be nervous. What do you think? You said you'd been in a few relationships."

He went even redder and mumbled something incoherent at the table. After a moment, Valkyrie decided to just let pass, and he fiddled with his pencil again. "What about if you don't know if you're ready?"

She and Tanith hadn't really talked about that. Just what happened once she was. "I don't know. Stop, I guess. Or not. I really don't know to be honest. It's totally personal."

He nodded and started writing something down on his paper, effectively ending the conversation. Valkyrie wanted to ask him why, and maybe even a few questions of her own considering his larger experience, but decided she might not want to know because he was a guy and she didn't want to know any of that heterosexual sex stuff. It was fine for other people, but it made her queasy sometimes.

She put her head down just in time for Tanith to come into the room again. Strange conversation. Strange boy.

Only a few more days until she was back at work at least.

I'm not entirely sure where that came from, but I think I was influenced but Fletcher's deep, inner childlike personality. Sweet and innocent and wanting to know more. I guess so anyway, because it was a turn I didn't expect from this chapter, I don't know about you! I'd love some follows on the chapter to show me whose reading, it keeps me going! :D