"He's awesome," came Fletcher's immediate response. It was only another question in a list of questions, after all - he didn't even stop to think about it before answering. But a couple of moments later, after he did have time to think about it, Fletcher's eyes grew wide. "I mean, yeah, I like him. He's been great to me. He became a din - He's been great to me. We all like him. Skulduggery - "
It took Fletcher far too long to decide he shouldn't really be talking anymore, and clamp his mouth shut.
But then he frowned, watching Gabe standing next to Skulduggery further down the corridor, and wondered. Why was he being so self-conscious? After the week he'd had? Fletcher remembered the exhilaration that possessed him while whole buildings in Dublin turned red, the pure adrenaline rush and the thrill, and quickly shook his head. He was being stupid. "Gabe's awesome. He became a dinosaur once just because I asked if he'd ever done that before, and he let me ride him. Rafe helped me paint half of Dublin red this morning. He didn't just let me, he helped out, and we had a blast. I never knew angels could be so much fun."
Valkyrie, meanwhile, was grinning her head off. Teasing was so much more satisfying when you had help, and when you could actually see the target's facial expressions. Right now, Skulduggery's was at a crossroads between annoyance and... not embarrassment. It couldn't be embarrassment. Could it?
"It's a good thing you do know better then," Skulduggery replied before Valkyrie could say a word. "Making friends with Merlin, are we?"
"Yep." Valkyrie nodded, and smirked. "At least all I'm doing is making friends."
A slight hesitation before Skulduggery's next words was the only indication Valkyrie had that he understood, or was affected at all by the tease, but it was enough to send her thoughts into a cartwheel of glee all over again. "Really? I've taught you better than that. How much have you learned about Merlin?"
Now it was Valkyrie's turn to hesitate. "Uh..."
"As I thought. You've abandoned your basics. I'm disappointed, Valkyrie. You should be doing much more than simply 'making friends' at any given time, regardless of our current case. Am I to understand you've become my personal conscience? Do I have a curfew now?"
Valkyrie should probably have been offended, but all she could do was laugh. "That's as good as a confession, I hope you know."
"Does that mean you'll stop bothering us?"
"Never."
Skulduggery sighed. "How important was this important thing we needed to talk about, Gabe?"
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It took Fletcher far too long to decide he shouldn't really be talking anymore, and clamp his mouth shut.
But then he frowned, watching Gabe standing next to Skulduggery further down the corridor, and wondered. Why was he being so self-conscious? After the week he'd had? Fletcher remembered the exhilaration that possessed him while whole buildings in Dublin turned red, the pure adrenaline rush and the thrill, and quickly shook his head. He was being stupid. "Gabe's awesome. He became a dinosaur once just because I asked if he'd ever done that before, and he let me ride him. Rafe helped me paint half of Dublin red this morning. He didn't just let me, he helped out, and we had a blast. I never knew angels could be so much fun."
Valkyrie, meanwhile, was grinning her head off. Teasing was so much more satisfying when you had help, and when you could actually see the target's facial expressions. Right now, Skulduggery's was at a crossroads between annoyance and... not embarrassment. It couldn't be embarrassment. Could it?
"It's a good thing you do know better then," Skulduggery replied before Valkyrie could say a word. "Making friends with Merlin, are we?"
"Yep." Valkyrie nodded, and smirked. "At least all I'm doing is making friends."
A slight hesitation before Skulduggery's next words was the only indication Valkyrie had that he understood, or was affected at all by the tease, but it was enough to send her thoughts into a cartwheel of glee all over again. "Really? I've taught you better than that. How much have you learned about Merlin?"
Now it was Valkyrie's turn to hesitate. "Uh..."
"As I thought. You've abandoned your basics. I'm disappointed, Valkyrie. You should be doing much more than simply 'making friends' at any given time, regardless of our current case. Am I to understand you've become my personal conscience? Do I have a curfew now?"
Valkyrie should probably have been offended, but all she could do was laugh. "That's as good as a confession, I hope you know."
"Does that mean you'll stop bothering us?"
"Never."
Skulduggery sighed. "How important was this important thing we needed to talk about, Gabe?"