Chapter Text
She hadn’t closed her window. Skulduggery resisted the urge to sigh. He was a skeleton, he didn’t have lungs, it wouldn’t be very becoming of him.
He sighed anyway.
Valkyrie was still sleeping. The sheets were a mess all around her and there were tissues everywhere. Skulduggery collected them all and placed them in her bin. He wouldn’t even make a comment about the hygiene of his gloves.
“Valkyrie, wake up.” He didn’t touch her shoulder.
“What time is it?” she croaked.
“Time to go.”
Valkyrie glanced at her clock, “Oh god, we’re supposed to be there in five minutes!”
She threw back her covers, still dressed from the day before.
“I’m ready.”
“You look awful.”
She rubbed the sleep from her puffy eyes, “Gee, thanks.”
Skulduggery wasn’t very good at these things. These ‘feeling’ things. He didn’t even have a heart. Maybe that was a good thing. He was fairly sure it would be breaking right now. Even so, he still wished he had one. He wrapped his bony arms around Valkyrie and held on. Even if she kicked him he’d still hold on. She had every right to kick him. Why wasn’t she kicking him?
“Skulduggery. You’re hugging me.”
“Yes I am.”
“God, do I really look that awful?”
Skulduggery paused, “No.”
Valkyrie laughed.
A small win, he’d take it. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For being a jerk.”
She laughed again, “Apology accepted. To the meeting then?”
“Nope.”
Valkyrie looked up into his empty eye sockets, “I can’t look that bad.”
Skulduggery placed his hands on her shoulders and created space between them. He pretended that he didn’t see the pain in her eyes as he did so. His self-lying skills were truly top-notch.
“I’m going to make it up to you. I’ll text Ghastly and tell him that you’ve stolen my legs.”
“What?”
“As revenge for painting your toe nails.”
Valkyrie grinned darkly at him, “You know, that’s not such a bad idea.”
“No,” he held up a finger and stepped back, “Bad Valkyrie. What I meant was that we’d do something that you want to do for the day. As long as it isn’t shopping. Anything but shopping – or taking my limbs,” he added for good measure.
He watched her think. Her eyes gleaming with schemes that involved stealing his limbs. The mischievous grin faded and turned into a broad smile. The same smile that she’s always given him when he invited her out for trouble.
“Take me flying.”