Chapter Text
Dairine wakes up slowly to sunshine streaming in her window from underneath the blinds. She yawns, still exhausted, and it takes her a moment to remember why she is waking up so late. Then she remembers stumbling home at four a.m. after the Golden Ball. She must have fallen asleep. Then she finally notices the weight draped over her midsection, and realizes that Roshaun is laying next to her and has an arm over her. He must have felt her moving because he stirs lightly and his eyes blink open. Dairine smiles up at him and snuggles closer. He tightens his hold on her.
“Good morning,” she whispers.
“Good morning,” he whispers back, voice scratchy with sleep.
Dairine is surprised to realize she wants to wake up like this everyday from now on.
“I did not intend to fall asleep,” Roshaun begins to defend himself, “I simply came in and saw you sleeping here and was going to wait for you to wake.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Dairine tells him, “I don’t mind.” To prove her point, she snakes an arm around him.
“You might want to change,” Roshaun tells her, “that’s not the most comfortable ensemble.”
Dairine looks down. She’s still wearing the dress. “Oh!” And now that he’s pointed it out to her, her ribs are aching from the corset.
She stands somewhat reluctantly, and begins shimmying out of the dress. Roshaun stares at her. She grabs the closest pillow and throws it at him. He laughs and sits up. She steps into the closet and pulls off the dress, hanging it up. She then tries to undo the corset with little luck. Even her most daring of contortions render her unable to reach the strings. Apparently one needs assistance to both put on and take off a corset. Before she can talk herself out of it, Dairine steps out of the closet.
“Could you help me?” she asks, keeping most of the nerves from her voice.
Roshaun doesn’t answer her verbally, instead inclining his head.
Dairine crosses the room swiftly and sits in front of him on the bed. He pauses a moment, then lifts his hands to the strings and begins untying them. Once he reaches the bottom, he rests his hands briefly on the now exposed skin. The coolness of his fingers sends a shiver through her. He either doesn’t notice or simply ignores the shiver, and lifts the fabric above her head. For a beat, neither of them moves, then Dairine spins around to face him. He keeps his eyes trained pointedly on her face, which makes her smile a little.
“How are you doing after last night? I know your feet hurt from your shoes. And the people, I caught some of what they were saying. No one asked anything too personal, though? Because if they did-”
“Roshaun,” she cuts him off, “I’m fine.”
“Truly, if it was too much, you don’t ever have to go to another one. I’m certain we can figure out a way around and-”
He’s nervous rambling which is kind of cute, but she cuts him off anyway, “Roshaun?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up.”
He opens his mouth as if to protest, so she closes the distance between them and seals her lips over his. He pulls back first.
“I’m not joking, Dari. If you aren’t ready for public appearances yet, you don’t have to do them. My parents haven’t sent out your portrait yet.”
She sighs, “I’m not joking either. I’m fine. Better than fine because for the first time in like four weeks we’re alone. Now can you please shut up and kiss me.”
He smirks at her, but obeys only too willingly.
This time, it’s Dairine who breaks the contact. “This is a little unfair you know.”
He looks confused, “what do you mean?”
“I mean I’m just in a bra and you’re fully clothed.”
Roshaun raises an eyebrow at her, tugging off his floppy T-Shirt, “better?”
She smirks at him, taking a hand and lightly tracing over his abs, “yes.”
She pauses for a moment, "I like to be able to touch you." She moved her hand to over his heart, "it reminds me that all of this is really real."
Roshaun hesitates a moment, reaching a hand out, "may I?"
She nods, not quite trusting her voice.
Roshaun traces over her collarbone, then lets his hand slide down her back, and pulls her closer.
“You’re beautiful, Dairine Callahan,” he whispers.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Their lips meet again, and Dairine threads her fingers through his hair. She’s barely conscious of his hands moving up to play with the band of her bra. Somehow they end up laying down, legs intertwined. Her skin feels like it’s on fire everywhere she’s touching his, and even though he runs warmer than her, she somehow doubts it’s just that. Whatever the reason, she doesn’t care. She would happily stay exactly where she is right now for the rest of the day.
As is the norm with her life, she does not get her wish. The door opens, and she is so startled she actually falls off the bed.
“Ronan?!?!” She exclaims, shocked, embarrassed, and very annoyed. She reaches blindly for something to put on, and makes contact. She pulls the cloth over her head, and climbs back onto the bed and under Roshaun’s arm.
“The universe better be ending,” she warns him.
“No, nothing so drastic.”
“Then for the Power’s sake, why didn’t you knock?” He opens his mouth, but she cuts him off, “doesn’t matter. I don’t care. Since the universe isn’t ending, you’re going to leave. Right now.”
Ronan puts his hands up, “I came on Nita’s request.”
“Is she dying?”
“No,”
She cuts him off again, “then I don’t care.”
“Nita and Kit rented a cabin out in Colorado. We’re going hiking and having a campfire and there won’t be parental supervision.”
Dairine raises an eyebrow at him, “since you’re here annoying me, I’ll entertain the notion. When would we leave?”
“As soon as possible. Everyone is at the Rodriguez’s right now making the last minute preparations. I was told you were sleeping and was sent to wake you.”
“I’m awake.”
“Why were we not informed of this trip earlier?” Roshaun asks.
“You were both unavailable yesterday, which is when we made the decision to go.”
You wanna go?
Why not? I’d like to see more of your planet.
“Alright fine. Just please go now.”
“Gladly. I need to bleach my eyes.”
“Learn to knock!” she calls after him.
Once he’s out of earshot, Roshaun starts laughing. Dairine smacks him on the arm lightly, but he doesn’t stop. “Stop laughing!”
“You must concede, it is an amusing situation,” Roshaun calms enough to say.
“For you maybe, but he’s going to tell Nita and ‘Mela and Kit and then I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Roshaun does his version of a shrug, “it’s not as though they didn’t know we engaged in such activities.”
“Suspecting and having proof are two very different things,” she says, standing up off the bed.
“True enough,” he agrees, also getting up. “By the way,” he smirks, “you look cute in my shirt.”
It’s only then that she realizes the shirt she had grabbed off the floor had been Roshaun’s. She moves to take it off, but he grabs her hand before she gets it too far up. Keep it. Like I said, you look cute in it. She shrugs, but doesn’t take it off. She does, however, go into the closet and change out her undergarments and put on a pair of shorts. She also grabs a bag and shoves some clothes in-enough for three days worth of travel because you just never know.
When she comes out, Roshaun is gone, but his puptent is attached to her wall, so she steps through. His puptent decor is greatly subdued from its original state, mostly because of her removing a lot of the items, but still overdecorated. She sets her bag down by the ‘door’ and runs a hand through her hair. It’s a mess, but there’s no time to deal with that now.
“Hurry up!” she calls to him.
“You may proceed without me momentarily. I know the way to Kit’s domicile.” He tells her from behind the changing screen.
“Okay. If you wanna shower, you can use mine.”
He doesn’t respond for a moment, “that would be most agreeable.”
“Okay. I’ll see you over at Kit’s then. Bring Spot for me, would you? He’s running an update right now so I don’t want to disturb him.”
“As you desire.”
He steps out from behind the screen in a new shirt, and gives her a quick peck on the lips. She rolls her eyes and pulls him back, deepening the kiss. She’s on a schedule though, so it doesn’t last too long. After all, she needs to get to Kit’s before the major gossiping has time to get underway.
“See you soon,” she promises, and then steps out of the puptent.
She makes her way quickly down the stairs pulling her hair into a messy bun as she goes, and debates briefly whether to walk or do a transport. Ultimately, she decides to simply jog over.
It doesn’t take her too long, and soon enough she’s stomping through the Rodriguez’s doorway.
“Dairine! Just the girl I was wanting to talk to!” ‘Mela exclaims excitedly, “but where’s your lover boy?”
“At my house showering,” she says as they walk into the kitchen, where the others have gathered.
“And you didn’t join him?” ‘Mela teases.
“Ew ew ew. Gross. I don’t even want to think about that. Please don’t,” Nita says.
“Unfortunately I can only picture too well what that would look like,” Ronan chimes in.
“Knocking is a thing. You should learn it,” Dairine sasses him, “and really it wasn’t even that bad.”
Kit raises an eyebrow, “care to inform us?”
“Not at all. I don’t kiss and tell.”
“Please stop. These are things I don’t want to think about my baby sister doing,” Nita groans, banging her head on the table.
“Ronan shared his recollection of the event with us,” Kit explains.
Nita looks faintly ill, “he didn’t give us a choice.”
“Neets. Literally how many times have I walked in on you and Kit making out in the living room? And you weren’t even there!”
“They are bad,” ‘Mela agrees.
“And don’t even get me started in on you two. You are terrible. Awful. I don’t even think that much PDA should be legal,” Dairine defends herself.
“It’s just that it’s you,” Kit explains.
“Precisely. Who would’ve ever thought we’d catch The Dairine Callahan making out with a guy, shirtless?” Ronan asks.
“I despise all of you. Leave me alone.”
“You’re not even doing a good job of hiding it. You’re in his shirt and you haven’t even brushed your hair,” ‘Mela points out.
“You all already knew anyway,” Dairine says, getting up to look for some breakfast.
“How’d you get Daddy to agree to this anyway?” She asks as she looks at the options.She settles on cereal, and grabs all the necessary components. She sets down her bowl and pours in both the cereal and milk.
“It was all ‘Mela,” Nita shrugs.
Dairine spares a moment’s pity for her father, “he wasn’t too upset?”
Carmela shrugs, “I told her you and Neets needed a break and this was the perfect opportunity for you two to actually relax for a day. He actually agreed almost right away.”
“I still can’t believe he’d let us go.”
“Well I don’t think he was too keen on the idea of you sleeping unsupervised in the same house as your boyfriend, but he understands that he can’t exactly stop you from being involved with Roshaun if that’s what you want. I mean, under his own roof, maybe,” here she pauses and snorts, “then again, clearly not.” Dairine blushes and starts to defend herself, but ‘Mela waves her off, “but aside from that, you literally have the entire universe at your disposal. If you wanted to find somewhere you were completely unsupervised, you could. In fact, there’s an entire planet just for couples who-” Dairine covers her ears, “OKAY! OKAY! I get it. Please stop before you scar me for life.”
Ronan raises a brow, “no, please continue, I’m interested.”
“I have to agree with Dari on this one,” Kit adds.
Nita nods with his statement.
They don’t ever get to find out if Carmela would have continued or not because just then Roshaun knocks on the door and she goes to let him in. Dairine continues eating her cereal, thankful for Roshaun’s impeccable timing.
“I still cannot fathom how you can eat that disgusting soup,” is Roshaun’s greeting. He sets Spot on the table.
“How many times do I have to tell you? It’s cereal, not soup,” Dairine says, exasperated.
“Same difference.”
“Not really. Not at all.”
“Did you want some breakfast? You are welcome to anything in our pantry,” Kit invites.
Roshaun makes a ‘no’ motion, “I do not require sustenance at the moment.”
“Okay so we’re only waiting on Dair, then,” ‘Mela teases her.
“I haven’t eaten yet today,” she defends herself, “I’m hungry.”
“Can’t imagine why,” Kit snickers.
She decides to be the bigger person and ignore him.
While Dairine finishes her breakfast, the rest of the wizards get the transportation ready. She trusts them to get everything right, so when she’s done she washes her bowl and steps into the transit circle, only pausing to pick up Spot. Technically speaking, it’s not necessary to hold Roshaun’s hand, but she does so anyway. They then all recite the words of the wizardry and a breath later appear in the crisp mountain air of Colorado. Dairine glances around at her surroundings. There’s a lot of pine trees and a small creek running nearby. They appear to be fairly isolated.
Nita also glances around and then whispers some words to the lock box, “wizards own the cabin and rent it to other wizards as a vacation spot. I happened upon it in the manual and the person who was supposed to be staying here tonight cancelled,” she explained to Dairine and Roshaun.
Key thus secured, Nita stuck it in the lock and pushed open the door. The inside of the cabin was exactly as one might picture a log cabin to look like. All wood with rustic features. There was a ladder leading to a loft, which housed no beds but appeared to be a sitting room type area. Two doors on the left side of the kitchen area revealed tiny bedrooms when opened, and the doors across the room opened to a slightly larger room and a bathroom. In the middle of the cabin was a dining area. It was unanimously accepted that Nita and Kit should have the largest room, them being the ones who booked the cabin in the first place. The other two rooms were virtually identical, both hosting two twin beds. There was barely space to walk between the beds, and the closet was barely big enough for Roshaun’s puptent. Still, it was an enchanting little space.
Once they’re done getting their room ready and changing for the hike, they emerge into the small kitchen/dining area, where Nit and Kit are already seated and pouring over some hiking guides. Dairine picks up one of the books. It has a drawing of a sun in the top left hand corner and the title reads Telluride Trails. She flips through it briefly before deciding that that’s a job to leave to her sister. Besides, if she wanted to decide where they should go, she’d do her research on Spot, not in some (probably) outdated guide book. Instead, she busies herself by looking in the cabinets and fridge for food. There isn’t any, but the kitchen is well-stocked with dishes, pans, and silverware, along with a coffee maker and other small appliances like a toaster. She has Spot make a list of the groceries they will need for s’mores, breakfast, and whatever they decide on for dinner.
“I found a hike that looks good,” Nita announces, “pretty short but with what looks like some good scenery and views.”
“Cool,” Dairine says, sliding onto Roshaun’s lap.
Carmela and Ronan come out of their room just then, “sounds good Miss Yank,” Ronan agrees.
Nita rolls her eyes, but the gesture is fond, “I thought we would head into town for some lunch after we’re done. Then we can do a bit of souvenir and grocery shopping as well.”
“Shopping!” Carmela exclaims, “now you’re speaking my language.”
“Dios mío ‘Mela, do you even have any money left after last week?” Kit asks.
“Sí, Niño. I have a job.”
“So do I. I tutor kids, remember? Plus it was Neets and I who paid for this.”
“The only person who doesn’t have a job is Dairine,” Nita points out.
“Hey! I get my money from Wednesday poker gatherings.”
“I love how you call it a gathering to make it seem more legal.”
“Please. They’re more concerned about big corporations than a small ring of high schoolers trying to make a buck off their friends, or in my case, succeeding,” she winks for effect.
This earns an eye roll from Ronan, “I’m the only one of you lot with a traditional job.”
“Bartending, yes we know,” Carmela sighs, “and soon to be business owner.”
“All thanks to you.”
“Aww, babe,” she kisses him.
Dairine rolls her eyes as the kiss starts veering into the territory of going on too long and Kit not-so-subtly subtly clears his throat.
“Yes, right. Hiking,” Carmela rejoins the conversation perkily.
“Is everyone ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes.”
“Totally.”
“Then off we go!” Nita announces brightly, slinging a bag over her shoulder.
Everyone else grabs their bags too, Dairine’s being the most unique as it has a special place for Spot, who is already in position. They then make their way to where the car is parked because apparently wizard rentals come with cars, which is pretty neat. Kit is the default driver, being the best with mechanical objects and being one of the only people to actually have his license. Luckily, the car is big enough for all of them. Nita calls shotgun, so that leaves Dairine and Roshaun the middle row and ‘Mela and Ronan the very back, which is just as well since they begin making out before Kit even has a chance to turn the keys.
Nita fiddles with the radio until she finds a station she likes and then Dairine accompanies her in singing all the songs at the top of their lungs. Kit occasionally joins in, but mostly keeps his eyes on the road. Roshaun just kind of observes with a mystified smile. The whole car ride passes in this fashion and before they know it, they’re at the trailhead. There, Kit places the car in park and everyone files out.
Nita leads the way down the trail as they all talk about anything and everything, enjoying the time spent in the fresh mountain air. They stop for pictures every once in a while, mostly for Nita who is carrying their dad’s old camera. She insists on getting all kinds of different shots, some of the couples, some of the siblings, and some of the whole group together. Dairine would be more annoyed if she wasn’t feeling so uncharacteristically happy.
They finally reach their destination, a fairly nondescript waterfall. They take a couple more pictures and then turn around and head back to the car. Kit is once more behind the wheel and Nita has an actual paper map she is giving him directions with, even though she does own a phone and Spot could get them anywhere they wanted. Sometimes her sister is old fashioned like that.
The drive is surprisingly peaceful and she leans on Roshaun’s shoulder, enjoying the feeling of being here with him. He, in turn, wraps an arm around her and she tilts her head up and pecks him lightly on the lips.
You’ve been a little quiet today. Everything okay? She asks him nonverbally.
Just a little tired. Last night was...exhausting, and I didn’t get much rest.
She gazes up at him, conveying her concern through her facial expression, we don’t have to be here, you know. Say the word and we can head back to the cabin, or my house, or even your room.
Hardly necessary. And besides which, I enjoy experiencing what your planet has to offer. Back home, mountainous areas are not nearly so...alive.
If you’re sure.
“Dairine,” this he mumbles aloud into her hair, “there is nowhere else I would rather spend my time.”
“Oh, well in that case…” she laughs and leans up to kiss him. She pulls back again almost immediately, but rests her forehead against his before leaning back on his shoulder.
Kit pulls into a parking spot and shuts off the car, giving Dairine her first proper look at the little mountain town. It appears to be something of a one street downtown, and there is a sign advertising a free gondola ride up the mountain and down the other side to the ski resort. Nita is eyeing it so she assumes they’re going to end up doing that after lunch. Everyone climbs out of the car and Carmela leads the way to some food truck she saw in a brochure she suddenly seemed to be holding and begins chattering about all the places she wants to shop. Dairine raises her eyebrows in a what can you do about it? sort of way at Roshaun and, tugging him by the hand, follows ‘Mela.
Lunch is a small and distinctly underwhelming venture. The food truck serves passable food, which no one is very pleased about, least of all Roshaun. ‘Mela doesn’t seem to be phased, though, and moves easily on to stopping in all the small stores that catch her eye, the rest of the crew tagging along for lack of better things to do. Nita is the only person to actually purchase anything, being that the general theme of the shops is outdoor gear and that is not attractive to anyone else. After the seventh outdoor store, even Carmela is ready to call it quits and they unanimously decide to try the gondola instead.
The line is short, but they are all still sent up in one carriage.
“Do your people use this form of transportation often?” Roshaun asks, looking down at the ground with a frown, “it seems impractical.”
“No, actually, it’s pretty specialized. People generally would only use this when going skiing,” Dairine explains.
“And what is that phenomenon?”
“Well, skiing and snowboarding is another type of transportation, I guess, though these days it is most commonly done recreationally. It’s somewhat similar to your people’s ehrb, except all downhill and in the snow. Walking up would be a pain so they invented gondolas and chair lifts.” There happens to be a chair lift in view, so Dairine points it out. She sends him mental pictures with her explanations.
“Your people never fail to fascinate me with their strange customs.”
“Perhaps you should become more worldly, Mr. Sun King,” Carmela teases.
“I believe the term you are looking for there is ‘universely’, not worldly,” Nita saves Roshaun from having to respond.
“Well what I want to know is how Dairine knows so much about Wellakh, but you still know so little about Earth. I mean, I caught her murmuring to herself in your native tongue last time I visited and you don’t even know English,” Ronan says, “it seems a little unfair to Runt here.”
Dairine rolls her eyes, “please. It’s hard enough for me to learn a whole new culture. I’d hardly want both of us to be doing that at the same time. Plus I have the advantage of starting way earlier. And what do you know about learning culture? Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot. You only care about the kind of alcohol a species has, nothing beyond that.”
Kit stifles a laugh, but Dairine still hears him.
“I’m sorry, I don’t speak to people who own such cultural artifacts as Star Wars bedspreads.”
“You won’t have any trouble speaking with me then. I don’t own any,” Dairine fires back.
“You don’t?” Nita and Kit ask at the same time.
“Threw my last one out about two months ago because it had holes. And besides, you would know that, Ronan, since you so rudely brushed into my room this morning.”
“Anything but this again, PLEASE,” Nita groans.
“Fortunately, the departure point approaches. It will not be necessary to converse more on that particular topic,” Roshaun interjects.
It’s true. Their carriage glides nimbly into the station and they all alight. The little village at the base of the ski resort is pleasant, but lacks many stores. They all buy ice cream from a coffee shop, though, and walk around happily licking at the cones before boarding the gondola once more.
When they exit the gondola, they simply file back into the car and head for the grocery store. Telluride apparently was a fairly small town and they’ve pretty much seen all of it. They head to a grocery store called Clark’s Market to do their shopping.
“So this is where you purchase your sustenance. It is...surprisingly diverse,” Roshaun comments, glancing around the store.
“Where do you get your food?” Dairine asks, curious. She rarely leaves the palace when she visits his planet.
Roshaun is still glancing around in wonderment, “all the essentials are delivered to the individual households. Specialty items can be purchased at a market when they’re available,” he mentions offhandedly.
“Wait a minute. You mean to tell me you just get your groceries delivered to you?” Kit asks, disbelieving.
Roshaun turns his full attention to the conversation, “indeed. We are deprived of the variety and freedom of choice your people seem to have in the selection process, I’m afraid.”
“Well, you’re in luck then,” Kit grins, “I’ll show you all the good stuff.”
They go off down an aisle together.
“How come I feel like we’re going to regret that?” Dairine asks Nita.
Nita sighs, “because we know them too well to even imagine they’ll buy anything remotely healthy.”
Dairine thinks of Roshaun’s lollipop addiction ruefully and has the scary thought of him discovering more kinds of candy.
“That leaves the real shopping up to us then,” Carmela grins.
They wander into the closest aisle, “so what do we want for dinner?” Nita asks.
It’s Ronan who makes the suggestion, “I could make bangers and mash.”
“Oh! Please do! It’s been ages since I had a proper Irish meal,” Nita exclaims.
“It’s a good thing I’m a budding chef then. I’ve been trying to find more productive habits.”
“Good for you,” Nita smiles, “you tell us what to get and we’ll get it for you.”
“Sausages, potatoes, and peas, for a start.”
“I’ll get the peas,” Dairine volunteers, already walking towards the freezer aisle.
She steps up to the freezer that contains the peas and contemplates the prices quickly. She’s not sure how much they’ll need, so she grabs two bags of the cheapest peas. After all, peas were just peas in her book, no matter the price.
“Dairine Callahan?!?!” a shocked voice calls from behind her, “is that you?”
Dairine turns around, already dreading what is about to happen. The voice belongs to Dan Abraham, a former classmate of hers that had moved away just before classes started last year. He was particularly noteworthy because he used to ask her out incessantly, claiming one day she would “see sense.”
She gives him a tight-lipped smile, “Dan. I didn’t know you moved to Colorado.”
“Ditto. Unless you’re just a tourist.” He puts a particularly nasty spin on the word.
“Just a weekend getaway. Obviously didn’t work out that well.”
He smirks repulsively, “well my parents own a hotel and I have dibs on a room if you care for some higher class accommodations and,” he waggles his eyebrows, stepping closer, “company.”
She steps back, “yeah, no. Great seeing you! Hope it never happens again!”
She turns to walk away but he grabs her wrist, “I also have access to the hot tub.”
She pulls her wrist free and spins to face him, “have fun with that,” she smiles condescendingly.
His face morphs into a look of confusion, and before Dairine can spin on her heel and walk away for good, long arms are draped over her shoulders from behind. She doesn’t even have to look up to know who it is.
Is this...child bothering you?
Not enough for me to do anything about it, if that’s what you’re asking.
What about for me?
No. He’s just a stupid boy I used to go to school with.
“Who is this?” Dan asks.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but this is my boyfriend, Roshaun.”
“You don’t date.”
“I would never date you. That just means I have standards.”
She really does spin on her heel this time, and Roshaun either knows her well enough to anticipate the move or overheard her thoughts because he lifts his arms a second before she does so, making it all the more easier to interlock their fingers as she walks away. They head up to the front of the store where everyone else already is, and add the peas to the basket. Much to her dismay, there is a separate basket entirely full of candy. She glances at it and shares a tired glance with Nita. Neither of them protest, though, and they ring up all the candy alongside the rest of the groceries.
~*~
When they get back to the cabin, Ronan, Nita, and Carmela begin the cooking. Kit offers to help them, but everyone is familiar with his lack of cooking skill so he has to be content with watching from the small living room area. Dairine doesn't even try to volunteer. The kitchen is too small for two people, much less three and four would be a disaster. Not to mention, she generally tries to avoid chores whenever possible.
Instead, she heads outside with Roshaun. He’s always more comfortable in direct sunlight and she could use some fresh air. There’s a hammock hanging in the trees near the tiny porch, and although it seems to be made for one human, they make it work. She’s laying almost completely on top of him, but if it’s uncomfortable for him, he hasn’t said so. Instead, he is gazing upwards and absentmindedly tracing patterns on the back of her hand with his finger. It’s something he does a lot without seeming to notice it, which Dairine finds incredibly endearing.
Wellakhit express affection through hands, so this is especially significant. It was also one of the first Wellakhit customs Dairine had learned, all that time ago when she had met Lady Miril for the first time. The bringing of another’s hands to the forehead was a greeting that communicated a familial affection. Similarly, the bringing of hands to the lips was a greeting between two people in courtship. When greeting acquaintances, you simply took their hands and did nothing with them. And then during courtship different ways of holding hands indicated different things. Simply interlocking pinky fingers indicated an active sexual relationship (mostly used by noble couples who were expected to produce heirs). There was also another special thing Wellakhit could do with their pinky while holding hands that indicated engagement or recent unionbond. Dairine did not have to worry about doing it accidentally though, because Wellakhit had an extra joint in the pinky that Earth humans did not.
“It’s so peaceful here,” Roshaun murmurs into the silence, breaking Dairine from her thoughts.
“It really is,” she muses, “I suppose that’s the appeal of mountains for people.”
“Not on my planet.”
“I know.”
They’re both silent for a moment, “what’s really bothering you?” She asks.
“I was not untruthful earlier when I confessed my weariness.”
Dairine shifts slightly so she’s looking up at him, “but you weren’t speaking about being physically tired were you?”
Roshaun sighs and looks up to the sky, “I am not sure I am ready to be king.”
“You are,” she responds confidently. There is not a doubt in her mind that he is.
Roshaun looks pensively at the clouds, almost as if analyzing them, “I thought I was.”
She doesn’t say anything, wanting him to finish his thought.
“I finally feel like I have a life worth living,” he confesses, “which is something I never dared to dream would come to fruition. And now that I have it, I spend the majority of my time trying to aide a planet that despises what I try to give it.”
Dairine hums in agreement, “you ever thought about a constitutional monarchy?”
“I do not believe I am familiar with the concept.”
“So it’s basically where the people have most of the power, but there is still a monarch with veto powers and such. On Earth there is this country called England and they use that kind of government. It might be something for you to look into. Essentially their Queen is a figurehead, though she retains some traditional honors. Obviously the situation for your planet is different and you would have to continue your legacy of looking after the star, but it would be far less time consuming and when things aren’t going perfectly, the blame cannot be placed solely on you.”
“The idea is not entirely displeasing. I wonder why it has not been implemented before.”
Privately, Dairine thinks that it’s because his family revels in their power, but aloud she says, “well the political climate may not have been right for that large a step. It seems to me that this is something the planet is ready for now.”
“I would agree with you. This will not be a short process though.”
“Oh, I know. We will have to design the new government ourselves and iron out all the kinks.”
“Your people have endless amounts of idioms,” Roshaun sighs, “it is most peculiar.”
“I suppose we do,” Dairine agrees, “I’ve never thought about it much.”
“Cultural differences.”
“Or maybe we’re just weird.”
Roshaun snickers, “well I can assure you that’s true.”
“If I wasn’t laying on top of you, I’d shove you right out of this hammock.”
“Oh, I am aware.”
She doesn’t do that though, and instead snuggles into his chest more. In return, he moves his arm so it’s more secure around her. They lay like that until Kit comes out to tell them that dinner is ready.
She climbs off him and attempts to jump down, but her shirt gets caught in a low hanging tree branch and she falls face first onto the ground. Both Kit and Roshaun promptly begin laughing. Hard. Dairine gets up and glares at the both of them, then stalks into the cabin.
“Nitaaaaa! I despise your boyfriend.”
“Same,” chirps Carmela, “he interrupt your make-out sesh?”
“No!” Dairine tells her indignantly, “and I resent that.”
Just then, Kit comes in with Roshaun, both of them still laughing. Dairine rolls her eyes at them, “honestly. Pull yourselves together.”
Nita raises a brow, “what’s happening here?”
“Dairine, Little Miss Poised herself, fell flat on her face,” Kit explains.
Roshaun calms enough to contribute details, “it was distinctly amusing.”
“Yes. Yes. Great fun,” she rolls her eyes, “I don’t know how you put up with him,” she adds in Nita’s direction.
Nita shrugs “years of experience?”
Carmela snorts, “you’d think that would make you less inclined.”
“Tell me about it,” Dairine groans and sits in a chair at the table, “this looks delicious Ronan.”
“Thanks, Runt.”
“Okay what I want to know is why I’m the only one who’s getting yelled at,” Kit begins, also sitting in a chair, “Roshaun was laughing at you too.”
Roshaun waves a hand, “there’s no need to.”
She levels a new glare at him, “he’s already aware of his wrongdoing.”
Ronan shudders, “it’s so freaky hanging out with wizarding partners. I always forget you sense each other’s emotions and thoughts and shit.”
Nita shrugs, picking up a spoonful of peas, “Kit and I don’t so much anymore.”
“Yeah but you guys are still way more in sync than normal best friends or couples,” Dairine points out, gesturing between them with her fork.
“Exactly,” Ronan agrees.
“So what are we doing tonight?” Carmela asks, “I mean s’mores, obviously, but what after that?”
“Maybe a movie?” Nita suggests, she gestures up towards the loft area, “we could probably all fit on those couches and chair and there’s a TV up there.”
“Not Star Wars,” Ronan says immediately.
“I wasn’t even going to suggest it,” Dairine says loftily.
“Has she made you sit through them yet?” Ronan asks Roshaun.
“Of course,” Dairine says in sync with Roshaun’s, “yes.”
Nita raises a brow, “and how’d you find that?”
“Not altogether terrible. Some things did not translate culturally.”
Dairine rolls her eyes, “by that he means he criticized every single plot hole, no matter how small.”
“Of which there were plenty to criticize.”
She swallows her food then points her fork at him menacingly, “I’m still mad at you.”
“Oh, I am aware.”
“And you’re not making it better.”
Carmela rolls her eyes, “honestly you two, you complain about how you never get to spend any time together and then every time you spend any extended amount of time together you fight. Can’t you just kiss and make up already?”
“No,” Dairine says stubbornly.
“It’s their version of foreplay,” Ronan teases.
Dairine, Nita, and Kit all choke on their food. Roshaun merely frowns disapprovingly. Carmela begins cackling gleefully “oh my god! You’re totally right!”
“That is quite incorrect,” Dairine and Roshaun day in the same tone at the same time.
Dairine blinks. Perhaps she’s picked up more habits from Roshaun than she’s realized. Or maybe she was unintentionally listening in on his thoughts and acted upon them. Still yet it could be that she’s been spending more time on Wellakh than usual. No matter why she said it it’s undeniably closer to Roshaun’s typical turns of phrase than her own.
Ronan shakes his head, “this is what I meant. Freaky.”
Dairine glares at him.
The rest of dinner passes comfortably and Dairine reluctantly agrees to do the dishes, feeling as though she needs to contribute somewhat. Outside, Kit is ostensibly building a fire, but when Dairine finishes the dishes and heads out, she sees it’s really Nita who’s doing most of the work. Roshaun is studying his Aethyr intently but she knows nothing too problematic is happening. Nita seems to have the fire making down and Carmela and Ronan are suspiciously absent. She decides to sit in a chair and do some work on Spot for the moment. She picks what looks like the most comfortable chair and sits down. Well second most comfortable chair as Roshaun had already occupied the first. Prick.
Spot comes ambling over and she picks him up. He informs her of one message from her project partner, Kylie. Apparently she was able to get access to some lab space as part of an outreach program. Dairine guesses it probably had less to do with that and more to do with the fact that Kylie’s mother is married to a filthy rich Manhattan business tycoon. Kylie herself isn’t so bad though. Dairine shoots her a quick reply, agreeing to meet her next week at her dad’s house to begin their project and then pulls up some files on constitutional monarchies. She might as well get started on that.
When Nita lights the fire, Dairine looks up, “shouldn’t we abstain from fires? You know on account of being friends with Fil?”
Nita shrugs, “the wood we used was already dead and died naturally and Kit put a protection spell around the fire ring to stop sparks from escaping and potentially starting wildfires.”
“And what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” Kit adds.
Dairine rolls her eyes, “yes, like that’s a good answer.”
Carmela flounces over to the fire cheerfully, “Ronan and I broke up!”
Kit groans, “again? What was it this time?”
Carmela spares him a pitying look, “you wouldn’t understand, baby brother.”
“Clearly,” he snorts in response.
Dairine decides to stop working and actually enjoy the fire so she sets Spot aside for a moment and settles back in her seat as Kit sits beside her. Nita takes a place next to him and Carmela next to her. Ronan saunters from the cabin and takes the remaining seat between Roshaun and Dairine.
“Remember when we did this on Tevaral?” Ronan asks.
“And all you brought was honey graham crackers,” Dairine points an accusatory finger at her sister.
“And we had to figure out how to roast those mini mallows,” Kit laughs.
“Is it wrong that I think of that as a vacation?” Dairine asks.
“I mean, considering some of the problems we’ve had to fix that was a vacation,” Nita reasons, “I mean it was tragic, yes. But we knew what we were signing up for in a sense, and the Powers provided exactly what we needed to solve the problem. I’m not saying it was all cookie cutter clean, but it was at least more transparent than some other wizardries we’ve done.”
Another idiom, comes Roshaun’s voice in her head, cookie cutter clean. Your people are creative, at least.
She rolls her eyes, I’m still mad at you. You’re going to have to step up your flattery quite a bit.
“There was a certain hopelessness to the situation there though,” Ronan adds to the conversation, “it really made you think a bit. I mean I sometimes still look at our moon and think what if.”
Kit shakes his head in contemplative agreement, “I know what you mean.”
“Anyway!” Carmela interjects brightly, “how about some s’mores?”
Ronan pulls out a roasting fork, “a little more traditional than last time,” he jokes.
Kit bustles around getting out the marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. Nita flits around behind him not really doing much but acting as moral support. Dairine leans forward and rests her chin on her hand, deciding to watch what happens before she makes her own s’more. They only have two roasting forks anyway. Ronan and Carmela are the first to roast and while they are doing that, Nita and Kit bicker about the correct way to place chocolate on a graham cracker and Roshaun continues his work, looking up every once in a while with an interested expression. There is an interesting incident where Carmela’s marshmallow slides off her roasting fork and looks as though it is going to hit the fire, but Ronan says a frantic wizardry and saves it in the nick of time, which prompts Carmela to reward him by once more being his girlfriend.
Dairine shakes her head at that, “and you guys think we’re weird,” and takes the fork from Ronan.
Carmela awards her fork to Nita under protest from Kit. Nita grins at that, “maybe you should try being nicer to ‘Mela, El Niño.”
“Are you kidding me Neets? I’d sooner eat the fork.”
Carmela tsks, “listen to your girlfriend, Christopher darling.”
Dairine does not waste any time browning her marshmallow, instead sticking it right in the flames. Nita frowns, “a little patience wouldn’t kill you Dair.”
She shrugs, “fail fast.”
“A reckless technique,” Roshaun criticizes.
“Funny. I don’t remember asking for your opinion.”
“How does one concoct these ‘s’mores’?” Roshaun asks Carmela.
“Well you toast the marshmallow so it’s nice and soft and gooey, and then you place it between two graham crackers and chocolate,” she explains.
“The casual way your species consumes chocolate is astounding.”
“What does it do to you?” Kit asks.
“Nothing,” Carmela answers before he gets the chance, “I’ve been doing research.”
“Chocolate is used to indicate desire for a betrothal. The larger quantity and better quality, the more impressive the request. The act of giving chocolate indicates the desire and typically only at a betrothal do we consume it,” he explains.
“That’s...elaborate,” Dairine comments, “but we’re not on Wellakah so you can have some if you want.”
“I would rather not. It would feel inappropriate.”
She shrugs, “fair enough.”
“So how much chocolate is a good proposal?” Ronan asks.
Roshaun spreads his fingers apart, indicating a size about half a Hershey’s bar square, “a middle class citizen would be impressed by an amount of this approximate sizing.”
Ronan whistles, “and how thick is it?”
“As thin as the chocolate master can make it. He melts down any chocolate he can find and spreads it as thinly as possible so as to make the most pieces.”
“Huh,” is her only response at the moment.
In the end, they just decide to make Roshaun a toasted marshmallow. He seems to enjoy it, having an affinity for anything with sugar in general. They sit around the campfire for a while longer and then head in to watch some movies. Nita was lobbying for Pride and Prejudice, supported in that endeavor by Dairine who was a not-so-secret secret Jane Austen fan. Kit and Ronan wanted to watch the new Avengers movie, which Dairine also could get behind. They had access to pretty much any movie they wanted, courtesy of the Mobiles and Spot, so it was really more an issue of who could agree on what.
The issue is solved without too much trouble, everyone agreeing to watch Pride and Prejudice first and then the Avengers movie, and possibly after that Harry Potter. Dairine had opposed that, advocating for instead watching the movies back to back in a marathon. She had been wanting to show them to Roshaun anyway, thinking he’d be amused by the depiction of wizards. Also, he’d then be in on their jokes about Muggles. Not that it wasn’t amusing to see him continually confused/amused by references to subculture he wasn’t familiar with.
They all crowd onto the couches, Roshaun and Dairine claiming one, she having forgiven him for his earlier transgressions, Nita and Kit the other. Ronan sits in the chair, ‘Mela on his lap, which can’t be too comfortable, but he’s not complaining. Dairine has Spot connect to the TV and play the movie, and they all settle in.
A little over two hours later, the end credits roll.
“What did you think?” Dairine asks Roshaun.
“It was an inspiring tale. There was a resemblance to some of our own cultural ideas.”
“What are movies like on your planet, Kingling?” Carmela asks.
“We do not have anything that would be culturally analogous. While we do have performers, none of the performances are saved for viewing at another time. I do quite enjoy watching these “movies”, though.”
Ronan grins, “then it’s Avengers time!”
Spot loads it automatically and the iconic intro begins.
~*~
Dairine wakes to darkness, an unfamiliar weight draped over her midsection. She turns slightly to find the unfamiliar weight is in fact a familiar one, Roshaun’s arm. They’re still on the couch. Apparently they had fallen asleep during the movie. This doesn’t surprise her too much, given that they had both missed out on a good night’s sleep after the Golden Ball. Someone had draped a blanket over them, probably Nita. She pulls it more securely over her shoulders and snuggles back into Roshaun. He doesn’t even stir. She then yawns and closes her eyes again, drifting back off to sleep.
As the sun begins streaming in the window hours later, neither of them stir, completely at peace.