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Chapter Text

Makkari wasn’t exactly a lonely child, but she was alone. A lot. Playing with other children could be a challenge. Not impossible, of course. Lavaman and hide-and-go seek weren’t overly complicated playground games, after all. As long as she didn’t slow things down, the others were happy to let her join. It was making connections that was hard. Most kids her age didn’t know ASL.

While Makkari’s skill at reading lips was enough to understand them, communication was a two way street. Most of the children she encountered simply didn’t have the patience to try and decipher her gestures. For most of her short life, well-meaning adults trying to dole out tough love had warned her that this would often be the case.

But Makkari was excellent at making the best out of a mediocre situation. Her foster mom Ajak called her a ray of sunshine for her ability to find the positive side of things.

It wasn’t that hard. She knew she was lucky.

She’d gotten a good foster home with Ajak. The other kids were nice. Fourteen-year-old Thena was everything Makkari hoped to become when she made it to high school; sharp and beautiful and strong. Kingo was closer to her age at eleven, and he always did his best to include her. Makkari was grateful for that, even if it meant having to work the camera for his short films.

Makkari had other means of amusing herself. The playground so close that Ajak didn’t feel the need to accompany and supervise her back and forth. Behind the equipment was a wooded area with a creek, which Makkari had long ago declared herself queen of. The library was nearby, too, and a sweet lady named Mara was always happy to help her find books.

Makkari was content. During the summer, Ajak allowed her the freedom to roam as she pleased, encouraging her to explore the world around her and find her place in it. She would take her library books to her little kingdom and pass entire afternoons reading. She loved The Magic Treehouse and Dear America — stories that took her across time and around the world.

And then, she met him.

* * *

It was a hot day in July after nearly a week of thunderstorms had kept her inside. As soon as she was finished with breakfast, she took off for the park. Makkari loved to run. After months of training, she could make the distance from her house to the playground without getting winded. She was very proud of this feat.

As soon as she arrived, she noticed him.

A boy. Maybe a year or so older than her. Black hair, blue eyes, and the palest skin she’d ever seen. The first thing she noticed was that she’d never seen him before. The second thing she noticed was that he wore all black. Makkari was no scientist, but she knew enough to know that dark clothes absorbed heat, so he had to be sweltering. And finally, she noticed that he was alone.

Like her.

That wouldn’t do.

“Hello,” Makkari waved as she approached him.

“Hi.” His eyes narrowed as she drew closer. It almost looked as though he was confused as to why she was choosing to speak to him at all. There was something else in his eyes, something vaguely familiar. He shrunk in on himself. Oh. Makkari kept her distance, but she wouldn’t make assumptions. Maybe he was just shy.

“Do you want to play?” She kept her gestures slow and big, hoping to get her meaning across. For a moment, the boy’s brow furrowed.

“Are you deaf?” he asked and signed. Makkari gasped excitedly.

“You know ASL?”

“Yeah, my…” His hands froze in midair, his expression suddenly guarded. “What’s your name?”

Makkari cocked her head at the sudden change of subject but let it slide.

“I’m Makkari.” She watched his lips form her name as he signed it back to her. He smiled. It was a nice sort a smile, the kind that lit up his whole face and revealed a dimple in his cheek.

“That’s very pretty.” Makkari flushed and signed her thanks. Her name was one of the few things she had from her birth parents. “I’m Druig.”

“Do you want to get out of the sun?” she asked. “I know a place that’s nice and cool and quiet.”

“Okay.”

“Follow me, Druig!” Makkari led him off the playground and under the chainlink fence that had been in disrepair for as long as she’d known. Thena had showed her how to pull it up and slip under, not that she ever used it anymore.

“Are we allowed back here?”

“Why not?” She turned to Druig with a sly smile. “But just to be safe, cross your heart and promise not to tell.” He did with no complaint. “Welcome to my kingdom!” She gestured proudly. “Isn’t it nice?”

“Yes.” Druig sank gratefully in the shade of one of the big oak trees. Makkari plopped down next to him. “So, what do we do back here?”

“Anything.”

* * *

“Makkari, you seem particularly happy this evening,” Ajak asked as they sat down for dinner. “Did you have fun at the park?”

“I made a new friend,” she replied. “He knows ASL!”

“He?” Kingo echoed, waggling his brows.

“Don’t tease her,” Thena said, reaching over to swat his arm. “She’s eight. She doesn’t care about that stuff.”

“I’m almost nine!” Makkari protested, though she wasn’t quite sure what her foster-siblings were talking about.

“Tell us about your friend, Makkari,” Ajak said.

“His name is Druig. He’s nice. He said he would be back on Wednesday. He likes reading and he wears black.”

“Black?” Kingo made a face. “How old is this kid? I swear, if eight-year-olds are having emo phases these days…”

“I don’t think you’re one to judge the fashion choices of others,” Thena said crisply, eyeing the fringe on Kingo’s jacket.

“He looks nice in black,” Makkari said.

“Oh, does he, now?”

“Kingo, shut up.” Makkari looked from Kingo, who was still chuckling, to Thena, who seemed very done. Then she turned to Ajak, who was smiling gently.

“I’m glad you made a friend,” she said. “Maybe he could come over some time.”

* * *

Druig came to the park on Mondays and Wednesdays. Makkari was always there, waiting. She brought little games like Scrabble or a deck of cards and her library books and snacks. If she noticed the way Druig inhaled the food she brought, she was kind enough not to remark. And so, they spent Mondays and Wednesdays from noon to dusk in Makkari’s kingdom.

One day, Makkari brought a long, long length of heavy rope, coiled and slung over her slight shoulder.

“We can make a swing!” she explained. “I’ve always wanted to, but I can’t get up the right tree without a boost.”

“Okay.” Druig had learned long ago to just go along with Makkari’s schemes. She was generally right about whatever it was, and if he protested, she would just bat those pretty brown eyes of hers. For some reason, Druig could never say no to that. “Where’d you get the rope?”

“Thena.” Another thing Druig had learned; Makkari’s foster sister was as scary as she was beautiful, and not to be questioned.

Makkari led him to the woods to begin surveying the tress. She chose one with a sturdy branch that extended out over the creek. The lowest branches were a good few feet beyond her reach. Druig cupped his hands to help her up. Then, he watched as she shimmied her way up the tree with all the grace of a wild cat.

Makkari was a bit wild herself. Actually, she was kind of weird, but in a good way, in the way that she saw possibilities where others might just see what was there. Druig liked her brand of weird. He hoped it might rub off on him because his weirdness definitely wasn’t as nice as hers.

Once she had the rope tied securely around the branch, she let the other end fall, gave him a thumbs up, and scampered down.

“Your hair is new,” Druig remarked once she was back on solid ground. He’d been meaning to comment for some time, but once she’d gone up in the trees, he’d figured it was best not to distract her.

“Ajak brought me to a salon. For my birthday.” Makkari tugged at one of the braids that now swung around her shoulders.

“It was your birthday?”

“Yes. Over the weekend.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I could have gotten you a present.” No, he probably couldn’t have, but the smile she gave him was brighter than the sun.

“I don’t need you to get me a present, Druig. You being my friend is enough.” His ears burned that had nothing to do with a lack of sunblock. “Can I go first?”

“Of course.”

Makkari looped and knotted the end of the rope and stepped in, leaning this way and that to build momentum. Eventually, she was swinging over the creek, her face alight with exhilaration. Up and down, she went, reaching higher and higher, high into the sky. And then, she let go, flying out of the swing towards the water.

Without thinking, Druig surged forward. He splashed through the creek as she landed on the other side, losing her footing and stumbling to the ground. She braced herself on her arms, her chest heaving as she took gasping breaths. But then she threw back her head, sending her braids flying, and laughed. She had leaves in her hair and dirt smudged on her arm, but she looked so happy.

“Are you okay?” Druig asked anyway.

“Absolutely!” She noticed his worried expression. “Did I scare you? I’m sorry! But you should try it! It was so much fun!”

“I don’t think I could. I’d be too scared to jump. You’re the fearless one.” He offered her a hand to help her up. She looked at it for a moment, then at him. So, she’d noticed how he didn’t like to be touched. Of course she had. She was too observant for her own good.

Back on her feet, she began to brush herself off. Druig helped, carefully plucking the leaves from her hair.

“These are really pretty,” he said, tucking a braid behind her ear. “I was going to say that earlier. And you, of course. You’re really pretty.”

For a moment, Makkari just looked at him. Druig inhaled sharply, nervous he’d said the wrong thing. But then, she leaned forward and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you, Druig.” She gave him that sly smile of hers. “You’re really pretty, too.”

“Thanks.” But not as pretty as you, he wanted to insist. He didn’t. He figured they’d just go back and forth for who knew how long. “My turn?”

* * *

They played on the swing for the rest of the afternoon. Makkari did finally convince Druig to jump off, though he didn’t try to cross the creek like she had. Eventually, their shadows began to grow longer. Druig was always careful that it didn’t get too dark before he headed home. They said their good-byes and he went on his way. Makkari lingered a few extra minutes, watching the sunlight move through the branches to cast dappled shadows on the ground.

It would be more fun to watch if Druig was there with her.

She left her little kingdom and noticed a commotion on the playground. As she neared, she saw Druig. An older boy, much older, was getting in his personal space, finger jabbing in his face, hands reaching for the lapel of his jacket…

That was unacceptable.

Makkari shot forward, inserting herself between the boys. She was vaguely aware of Druig’s hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her away, but she shrugged it off. She began signing furiously, not caring if this boy — this bully — understood. “How dare you touch my friend? How dare you touch my Druig? Back off! What’s your problem?” She threw in a few of the ruder gestures Thena had taught her, just for good measure.

It seemed to work. The boy took a few steps back. He eyed the gathered crowd warily. There were parents here, too, not just kids. Finally, he said something to Druig, though Makkari didn’t catch it. She hadn’t realized it was possible to actually see red. She’d thought that was just something they’d made up for stories. The boy left, and Makkari turned to Druig.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Druig’s hands shook as he signed, and Makkari could see his jaw clench. “You shouldn’t have done that. He wasn’t going to hurt me.”

“You know him?”

“Kind of.”

“If you know him, you should tell him you don’t like being touched.”

“Who says I don’t like being touched?” Makkari gave him a look. He returned it with a half-smile. “I like it better when it’s you.”

“So I can give you a hug?”

“Yes, please.” Makkari threw her arms around him, holding him tight. They were at a height that Makkari could comfortably tuck her chin on his shoulder. Druig gently pulled away. “You don’t have to ask again. If you wanted to give me more hugs. You give nice hugs.”

“Thanks.” Makkari glanced to the west, where the sun was dipping lower. “You should go.”

“Yes.” But he didn’t. He looked at his feet, and then back at her, his fingers twitching slightly. “I saw part of what you said,” he finally started to sign slowly. “Did you call me your Druig?” Makkari cocked her head.

“Aren’t you? I won’t do it again if you don’t like it, but I thought…you’re my Druig and I’m your Makkari.”

“My Makkari?” She nodded. “I think I can be okay with that.” She smiled.

“Okay! See you Wednesday!” With that, she took off towards home, feeling lighter on her feet than usual.

Chapter Text

“Ajak wants to have you over for dinner.”

“Why?” Druig’s response was instinctual, but he still winced as soon as the word had left his fingers.

“She knows we’re friends. She wants to meet you.” Makkari swung her legs as she sat in the loop of their swing. Sitting in the swing was far less comfortable than standing, but it didn’t seem to bother Makkari.

“But…” They’ll ask questions. “Did she say when?”

“Whenever you want. Tonight, even. We’re having lasagna.”

“Tonight might work…” Druig said slowly. If he went now, it would only be her at home. She might allow it. If it got him out of her hair for an evening, she might even like the idea. “I gotta go home and ask. Will you wait here?”

“Can’t I come with you?”

“Uh…” How to do this without refusing her directly? “Maybe you should go home and tell Ajak to expect one more for dinner?” Druig put on his best sly smile. “I’ll race you. Whoever gets back here first…” Makkari’s eyes lit up at the challenge.

“Gets to pick what we do on Wednesday!” she suggested excitedly. “Bye!” And just like that, she was off. Druig sighed in relief.

His whole walk home, he practiced what he was going to say. A friend asked me for dinner. What friend? Someone I met at the park. When? Tonight, if that’s okay. Where? In the neighborhood. Give just enough details to mollify her. Don’t mention Makkari by name. Druig didn’t know why, but that was the one thing echoing over and over in his mind. Don’t tell her a thing about Makkari. Makkari was his. She didn’t get to ruin it.

As he’d hoped, it was only her car in the driveway. That was something. Druig took a deep breath and walked through the front door.

“What are you doing home so early?” She was watching television in the living room, alone.

“A friend asked me for dinner tonight. Is it okay if I go?” She turned around. She looked tired.

“Can you be home before eight?”

“Yeah. Absolutely.”

“Fine. Don’t cause trouble.”

“I won’t. Thank you.” And just as quickly, Druig slipped out of the house, back into the sunshine. That had been surprisingly easy. Maybe some of Makkari’s luck was rubbing off on him after all.

When he returned to the park and crawled under the fence, Makkari was waiting for him, sitting on the swing as if she’d never left, wearing a triumphant smile.

“I won.”

“Yes, you did.” He’d figured she would. “So, what are we doing Wednesday?”

“It’s a surprise.”

Before long, it was time to go to Ajak’s for dinner. Druig tried to remind himself that the hard part was over. He’d gotten permission for this. All he had to do now was sit and eat and give polite, short answers to any questions. Even so, as Makkari climbed the stairs of her front porch, he found himself frozen.

“Are you okay?”

“Are you sure…” He took a deep breath. “Are you sure they want me?”

“Yes.” Makkari hopped back down the steps. She offered him a hand. “They’re really nice. They’ll like you.” Druig nodded and gave her his
hand. He found that golding her hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Together, they walked up the steps and through the door. As Makkari kicked off her shoes, she knocked on the wall to alert everyone she was home. Druig took off his shoes too and added them to the pile by the door. It smelled good in here, liked spices and bread and something sweet. A beautiful, dark-haired woman who all but exuded a matronly aura entered the hall with a warm smile for both of them. Ajak.

“This is Druig,” Makkari introduced. “Druig, this is Ajak, my foster-mom.”

“It’s very nice to meet you, Druig,” Ajak said.

“It’s nice to meet you, too, ma’am,” Druig replied.

“You two go on into the kitchen. Makkari can help you with something to drink. Dinner’s nearly ready.” Ajak turned to the stairs. “Thena! Kingo! Come down for dinner! Druig’s here.”

Druig hurried after Makkari. She was pulling cups out of a cabinet. Well, she’d gotten one cup, anyway. She was struggling to reach another on the top shelf.

“Let me help.” Druig tried to reach, but as he wasn’t much taller than Makkari, he didn’t have much luck. And then, a pale, slender hand was reaching past both of them to pluck the cup from the shelf with ease. Druig turned and gulped.

“I’m Thena.” Makkari hadn’t been lying about her foster-sister. Thena was beautiful and scary at the same time, and Druig couldn’t help but move closer to Makkari. “You’re Druig?”

“Yes.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you,” Thena said with a slight smirk before handing him the cup.

“That’s an understatement.” Another boy had joined them in the kitchen. “Makkari never stops talking about you. I’m Kingo.”

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Druig managed.

“Oven’s opening,” Ajak called, tapping Makkari to move her back from the hot metal. The smell of spices got stronger as Ajak pulled a bubbling pan of lasagna from the rack. “Get your drinks and go sit down.”

Druig followed Makkari to the refrigerator for water and then to the table. He found himself between Makkari and Kingo. There was a basket of rolls in the center. On a side table waited a half-eaten sheet of brownies. Druig looked at Makkari, who was smiling as she chatted with Thena. He smiled too.

Druig was glad that Makkari had this. She was safe, and she was loved, and that made him happy.

* * *

Makkari managed to get to the park first that Wednesday. She waited on a bench, watching the other kids play. It seemed like ages before Druig finally showed up.

“What took you so long?” she demanded as she intercepted him. He was slightly surprised to see her. They usually met behind the fence.

“What have you decided on us doing, today?” he asked.

“Library!” She showed him her armful of books. “These are due today, and I want to get new ones. Will you come?”

“Of course, my beautiful Makkari.” She giggled as he slipped his hand into hers. It had been a joke Kingo had made at dinner on Monday night, sarcastically saying “Ladies and gentlemen, the beautiful Makkari” when she had tomato sauce on her face. But before leaving, Druig had said “Good night, my beautiful Makkari,” and now it looked like it was going to stick. That was fine with her, especially the way Druig smiled when he said it.

It was Mara working behind the circulation desk when they arrived, and she smiled at the sight of Makkari.

“Look at you, returning your books on time,” she teased gently as Makkari placed her books on the counter. Her ASL was slow and a little clumsy, but Mara had been teaching herself since they met. “And who’s your friend?”

“This is Druig.”

“Do you enjoy reading as much as this one, Druig?”

“I think so. Maybe not quite as much.”

“I’ll be here if you need anything.”

“Miss Mara, is the—”

“No, not yet, I’m afraid. But the moment it arrives, I’ll put it on hold for you.”

“The moment what arrives?” Druig wondered as Makkari led him to the children’s room. It was one of Makkari’s favorite rooms ever, with an entire wall of windows to let in the sunshine and comfortable bean bags scattered around.

“The next book in a series I’m reading.” Makkari found the shelf easily, she checked it every day. “The Song of the Lioness. It’s about a girl who pretends to be a boy so she can become a knight. I’ve read the first two books, but the library hasn’t gotten the third one yet.”

“Is it good?”

“So good! I’ve reread it so many times!” Makkari pulled the second book, In the Hands of the Goddess, and opened it to the middle. There was a faint water stain. “I did that, by accident. Ajak helped me dry it so it wouldn’t ruin the book.” She replaced the book and started down the row. “What do you think? Fantasy? Adventure?”

“Both?” Druig suggested. Makkari grinned.

“Perfect.” She let her finger trail across the spines as she read the titles. Most of the books here she’d already read, but maybe Druig hadn’t. “What about this?”

“Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.” Makkari watched Druig’s lips form the words. “Have you ever read it?”

“Yeah, but not for a while. It’s good. It’s about ancient Egypt.”

“Sounds good to me.” Makkari plucked the book from the shelf and went to claim one of the bigger bean bags. She sat down, trying not to look too expectantly at Druig. She’d left room for him to join her, but he could pull another beanbag over if he wanted. But then, he was sitting down right next to her, gently tugging her closer so they could balance the book between them. Together, they set off for the British Museum to help Theodosia Throckmorton disenchant various Egyptian relics.

A few chapters in, Druig’s head fell on her shoulder. Not long after, she realized he’d fallen asleep. As carefully as she could, Makkari closed the book and turned to look at him. He looked younger asleep. A small smile was playing on his lips. Makkari brushed his bangs back. His hair was very soft.

“How is it going?” Mara asked, kneeling next to their bean bag.

“Good, I think.”

“I brought these for you. I know they’re not The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, but I think you’ll enjoy them.” Mara set a small stack of books on her lap.

“Thank you.”

Makkari picked through the books while Druig slept. He looked so peaceful, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him up. He always did look a little tired, anyway. Maybe he could use the sleep.

Finally, after an hour or so, he began to stir. Makkari set down the book she’d been reading the first few chapter of to watch him wake up. He looked confused at first, but when he saw her, he smiled.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“You did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Druig shifted slightly so he could curl against her side. Makkari let her arm fall around him.

“What’re you reading?”

“The Golden Compass.”

“Tell me what happens?” Makkari did, making her motions big and dramatic as she told the story of Lyra and her daemon. Ajak had taken her and her foster siblings to a concert once, and the ASL interpreter there had been enchanting to watch, moving to the vibrations of the music. Makkari thought of that as she signed, trying to make the story a dance. Druig’s eyes were glued to her hands.

They spent another hour at the library. Sometimes they read together, and sometimes they read separately and then told each other the stories as dramatically as possible. Makkari ended up checking out four new books.

“Do you want anything, Druig?” Mara asked.

“I don’t have a library card.”

“If you come back here with your parents, I can set up an account for you.” Druig nodded, but Makkari could see the way his jaw tightened.

“He usually just ends up reading mine, anyway,” she said. “Thank you, Miss Mara!”

“They’re due in two weeks, Makkari, don’t forget!”

“I won’t!”

“The library’s nice,” Druig said as they headed back to the park. “Do you spend a lot of time there?”

“Yes. I love that it’s so close.”

“I hope they get the book you want soon.”

“Yeah, me too.”

* * *

“It looks like rain,” Druig noted two Mondays later. Makkari looked up at the gathering clouds, her nose scrunching in annoyance.

“It’s not raining yet.”

“No, but there’s been some thunder. It’s getting closer.” As if to prove his point, a flash of lightning lit up the sky. “We should probably head home before we get caught in the rain.”

“You don’t like the rain?”

“I don’t like wet clothes.”

“I can walk you home,” Makkari offered. “I’ll keep you safe.” Because obviously little four foot six Makkari could protect him from a whole thunderstorm. Druig bit back a smirk, but accepted her proffered hand.

“Thank you, my beautiful Makkari.” They started to his house. He told himself that this was fine, that she was just going to drop him off and would be none the wiser. But then, the rain began to fall. Fat, heavy drops that indicated a downpour. And the frequency was increasing.

Makkari didn’t seem to notice or mind. She just prattled on with one hand about the books she was reading and Kingo’s latest film project. Druig held his breath as they drew closer. When they finally arrived and there was no cars in the driveway, he released it in relief. The rain had gotten stronger.

“Come in,” he said, hoping he wasn’t about to make a huge mistake. “Wait a few minutes and see if it gets any better.”

“Will your parents mind?”

“They’re not home.” Makkari nodded and followed him up the front steps and through the door.

“Who’s she?” Druig froze, then slowly turned to find Ikaris standing in the kitchen. He was the oldest boy in the house, and years in the system had made him bitter. Ikaris wasn’t great, but at least Druig could deal with him. He just prayed that Makkari wouldn’t recognize him.

“Why do you care?” Druig moved instinctively in front of her, partially to shield her, partially to block her view.

“You know they don’t like it when we have friends over without asking. Or at all.”

“She’s only staying a few minutes. For the rain to lighten up.” Druig turned to Makkari, and his heart sank. She had stepped out from behind him and was looking at Ikaris inquisitively. Her eyes widened. Druig clenched his jaw. He’d always thought she a bit too smart for her age.

She was figuring it out, and there was nothing he could do to stop her. She remembered Ikaris from that day in the park. She could see that they looked far too different to ever be related by blood. As she looked around the house, Druig wondered if she’d ever been in a home that felt just like this one. He hoped she hadn’t.

“You’re like me?” she guessed. Druig nodded slowly, and hurt spread across her features. “You didn’t tell me.”

“I’m sorry.” He glanced out the window. “You should go. My— I don’t want them to get mad.”

“Okay.” Makkari left, and Druig felt like something was crushing his heart.

“Was that that little spitfire from the park?” Ikaris asked. Druig nodded curtly. The older boy smirked. “Shame she can’t always be around to protect you.”

“If you talk about her to them…” Well, he didn’t know what he’d do, so he left the threat open. He could feel tears pricking at his eyes. He pushed past Ikaris to head upstairs to his room. He shut
himself in the closet, curling into a ball amongst the coats and boxes and let the tears come. Why couldn’t he be fearless like Makkari?

* * *

It was still raining when Makkari woke up the next morning. The weather fit her mood well.

Druig hadn’t told her. Why hadn’t he told her? Surely he didn’t think she would judge him. She’d told him. She told him everything. Had that been a mistake on her part? Did he not consider her his best friend the way she did him?

Makkari finally pulled herself out of bed and trudged downstairs to find some breakfast. Ajak and Kingo were already at the table, and they seemed just as somber.

“Where’s Thena?”

“She’s not doing too well this morning,” Ajak replied.

Right. The thunderstorm. Makkari had been so preoccupied with Druig that she’d forgotten the effect they tended to have on her foster-sister.

“Do you think I can help?”

“You can ask. But remember, no pushing, Makkari. If she says no, leave her be.”

Makkari nodded and returned up the stairs, all thoughts of breakfast forgotten. She tapped lightly on Thena’s door, her signature tap to let her know it was her. She then rested her hand on the door and waited. After a moment, she felt an answering tap. Taking this to mean come in, Makkari eased the door open and peaked in.

Thena sat with her back against the wall, holding her knees to her chest. She was rocking back and forth, clenching and unclenching her fists.

“Can I help?” Makkari asked. Thena nodded and held shaking arms out. Sometimes, Thena liked to be held during one of her episodes. Sometimes, she rejected all physical contact. It just depended on the day. Makkari padded over and curled up against her foster-sister, wrapping her arms around her waist.

“It’s not as bad this time,” Thena finally said. “I just, I couldn’t sleep all last night, and then this morning, I—”

“It’s okay,” Makkari signed against her back. “You’re safe. You’re loved. You’re our Thena. Say it.” Thena smiled slightly.

“I’m safe. I’m loved. I’m your Thena.” It was the mantra Ajak had used when Thena had first arrived. “Do you know that you give really good hugs, little ‘Kari?”

“Don’t call me that,” Makkari protested, albeit half-heartedly.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Thank you for letting me in. You didn’t have to.” Neither did Druig, Makkari realized, but he had let her in. He didn’t have to let her wait out the rain in his house. Maybe that had been his way of telling her.

* * *

The next Wednesday, Makkari was waiting for him, the same as always. Druig was ready for whatever questions she might have, but she didn’t ask a thing. She took him by the hand and led him under the fence to their tree. She’d set up a little picnic, sandwiches and sliced apples and cookies and sun brewed sweet tea. And when Druig had eaten his sandwich, she offered the last half of hers.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he said.

“It’s okay.” She smiled at him, that smile that could make the world go ‘round. “I was a little sad that you didn’t, but I understand why.”

“Could I have a hug?”

“Of course.” She crawled over to tuck herself against his side, wrapping her arms around his chest and letting her head fall on his shoulder. Don’t ever let go, a part of him pleaded. “Is your... brother always so mad?”

“Ikaris isn’t my brother,” Druig replied. “But he is moody a lot. He turns thirteen soon. His chances aren’t great.”

“Your house felt haunted,” Makkari signed. “Maybe that’s why.”

“It’s not so bad. Living there is how I got to meet you.” Makkari leaned back slightly, her smile growing brighter.

“I was thinking, maybe you could come live with me. We could talk to Ajak, she knows how these things work. I’m sure she’d say yes. She likes you a lot.” Druig sighed and gently tilted Makkari’s head back to his shoulder so he could rest his chin atop it.

“Maybe.”

Chapter Text

Run.

It was all Druig could think.

His cheek stung.

Ignore it.

They were calling after him.

Ignore it.

Into the dark, onto the sidewalk. Where was he going? Where could he go?

Her.

Run to her.

* * *

It was still dark when Makkari was shaken awake. She opened her eyes to find Ajak turning on the light. Her face was drawn, worry written in the crease between her brows and the thin line of her mouth. Something was wrong. Makkari felt her stomach start to turn. The clock on her nightstand read 2:30. She didn’t think she’d ever been awake at this hour.

“I need you to come with me,” Ajak said. “It’s going to be all right. I need you to stay calm.”

“What’s happening?” Makkari asked. “I…don’t want to leave.” It had happened once, being roused in the middle of the night to be herded into a social worker’s car. But she hadn’t been happy at that house the way she was at Ajak’s.

“You’re not going anywhere.” Ajak pressed a kiss to her hand. Makkari climbed out of bed. “He’s waiting.”

Somehow, Makkari knew. She knew exactly who Ajak meant, but the knowledge did nothing to settle her nerves. It only made her stomach drop further. None of the reasons she could come up with for why he might be here at this hour were good.

The truth was worse than she imagined.

Druig was waiting. He sat on the worn sofa, curled in the corner. His legs were pressed against his chest, and his arms were wrapped around his knees. He was trying to be as small as possible. Most of his face was hidden behind the back cushion.

Makkari looked up at Ajak.

“He won’t talk to me. He won’t let me touch him,” her foster-mom said softly, giving her an encouraging nudge.

Makkari went over to Druig and tapped him gently. He flinched, refusing to look at her. She sat down next to him. She kept looking at Ajak for some instruction, but she only watched in silence.

Druig had told her that she didn’t need to ask if she wanted to hug him. This seemed like a terrible time to test that theory, but Makkari didn’t have many other options. She scooched a little closer and slowly wrapped an arm around him. This time, he didn’t flinch. She gently pulled him to her, keeping her grip loose so he could pull against if he wanted.

“Look at me,” she signed against his arm, “I’m here. You’re safe. You’re my Druig.”

Makkari gasped as he suddenly collapsed into her arms. He shook with sobs, and Makkari could feel his tears soaking through her sleeve where his face was buried in her shoulder. She began to rock back and forth, stroking his hair in what she hoped was a soothing
motion.

Finally he pulled away and looked at her. Makkari bit her lip to keep from bursting into tears herself. Druig’s cheek was mottled with a bruise.

“I’m glad you came here,” Makkari signed. It was all she could think to tell him. “I’ll keep you safe now.”

“That sounds nice,” Druig sniffed.

“Here.” Ajak pressed a mug into Druig’s hand. Makkari caught sight of steaming milk sprinkled with cinnamon. Ajak knelt at the side of the couch. “We’re going to get you help, okay, Druig? You’re safe now. No one can hurt you here.” He nodded as he sipped his drink. “Do you know your social worker’s phone number?”

“I, I have her card, but I left it…I don’t…” Tears welled in his eyes.

“That’s okay. I can make some calls. You stay here with Makkari.”

“Can he come up to my room?” she asked. “We could read or something. We won’t wake the others.”

“Alright. Here.” Ajak went to the kitchen and returned with a bag of frozen peas. “For Druig’s cheek.”

Makkari offered Druig her hand. He took it, squeezing tight, and she led him up to her room. Once the door was shut, she turned to him.

“Can I hug you?”

“I told you, you don’t need to ask.”

“Just making sure.” She hugged him with as much strength as she could muster. He had to know, she had to make sure he knew just how loved he was. “I’m so sorry,” she signed when she pulled back.

“Me, too.” Druig gently reached out to brush a tear off her cheek. “I didn’t mean to scare you.” Makkari hadn’t even realized she was crying.

“I’m not scared. I’m angry.” Makkari pressed the bag of peas to his bruise. “Someone hurt you.”

“I’ll be okay. I’ve…” Makkari didn’t want to think about the implications of his silence. “They’re not usually…it’s not great, but this never happened. He was…I think…”

“We don’t have to talk about it.” Makkari climbed onto her bed, selecting a book from the pile on her nightstand. “Let’s just read.”

Druig crawled in next to her, and Makkari snuggled, as if they were sitting under their tree by the creek. She wondered if this counted as her first sleepover. Ella Enchanted, was the book she’d chosen, about a girl cursed to do whatever anyone told her. It only took a few minutes for her eyes to grow heavy. Her mind began to drift, settling on a thought the made her smile, that she had to share.

“Maybe you really can come live with us now.” She looked up at Druig. He simply smiled and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

“Maybe.” The idea didn’t seem to make him as happy as it made her, but she didn’t dwell on it long before slipping into sleep.

* * *

If Kingo and Thena were surprised by Druig’s appearance at the breakfast table, they didn’t show it. They acted as though it was perfectly normal. Maybe this was a perfectly normal morning for them. It certainly wasn’t for Druig.

For once thing, he’d woken up with a still-sleeping Makkari nestled in his arms. She seemed impossibly small like that, curled into him, one hand tucked under her cheek while the other clutched at his shirt. Last night, she’d promised him that she would keep him safe, but that was all he wanted to do for her. Keep her safe in his arms forever. The feeling was so strong it scared him a little.

Makkari woke up before Druig could decide how to extract himself from the bed. She gave him a sweet, sleepy smile and crawled over him to get out of bed.

“Ajak probably has breakfast ready. Maybe we can do to the park after.” She was halfway to the door when she realized he wasn’t with her, hadn’t even left the bed. “You coming?”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Makkari cocked her head. “For what?”

“For letting me stay last night. I don’t know what…” Druig trailed off as Makkari bounded over to him and kissed his cheek.

“That’s what friends are for.” She took his hand. “Let’s go eat. Aren’t you hungry?”

“Always.”

Breakfast was in fact waiting when they made it downstairs. Druig found himself shirking behind Makkari slightly as Ajak, Kingo, and Thena all turned to look at them.

“Good morning,” Ajak greeted. “There are waffles on the counter. I don’t think they’ve gotten cold yet, but you can use the microwave to reheat them if you need to. And we have orange juice, milk, apple juice. Makkari can show you.” Druig followed Makkari into the kitchen. He felt awkward and out of place, but he pushed past that feeling to make his plate and get a glass of orange juice.

“Thank you,” he mumbled as he sat down to eat.

“Thank you, Druig,” Kingo said as he pored a generous amount of syrup on his waffles. “Ajak only makes breakfast like this on special occasions.”

“I contacted your social worker,” Ajak said softly. “She’ll be here around two to talk about what we can do next.”

“Can we go to the park until then?” Makkari asked.

“I’d prefer you both stay here.” Druig bowed his head. He hadn’t given it much thought last night when he ran and ran, away from that house, to the only person who’d made him feel safe since…

“Have you heard from them?” he asked, his face still hidden and his voice barely more than a whisper. He felt a bit guilty, deliberately excluding Makkari from the conversation. But he didn’t want to cause her any more worry or anger on his behalf. “Are they looking for me?” Ajak was silent for a long moment.

“Your social worker knows where you are and that you’re safe. That’s all that matters.”

“You could help me block for my next movie,” Kingo offered. “It’s about pirates.”

* * *

Blocking for a movie about pirates quickly turned into simply playing pirates. Captain Kingo and his first mate Druig were voyaging across the Indian Ocean to pick up a cargo of rare spices and fine silks. However, a mighty storm had blown them off-course, and they were struggling to navigate back to civilization. Perhaps that was why they hadn’t noticed the ship of the dread pirate Makkari until it was too late.

“Avast!” Kingo called. “Black sails approaching. They be flying the skull and crossbones!”

“Men, to your stations,” Druig commanded their imaginary crew. “We fight to the last! For king and country!”

“Prepare to be boarded!”

“Steady, boys!”

When Makkari leapt onto the bed, brandishing her sword (a bent wire hangar) and a wicked grin, Kingo clutched at his heart, gasping dramatically.

“It’s the dread pirate Makkari! We’re doomed!”

“Pull yourself together, Cap’n! Think of your wife, your boys, your little girl! D’you want to get back to them or no?”

“Abandon all hope!” Makkari said as she advanced steadily on them. “Surrender your cargo and your weapons, and I’ll allow you quarter.”

“But we have no cargo,” Druig insisted. “A storm blew us off-schedule! Check the hold! You’ll find no merchandise, with God as my witness.” Makkari approached him, pressing the tip of her sword under his chin.

“Take me below, then.” She turned him around, digging her sword into his back to encourage him forward. “And no tricks from you,” she added to Kingo as they left the room. They sat down on the top step to wait while Kingo launched into his heroic speech.

“How long are we supposed to give him?” Druig asked.

“Long enough to monologue his plan to defeat me to the audience,” replied the dread pirate Makkari as she twisted so she could hang upside down over the stairs.

“And then what? How’s he gonna defeat you?” Makkari shrugged.

“He likes keeping things from his actors. To get their real reactions.”

“Oh. So what are you and I doing below?”

“I don’t know. We’re not the main characters, are we?” Makkari sat up, trying to look back into the bedroom. “Is he done yet?”

“No, I can still—” Druig stopped, his brow furrowing. “Someone’s knocking at the door.” Makkari turned back around. They could see the foyer from their spot at the top of the stairs. Ajak answered it, but she blocked whoever was on the other side, and with her back to them, Makkari had no idea what she was saying.

Druig did, though. The blood ran from his face, and he crouched slightly. Makkari knew that he and Ajak had been keeping something from her at breakfast. She wasn’t an idiot.

Suddenly, Ajak stumbled to the side, rivaling a bony woman and the boy from Druig’s foster house. At their distance, Makkari could only read her lips in bit and pieces, but she caught the gist.

“…still ours…worried…if Ikaris hadn’t…” The woman caught sight of them. She stepped inside, pointing. “You…ungrateful…no idea…that girl…”

And then, Makkari couldn’t see anymore because Druig had stepped in front of her, his arms spread slightly. Protectively.

“Why is he yelling?” Kingo asked as he emerged from the room.

“He is? What is he saying?”

“He’s talking about you. He’s saying that she shouldn’t speak about you or call you a…” Kingo’s eyes darkened.

“What?”

“She’s saying mean things about you, and Druig’s not having it. Can we leave it at that? Please?”

“She can’t take him back.”

“She won’t. Ajak’s not letting her.” Kingo tapped Druig on the shoulder. Druig looked furious, not to mention very close to tears. Kingo told him something, and he replied, but the boys spoke too fast for Makkari to keep up. Finally, Kingo gestured to her. “It’s scaring her.”

“I’m not scared!” Why did people keep saying that? She tried to push past Druig, itching to give this woman a piece of her mind. But Druig caught her, and he and Kingo together brought her back into the bedroom.

* * *

Makkari did not take well to being half-dragged back to her bedroom, but Druig hadn’t expected her to. What he and Kingo both agreed on was that she didn’t need to see his foster-mom fighting with their. She definitely didn’t need to run down there and join the argument, which was what Druig was really worried about.

“I don’t need you defending me!” she exclaimed once Kingo had shut the door, and Druig released her shoulders. She rounded on him, hands moving so fast, he could barely keep up. “If she said mean things about me, I should—”

“She had no right to bring you into this in the first place,” Druig said. “Running away was my choice. I don’t regret it, but now I have to deal with the consequences.”

“Not by yourself. If you go back out there, I’m going with you.” With that said, Makkari stuck her hands on her hips like a little Wonder Woman. Druig looked to Kingo for some support.

“It’s not your fight, ‘Kari,” he told his foster-sister.

“I said I would keep him safe.”

“Maybe I’d like to keep you safe, too.” This seemed to give Makkari pause. She blinked rapidly, and Druig realized she was fighting tears. And then, she threw her arms around him. He hugged her tight, and there was that little voice in the back of his head. Don’t let go. Don’t let her go.

“Please, stay here.” She was looking up at him, batting those big brown eyes of hers.

“I…” He was saved by a knock on the door. It was Ajak.

“She’s gone.” It was a little embarrassing, the way Druig sagged in relief. “Apparently, it was your foster-brother who guessed you’d come here. But she won’t be back. I threatened to have her husband charged with child abuse.”

“You’re not going to, are you?” Druig asked, his stomach suddenly uneasy. Ajak’s eyes were a little sad as she shook her head.

“Not unless that was something you wanted.”

“I don’t,” Druig muttered. “I don’t ever want to see him again.”

“How is it, by the way?” Druig brushed a finger to the bruise on his cheek. It had turned a sickly shade of yellow, but it didn’t hurt to touch anymore. When they were playing pirates, Kingo had said it was perfect for his character.

“Better.”

“Why don’t you all come downstairs and watch a movie until Druig’s social worker arrives?” Ajak suggested. “I’ll make popcorn.”

“Star Wars, Star Wars!” Kingo immediately started chanting. Makkari nodded but looked to Druig for a final say.

“I’ve never seen any of the movies,” he admitted.

“Never seen it? Star Wars is the industry!” Kingo exclaimed. “It’s what made me want to direct movies! You’re gonna love A New Hope!”

Ten minutes later, they were all on the couch with bowls of popcorn. Even Thena had deigned to emerge from her room to watch, in her words, “Princess Leia be a boss and save Han and Luke’s sorry asses.”

Druig was spellbound as they watched the adventures of a galaxy far, far away. Luke was sweet and brave, Han was cocky and clever, and Leia was strong and resourceful. Druig found himself especially drawn to Leia, who was willing to sacrifice everything, her family, her world, her life for her cause. And even when Luke and Han did save her from termination, she never lost her focus, despite having lost so much. It reminded him of Makkari and the way she was always so optimistic despite whatever must have happened to land her in foster care.

In spite of the two-hour runtime, the credits were rolling far too quickly. Kingo was just suggesting they shift their game of pirates to a more extraterrestrial setting when Ajak appeared at the door with another woman. Druig couldn’t help but gulp at the sight of his
social worker, that familiar feeling of uncertainty choking his gut.

“It’s time, Druig.” He nodded and stood up. In a flash, Makkari was at his side, slipping her hand in his. “I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait while we talk.” For a second, it looked like Makkari would protest. But then, she turned to Druig.

“Tell her you want to stay with us,” she signed. She looked up at Ajak. “Tell her he can stay.”
“I’ll be right back, my beautiful Makkari,” Druig promised. He squeezed her hand, then let her go.

* * *

An eternity seemed to pass before Druig’s meeting with his social worker finally ended. Makkari knew that her foster-siblings’ attempts to keep her distracted were of the best intentions, but she wanted nothing more than to wait right outside Ajak’s office.
And wait she did. It might have been the stillest she ever was or ever would be. She didn’t pray, but she did hope. She hoped that Druig could stay.

When Druig finally did emerge, he didn’t look happy exactly, but he did seem calm. Calmer than she’d ever seen him, actually. His social worker said something to him, then to Ajak, but Makkari didn’t catch it. All her focus was on Druig. Why wouldn’t he look at her?

When Thena stepped forward, Makkari finally tore her gaze away.

“…in charge while I’m gone,” Ajak was telling her older foster-daughter. “Keep them out of trouble.”

“Where are you going?” Makkari asked.

“Ms. Pagett and I are going to pay a visit to Druig’s foster-house to collect his belongings.”

“So he can stay?”

“He’s not going back,” Ajak replied. She glanced at Druig. “He’ll tell you when he’s ready.”

“Can we go to the park now?” Druig asked.

“Only if all of you agree,” Ajak said before leaving with the social worker. Thena was already nodding, and she went to tell Kingo. Makkari wanted to scream for someone to tell her what was going on. She wasn’t too young to understand. She could handle whatever it was.

But then, Druig was taking her hand and leading her outside. Thena and Kingo were behind them. The four of them walked in silence to the park. They all slipped under the fence. Thena eyed the rope swing, seeming somewhat impressed. Kingo was quick to call first turn. But Druig brought her to their tree and sat down.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Makkari guessed. It wasn’t hard. He wouldn’t have brought her here if he was staying.

“I am.” Druig took a deep breath. “My mother…I’ve only been on my own for a few months. I have a grandmother and an aunt who want to take me in. But when, when everything happened, they weren’t ready. They couldn’t support me, too. So I’ve been in the foster system. But now, it looks like, like I can finally go to them. So that’s what’s happening.”

“You never thought you would stay,” Makkari realized. “You’ve had a forever home this whole time.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“No, don’t apologize.” Makkari took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears from coming. “I’m happy for you, I really am. You’re very lucky.”

“You are, too, you know. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ajak adopted you soon.” Makkari nodded. “I am going to miss you. So much. During all these month, you’re about the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“You, too.”

“It’s going to be okay,” Druig said. He gave her a small, slightly watery smile. “I won’t ever forget you.”

“Me neither.” Makkari took a deep breath, swiping at the tears before they could fall. “I’ll find you.” She moved closer, pressing her forehead to his. “When we grow up, I’ll find you.”

“I’ll be waiting.” He gently gathered her into his arms for a hug. A small, selfish part of her wondered if he wouldn’t have to go if she just held on tight enough.

“Are you leaving today?”

“I am. Just as soon as Ms. Pagett gets my things.”

“I’m really happy you don’t have to go back there.”

“Me, too.”

Makkari would be brave. She had to be brave. She wasn’t about to ruin this for Druig. He got to go back to his family. That was good, even if it did mean she would lose him. She would be brave.

Before long, they were walking back to Ajak’s house. Druig still held her hand tightly. His social worker was waiting. Makkari tried not to panic, but it seemed to be happening all at once, much too fast. Druig crushed her to his chest before she could start crying for another (not one last) hug. Makkari kissed his cheek (not one last time).

“Thank you, my beautiful Makkari,” he said. “For everything.”

Ajak gently pulled her away, and they watched Druig get into the car. Makkari wondered if her foster-mother was trying to keep her from running after him as she placed a hand on her shoulder. The car door closed, and they drove away.

Only then did Makkari allowed herself to break.

She ran inside and up to her bedroom. She buried her face into her pillow and screamed. And then, she cried and cried until she had nothing left.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Thena.

“I miss him,” Makkari signed weakly. “I’m going to miss him so much.”

“I know.” Thena slid onto the bed and pulled her close. Makkari reached up, threading her fingers through Thena’s long, golden hair. Usually her foster-sister hated this, but she seemed to be making an exception.

“Can I come in, too?” Makkari sat up slightly to watch Kingo sign from the doorway. She nodded, and he climbed over both of them to her other side, sandwiching Makkari between him and Thena. “You’re gonna be okay, little ‘Kari. He’ll be okay, too. And you still have us, you know.”

“I know.”

Makkari took a deep breath. She was still lucky. Lucky to have a family that loved her and comforted her when she needed it. Lucky to have had a friend like Druig, for however short a time. And maybe, someday, she really would be lucky enough to find him again.

Chapter Text

Nine Years Later

Makkari pulled back the corner of the window curtain, careful not to let any sunlight through that might wake Ajak. Not that there was much sunlight at five-thirty in the morning. She placed a hand against the chilly glass as she scanned the dawn sky. She’d forgotten last night because she and Ajak had arrived at their hotel later than they’d hoped, and Makkari had been so tired she’d gone straight to bed. But maybe, it wasn’t too late and…

There. A sliver of moon, transparent in the early light, smiled down on her. Makkari smiled back.

“Good morning,” she signed. “I’m glad I caught you. Send my love.”

Maybe it was a silly thing to keep going after all these years. But Makkari loved the idea that two people could be thousands of miles apart but still look to the sky at the same time and see the same moon. And maybe the moon would take pity on her and keep him safe where she couldn’t…

Enough of that. She still had a run to get in before orientation started at seven.

Makkari silently got dressed and ate a granola bar. She slipped one of the room keys in her pocket and jotted a quick note for Ajak in case she woke up before she returned. Then, she pressed a quick kiss to Ajak’s cheek and headed out.

The morning was cool, perfect for running. Makkari figured she’d just do a few laps around the block so she didn’t risk getting lost. The route took her past a sprawling green she recalled from the college brochures. Students used it for all sorts of activities, from studying to club events. It was mostly empty now, but Makkari could see the appeal.

After five laps, she slowed to a walk to cool down. As she consulted her smart watch to determine her time and distance, she noticed a few lone figures crossing the green. They were headed towards a building that Makkari recognized as where she would be starting her orientation. Maybe they were orientation leaders.

She reached the hotel once more and headed up to shower. By the time she was out, Ajak was up brewing coffee.

“Excited for today?” she asked.

“Very.”

“I’m very proud of you, you know.”

“You’ve said that fifty times since I applied in October!” Ajak just smiled.

“Because it’s true. I hope you’re proud of yourself. What you’ve accomplish, what you intend to do, it’s pretty amazing.” Makkari reached for her hand as Ajak’s eyes started to well. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know, you said no crying.”

“This is your third time doing this. Aren’t you over it?” Makkari teased.

“I will never be over how remarkable my children are.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Ajak leaned over to kiss her forehead. Even after she’d adopted Makkari eight years ago, “Mom” was mostly reserved for teasing or very special occasions. Now, it was said with the utmost sincerity.

* * *

Druig cursed his roommate as he entered the dining hall. How the hell Phastos had talked him into signing up to be an orientation leader, he had no idea. He vaguely recalled something about it looking good on a resume, but honestly, no resume entry was worth being awake this early in the morning. In summer. Oh, he was going to kill Phastos.

“Morning, Druig!” Speak of the devil. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’d like to wring your neck for one,” Druig muttered. Phastos just rolled his eyes. After a year of living in close quarters, Phastos had learned how to, if not appreciate Druig’s humor, endure it.

“We should get some food in you, ASAP. We don’t want you scaring away the freshmen.” Oh, right, free food.

“How are you so…” Druig waved his hand vaguely as Phastos guided him to a table laid with baked goods and fruit and, most importantly, coffee.

“Guess I’m just a morning person.” Druig frowned. As he made his plate, he caught sight of the OL in charge, Ben. Now that was a better explanation that the “morning person” crap.

“You ask him out yet?” Druig asked around a mouthful of croissant when he caught Phastos staring at the cute upperclassman.

“What?” His voice went up nearly a whole octave. “No! I mean, I’m not, I don’t…” Phastos groaned and shoved Druig. “If only you had the emotional capacity to have feelings for someone so I could give you a taste of your own medicine.”

“Sadly, I am, in fact, a robot,” Druig deadpanned.

“Gather ‘round,” Ben called. Phastos all but snapped to attention. Even Druig could admit it was kind of cute, especially when Ben looked over them all and looked away quickly when he met Phastos’ gaze. “Here are your groups for the day. If you need to review your talking points, now is the time. I’m here if you have any questions.”

“You should go ask him a question,” Druig told Phastos as they got their lists of names.

“But I know everything.”

“Make something up.”

“Ah yes, acting stupid to win a guy’s attention. The oldest trick in the book.” Druig rolled his eyes.

“Stop pining. Talk to him.”

“Fine. But only because you’re talking with your mouth full and it’s grossing me out.” Druig smirked as Phastos headed over to Ben. He found a place to finish his breakfast and start looking over his list. Group seven. He was terrible with names, he probably wouldn’t—

No.

No fucking way.

Second from the bottom. Makkari Veron. Could it be?

“Okay, places everyone!” Ben called.

Half in a daze, Druig went to stand under the number seven that had been taped to the wall to wait out the next fifteen minutes. In the next room, the new students were sitting through the opening presentation with Ben and a few other OL’s. Druig could recite it in his sleep, having watched Phastos practice countless times. He did so now as a way of counting down the seconds. The sound of applause. Doors opening. And then…

She was the first one through the door. Of course she was. Her eyes scanned the room before falling on him and his number. She’d crossed half the distance when she stopped suddenly, her mouth falling into a surprised “O”.

And then, she smiled shyly. It was the most beautiful thing Druig had ever seen. He supposed he could expect no less from his beautiful Makkari.

* * *

“You?” Makkari signed as she drew near.

“Me,” Druig (Druig, Druig, Druig!) replied.

With no hesitation, she threw her arms around his neck. He stumbled back a few steps, his hands landing on her waist to steady her. Her heart skipped a beat. He had a good few inches on her now that she could bury her face in his shoulder. When she pulled away, she offered him a slight smirk.

“Told you I’d find you.”

“I can’t believe…” He trailed off, coming to the same realization she was: a dining hall quickly filling with people was probably not the best place to have this reunion. “Later,” he promised her. She nodded fervently. A small smile tugged as his lips at he gave her a wink and signed, “My beautiful Makkari.” She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to blush.

Druig took a step back to address the whole group.

“Welcome to your orientation! We’ll be starting with what is affectionately known around here as The Loop, so, if you’ll follow me.” He signed as he spoke, and Makkari wondered if he’d been given her group specifically because of his knowledge of ASL.

“I love your accent,” gushed a pretty brunette who quickly fell in step with Druig. Makkari’s gaze narrowed. She hadn’t known Druig had an accent. “Irish, right?”

“Yeah. I sort of bounced back and forth for a while. It’s where my mother’s family is from. But I wanted to come back to America for college.” Makkari blinked. When Druig had gone to live with his grandmother, had he gone all the way to Ireland?

“That’s so cool,” the girl said. Druig looked slightly uncomfortable, and Makkari resisted the urge to step in and slip her hand into his. Would it be as easy as when they were nine and ten? “And was that sign language before?”

“It was.” Druig didn’t say any more than that, and Makkari found herself somewhat grateful. He turned, walking backwards so he could talk to all of them and sign to her. His smile seemed slightly forced, until his eyes fell on her. “Why don’t we go through names and majors? Remember, it’s never too early to start networking.”

* * *

Druig hadn’t spent the past nine years pining for Makkari. In spite of that wonderful summer in their childhood, he’d come to terms with the fact that he’d probably never see her again. And yet, he wasn’t surprised in the least to find himself falling hopelessly, irrevocably in love with Makkari. A part of him wondered if he’d been in love with her since he was ten or if it had just happened. He was pretty sure it was the latter.

She was like being bathed in sunlight. She was energetic and genuinely excited to be there. And, of course, she was still beautiful, though Druig didn’t think a single use of the word did her justice anymore. He had to keep reminding himself that Makkari wasn’t the only one in her group, that there were a dozen other freshman who deserved his attention as well.

But she was there, and the thought kept taking his breath away.

Around noon, their group dispersed so students could meet with their advisors and register for classes. Makkari caught his arm, and her touch made his heart stutter.

“Will you wait for me?” she asked. “There’s so much I want to tell you.”

“Me too.” He’d already waited nine years, another forty minutes would be nothing. “Meet back here?”

“Yes.” Makkari lifted her chin with a mischievous half-smile she’d perfected since he’d last seen it. “You got tall. And your hair’s longer.” She leaned forward a little, just barely edging into his personal space. “I like it.” And with that, she sprinted off.

Druig watched her for a moment, unable to help but admire her form flying across the green. He was so lost in thought he started slightly when he felt a clap on his back.

“So? How was it?” Phastos asked. “Not so bad as all that, right?”

“No. Not bad at all.” Druig started to walk away. “I gotta go. Gotta grab something.”

“Hold on now.” Phastos’ gaze narrowed. “What’s up with you? You look…”

“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Druig took off before Phastos could make the connection.

As an international student, Druig got to stay in his dorm over the summer, so even after his trip to Ireland in June to visit his family, all of his things were still exactly as he’d left them. Once he’d retrieved a certain item from the bottom of his desk drawer and tucked it in his jacket, he hurried back to the green. Not long after he returned, Makkari returned as well with Ajak in tow.

“Look who I found!” she was signing excitedly.

“Hello, ma’am,” Druig said awkwardly. “I’m not sure if you remem—”

“Druig.” Ajak wrapped him in a hug. “I’m so glad to see you.” She cupped his face to look him over. “Look at how you’ve grown. Very handsome, wouldn’t you say, Makkari?” Druig bowed his head, blushing, but he looked up in time to see Makkari redden as well.

“Ajak, would it be all right if Druig joined us for lunch?”

“How about you two go on without me,” Ajak suggested, a sly glint in her eye.

“I don’t want to interfere with you plans,” Druig said hurriedly.

“I don’t want to leave you alone,” Makkari added.

“It’s fine, really,” Ajak insisted. “The hotel has a cafe, I’ll get something from there. You kids have fun.” With that, she turned to head back to the hotel. Druig stood frozen for an instant. Was this really happening? Makkari lightly nudged his shoulder.

“You know a place or what?”

“Yeah. Follow me, Makkari.”

* * *

Druig’s place was the coffee shop in the campus bookstore.

“My treat,” he quickly insisted.

“I’ll just have to pay you back at some point this semester.” Makkari figured out what she wanted quickly, then watched Druig contemplate the menu out of the corner of her eye. He kept reaching up to his jacket, fidgeting with something. “What do you have?”

“Oh, this?” He pulled whatever it was out, but quickly lifted it over his head before she could get a good look. She reached, but he just held it higher, laughing.

“You’re ridiculous,” she signed with a huff.

“Sorry. It’s fun being this much taller than you.” Makkari rolled her eyes and held out her hand expectantly. Druig placed a book in her hand. She stared for a moment, then looked back at him.

“This is The Woman Who Rides Like a Man.”

“That time you took me to the library? You were waiting on it.” Makkari flipped through the book to find well-worn pages, even a few notes in the margins. “I read the series after at my library, but this one was my favorite, so I bought my own copy. It’s kind of my good luck charm now.”

“You really liked them?”

“Of course. You shouldn’t be surprised, you have excellent taste in literature.”

They reached the front of the line. Druig placed their order, and once they had everything, led her her back through the campus.

“I know it doesn’t compare to you kingdom,” he said, signing awkwardly with his hands full, “but this is where I come to get away.” He’d brought her to a small garden. Crepe myrtles lined the boarders and bushes of jasmine surrounded the benches. A fountain burbled in the center, bearing a plaque that dedicated this garden to some alumni or other.

“It’s beautiful,” Makkari said. They ate in silence, basking in the sun and in one another’s presence. “I still can’t believe this is happening,” she signed before going to throw her bag and cup away. She crossed to the fountain, folding her arms over her chest.

“Are you okay?” Druig asked as he joined her.

“I don’t think I realized just how much I missed you until now,” she replied slowly. “You were my first real friend, Druig. I found you all by myself, and by some miracle, you knew how to sign, and we spent that perfect summer together, but then you were just gone. I promised I’d find you, but it shouldn’t have taken this long. I’m sorry I didn’t try sooner or harder or—”

“Hey, you were nine when you made that promise.” Druig looked at her intently. “You got me through that night, you realize? If I didn’t have you to go to, I don’t know what I would have done. You did more for me back then than a lot of people have done my entire life.”

“I’m so sorry that ever happened to you.”

“I made it through. That’s what’s important. I graduated high school, and I got to come here. I like it here, I really do. My classes are good. I have my roommate who I’m kind of friends with. And now you’re here, and…” Makkari couldn’t help it. All the emotions that had been building up since she saw Druig came crashing down. “Oh, please, don’t cry. Don’t cry, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“What did you say?” she asked, certain she’d read his lips wrong. But his entire focus was on her. He looked like he’d been shown the face of God.

“May I kiss you?”

“Yes.”

He gently cradled her cheek, tilting her face up to his. She let her eyes, still wet with tears, flutter close. And then…

It was like sunshine on those summer afternoons. Like swinging in their rope swing, high into the sky. At his touch, her heart slowed and a sense of peace settled over her. She remembered when she’d pressed her lips to his cheek the day he’d said good bye, and now, her lips were pressed to his, and he was pulling her closer, and why couldn’t she stop crying?

“Good?” Druig asked uncertainly. He reached up to thumb away the tears trailing down her cheek. “Please don’t cry.” Makkari started laughing.

“I’m sorry! These are happy tears now, I promise. And it was good. Really good. Thank you.” She made a face as soon as her hand left her chin. Druig grinned and gave her an exaggerated bow.

“You’re most welcome, Makkari.” He slowly started to reach for her hand. The calm Makkari had felt vanished, and she shied away. “I’m sorry, I—”

“No, I’m sorry.” Makkari wrapped her arms around herself again, trying to compose herself, to sort through her emotions, to figure out how to say this. “I…really liked the kiss. And I think I really like you, too. But I don’t think that right now is the best time for me to…”

“No, of course!” Druig took a step back, giving her space. “You have your first semester of college to get through. That should absolutely be your primary focus. You don’t need to be distracted by a new relationship.” Makkari sighed in relief.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. And even if we have known each other for a while, we don’t really know each other anymore, do we?”

“No.”

“So just friends for now?”

“Absolutely. And maybe, in a few months…?” His hopeful expression reminded her of the boy he’d been.

“We can revisit…us. Deal?”

“Deal.” Makkari smiled, her shoulders sagging slightly.

“Hug?”

“You still don’t need to ask.” He pulled her into his arms, holding her so close, she wondered if he ever intended to let her go. But then he did, pulling back with a slight smirk. “I do have one question.” He reached for her hand again, and this time, Makkari nodded for him to take it. “Would you be comfortable with me flirting with you?”

“I…think so?”

“You can tell me to stop, or if you don’t like something,” he promised. “I’d just like to tell you how wonderful and beautiful you are whenever I see you.” Makkari flushed.

“Okay.”

Druig raised her hand to his lips where he brushed the lightest of kisses to her knuckles. Makkari felt her heart stutter as he looked up at her through his lashes, head still bowed over her hand.

“Thank you, m’darlin’.” It took a moment for Makkari to remember how to breath. “Shall I walk you back to your hotel?”

“Yes, please.” As Druig released her hand, and they fell in step, Makkari suddenly started to laugh. Druig gave her a questioning look. “I’m sorry. That was just probably the smoothest line anyone’s ever used on me, and it came from the little boy who…”

“Oh, honey, that wasn’t a line.” Druig bumped her playfully. “I meant every word.”

“You’ll have to do better than pretty words, pretty boy.”

“I’m sorry, were you not just rendered speechless? I’m fairly certain I just rendered you speechless.” Makkari rolled her eyes.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You won a battle, not the war.”

“Shall I retreat to plot my next attack? Perhaps this time, I’ll win your heart.”

“I think that’s enough flirting out of you today. Let’s talk about something else.”

“What?”

“Anything you want.”

* * *

Druig returned to his dorm smiling. He almost didn’t notice that Phastos was there, sitting at the desk.

“Alright, who’s the girl?” Phastos asked.

“What girl?”

“‘What girl’, he says.” Phastos scoffed. “The one you were spotted walking around with, staring at like she hung the moon and stars in the sky?”

“Spotted by who?”

“Me and Ben.”

“Oh, what were you doing with Ben?”

“Don’t you try and change the subject. Who was the girl?”

“Her name’s Makkari. I knew her when we were kids.” Phastos was practically gaping at him. “What?”

“You have a crush on her! You, Druig, have a crush on another human being!” Druig smirked slightly.

“You’re wrong about that one, Phastos. I don’t have a crush on her.” Phastos opened his mouth to protest, but Druig held up a hand. “I’m head-over-heels in love with her.” He leaned back on his bed, his smirk growing at his roommate’s flabbergasted expression. “I’m actually already planning our wedding.” Okay, so that wasn’t entirely true, but it got the desired reaction from Phastos. Though, come to think of it, Makkari would look breathtaking in white…

“You continue to astonish me.”

“I’m just full of surprises.”

Chapter Text

Makkari was arranging her photos on her desk when her roommate tapped her on the shoulder. Sersi seemed to be the embodiment of sweetness, and Makkari had been relieved when they’d immediately hit it off. Her signing was a work in progress, likely the product of a crash course of ASL over the summer when she’d learned her roommate was deaf. But she read signs well enough, and Makkari appreciated the effort.

“There’s someone here to see you.” Sersi raised her brows suggestively. “He’s really cute.” Makkari smirked.

“Thank you,” she signed and got up to go to the door. Her eyes widened slightly to find Druig waiting with a bouquet of flowers.

“You’re here.”

“Were you expecting someone else?” She leaned against the doorframe. “So sorry to disappoint.”

“Yes, what a disappointment to open the door and find the most beautiful woman in the world on the other side.” Makkari rolled her eyes. “For you.” Druig offered the bouquet.

“I didn’t think you were so old-fashioned,” Makkari signed, cradling the flowers in one arm. Druig shrugged.

“It’s worked for the past seven millennia of human history. And they’re really more for decorating purposes than courting.” Makkari bit back a smile.

“Do you want to come in? Meet my roommate? Not stand awkwardly in the hallway?”

“If you insist.” Makkari turned to the side so Druig could step through the door. After pushing the door shut, she turned to find him hovering just in her orbit. “I was terrified I’d dreamt it.”

“After we spent the whole last month texting?”

“Maybe it was all just a figment of my imagination.”

“I’m real.” As if to prove it, Makkari gently bumped her forehead to Druig’s.

“So you are.” He ever so gently brushed a loose curl behind her ear. She quickly ducked under his arm so he wouldn’t see her blush. Sersi had sat down on her bed where she seemed extremely captivated by whatever was on her phone and most definitely not paying attention to what was going on by the door. Makkari gave her a light tap.

“Sersi, this is my friend, Druig. Druig, this is my roommate, Sersi.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Sersi said. Her eyes darted from Druig to the bouquet Makkari held, and a smirk crossed her face. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Have you now?” Druig asked, his smile widening. Heat rushed to Makkari’s cheeks. She was quite certain she had not once mentioned Druig to Sersi.

“You’re going to give him a big head, Sersi,” she scolded. Her roommate just chuckled and shrugged. “Do not make me regret introducing you.”

“Are you dating?” Sersi asked.

“No. I’m still in the process of wooing her.”

“Oh, I can help with that! I’m kind of a sap for romance.” Makkari threw her hands up in the air.

“You did it. I regret introducing you.”

“I might just take you up on that, Sersi.” The two exchanged conspiring nods. “It was a pleasure to meet you, now if you’ll give me just one minute with the beautiful Makkari, I’ll be on my way.”

“You two take your time.” Sersi returned to her phone. Druig chuckled as he took Makkari’s hand to pull her back to the door for some relative privacy.

“You think you can spare some time this week to get lunch with me?” he asked. “Not as a date. Just…two friends. Getting lunch. Like friends.”

“You’re clearly going to need all the help Sersi can give you,” Makkari teased. “Would Tuesday work? I get out of classes at one.”

“Tuesday is perfect.” Druig plucked a flower from the bouquet she still held and tucked it behind her ear. “Just like you. See you then, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“Get your romantic ass out of here.” She playfully pushed him out the door, and he swept a bow before she shut it. She turned to find Sersi waiting with a huge smile.

“I want details immediately,” she said, patting the space on the bed next to her. “How do you know each other? Why aren’t you dating him? Are you aware he adores you?” Makkari laughed nervously and sat down.

“He doesn’t adore me.”

“Oh, honey, if that’s not adoration…” Sersi shook her head. “Tell me everything.”

“We knew each other when we were kids. We spent a summer attached at the hip, and then he moved away. And then at orientation, he just so happened to be my group’s leader. It was a complete surprise. We talked, and he kissed me, and even though it was really, really amazing, I’m not ready to be in a relationship. He said he’d wait.”

“Are you joking?” Sersi’s eyes were shining. “That’s like, Romeo and Juliet level romance!”

“I should hope not. They both die.” Sersi nudged her.

“You know what I mean.” Her gaze fell on the flower tucked in Makkari’s hair. “But you do want to be with him eventually?”

“Eventually, yes. I just want to figure out who I am by myself at college first, you know what I mean?”

“I get it. Relationships are a huge emotional commitment. You’re very smart for not rushing into anything.” Sersi’s grin became mischievous. “I’ll be rooting for you two, though. Your chemistry alone is just…mind-blowing.” Makkari laughed.

“I’m sure Druig’ll be pleased to hear it."

* * *

“Tell me something,” Druig said as he and Makkari stood in line at the campus food court.

“What?”

“Anything. Tell me…what you want to do when you graduate. You said you’re majoring in anthropology. What do you want to do with it?”

“I’d like to teach,” Makkari replied. “Teach and keep learning myself. Once I have my bachelors, I’d like to look into a masters, and then maybe even a doctorate. I’d like to do some field research, go to dig sites around the world. And…” She trailed off as she noticed the look Druig was giving her. “What?”

“I just…didn’t realize I was talking to the future Dr. Makkari Veron.” Makkari fixed her attention firmly on the overhead menus, but not before Druig saw her smile. “You ready? We’re next.”

“Yeah.” Druig started rummaging for his wallet, and Makkari quickly smacked his hand. “Hey, this one’s on me, remember?”

“Fine.” They ordered and went to wait. “You don’t owe me, you know, for last time. That’s not how…”

“I know.” She nudged him. “I’m not trying to keep us even or anything. I just want to. Because we’re all broke college students.” Druig smirked. “So what about you? I don’t think you’ve told me what you’re majoring in.”

“Oh, um…” He fidgeted with his jacket zipper. “Actually, I—”

“Order 38!”

“They just called us. Find us a place on the Green?” Makkari nodded, and Druig went back to the counter. Once he had the bags, he headed outside. Makkari had found a lovely, sunny patch and was spreading her sweatshirt down on the grass. Druig smirked as he shrugged off his own jacket to add to their makeshift picnic blanket.

“You never answered,” Makkari said once she’d gotten in a few bites of her sandwich. “What’s your major?”

“I actually haven’t picked one yet,” Druig replied. “I know I’d like to do something with the human psyche, but what exactly, I just…” He shrugged. “I still have another semester before I have to choose. I know compared to you and your plan—”

“Hey, don’t say that. I think it’s really cool that you’re…testing the waters. And as for my plan, I don’t really think of it like that. I’m not going to be disappointed in myself if something doesn’t pan out. Things happen. Life happens.” She leaned forward conspiratorially. “There’s a part of me hoping to qualify for the Olympics in the next year or two.”

“The Olympics,” Druig breathed. “Damn. You’re that fast?” Makkari lifted her chin.

“Want me to prove it?”

“That’s all right. Are you running cross country this season?” She nodded. “Maybe I’ll just come to one of your meets.”

“Maybe I’d like that.”

“Maybe that’s why I’d do it.”

“Maybe—”

“Druig!” He looked up and spotted Phastos heading towards them. Druig groaned, already shooting Makkari an apologetic look. “I wanted to ask— oh, who’s this?”

“Phastos, this is Makkari. Makkari, my roommate Phastos.” Makkari gave him a smile and waved. Phastos waved back, then gave Druig a look.

“She’s the—?”

“Yes, yes she is. What do you want?”

“Oh, just to tell you that we’re trying to organize the OL interest meeting. We need dates you can be available.”

“Could we do this later?” Druig asked through gritted teeth. “I’m kind of in the middle of something here.” Phastos raised a brow.

“What are you planning?” Makkari asked.

“It’s an interest meeting for new Orientation Leaders,” Phastos signed, and Makkari lit up. “It’ll probably be in two or three weeks. You should come. You wouldn’t have to commit to anything, but you’d learn about the application process and the perks, you can meet new people, and there’ll be free food.”

“Beware offers of free food,” Druig grumbled. “That’s how they get you.” Makkari laughed.

“It sounds like fun!” she said. “I’ll come.”

“Great.”

“Bye, Phastos,” Druig said, not caring that he wasn’t being subtle. Phastos tilted his head towards Makkari and gave him a thumbs up.

“See you later. It was nice to meet you, Makkari.”

“He seems nice,” Makkari said. “And he knows how to sign!”

“Phastos is kind of a genius.” Druig didn’t mind paying the compliment now that his roommate was out of earshot. “He was probably bored one summer and learned ASL for the fun of it.”

“I’m glad he did.” Makkari’s gaze became slightly unfocused. “It can be…hard.”

“Yeah, I meant to ask you today, how are you doing? I know the first few weeks of college can be a lot. And for you…”

“I’m fine. Accessibility is…decent. I’ve certainly had worse. The people there are nice, but you know. They can’t give me what they don’t have.”

“Do you miss home?” Makkari worried her lip for a brief moment, then smiled brightly, if a bit forced.

“I’m too busy to miss home. I’m fine.” Druig gave her a doubtful look. “Really.”

“You’d tell me, right? If something was wrong? Or, not even me, you’d tell someone. Right?”

“Sure.”

“Makkari.” She rolled her eyes and moved closer to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. But yes, I’d tell someone.”

“Promise.”

“Druig…”

“Promise me.”

“I promise.” Druig exhaled slowly. He knew that feeling, like the world was caving in, and there was no way to stop it, and no one to turn to. The last thing he wanted was for Makkari to ever feel that.

“I care about you. No matter what happens, I care.”

“I know. Thank you.” She looked up at him, her chin digging slightly into his shoulder. “I care about you, too.” Druig sighed again and leaned back on his arms to look up at the sky. It was nice, sitting like this with Makkari.

“Would you be at that interest meeting? That Phastos was talking about? Since you’re already an orientation leader, I mean.”

“Yeah.” He brought his hand back in front of him to sign. “He and Ben, they’re kind of the two in charge this year, they’ll want us there to charm the newbies.”

“And are you good at that?” Makkari asked, a smirk pulling at her lips. “Charming?” Druig chuckled and leaned closer to her so their noses were just a few centimeters apart.

“I was hoping you’d tell me.” Makkari laughed and jokingly pushed him away. “I’m taking that as a yes.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“It’s growing on you.” He found her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “I’ll worm my way into your heart yet.”

* * *

“You have your calculus class in the building same that I’m about to go to, right?” Makkari asked Sersi as she slid her laptop and books into her bag. “And I think we get out around the same time. Do you want to meet when we’re both done? Get some dinner?”

“That sound lovely, but I’m rushing sororities, and the first round is tonight,” Sersi said. “But next time, absolutely.”

“Okay. I’ll see you later then. Have fun!”

“Thanks!”

Makkari left the dorm building and headed through campus. This was her only evening class, and, thankfully, it was only an hour long. It was in one of the older buildings on campus, and the first time Makkari had gone in, she’d thought she’d been transported to another time. Between the beautiful staircase and the murals on the ceiling, it was downright magical. This building also had an art gallery, and a new student exhibition had just opened. She’d left a little early just so she could take a look.

She held her breath slightly as she entered the building. It had that slightly musty scent that came with many old buildings, but Makkari loved it. She rested one hand on the staircase bannister as she ascended, feeling just a bit like a princess. The gallery was empty. Golden evening light streamed in through the stained glass windows, casting colored patches on the floor. Makkari had just found the plaque detailing the exhibition when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Makkari grinned at the sight of Druig. “What brings you to the gallery?”

“I heard about the exhibition. I wanted to see.” She started walking down the wall, looking at the paintings. “I have a class two floors up in a few minutes, so I figured now was as a good a time as any. And what about you? Are you secretly an art connoisseur?”

“No. I just like wandering the older buildings. They feel…”

“I know.” Makkari inhaled deeply. “I love this building. I’m so glad I get to come here three times a week.”

“You like the staircase?”

“I’m obsessed with the staircase. The eight-year-old in me wants to put on a ballgown and just walk up and down it for hours.”

“I’d bet you’d look great in a ballgown.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“I really would.” Makkari bit her lip, noting Druig’s completely serious expression. She turned her attention back to the painting, though she kept looking at him out of the corner of her eye. “Ben has a piece in here.”

“Phastos’ crush?”

“He finally asked him out.”

“No way!”

“I only had to frog-march him to the bookstore where Ben works, but yeah. It finally happened.”

“And he did say yes, right?”

“Of course he did. He’d be insane to not want to go out with Phastos.” Makkari grinned and nudged him.

“You’re so sweet.”

“Don’t tell him.” Druig gently took her arm. “Here, that’s the piece.” He brought her to a pedestal in the corner where a beautiful ceramic bowl sat. There were beautiful, intricate carvings Makkari knew she’d never have the patience for.

“He’s very talented.” Makkari was fighting the urge to look at Druig. She needed a proper excuse. “‘Beauty is truth.’”

“What?” Those ice blue eyes fell on her, warming her just as he fingers were warm on her arm.

“It’s from a poem we’re analyzing in my literature class, ‘An Ode on a Grecian Urn’. ‘When old age shall this generation waste, thous shalt remain, in midst of other woe than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty,”— that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need know.’” She gave her hands a little shake.

“That’s lovely.”

“It means that art is timeless. Even after we’re gone, this may still be here. It has an everlasting truth that makes it beautiful.” At least, Makkari was pretty sure that’s what those lines meant. John Keats wasn’t the easiest to read.

“Beautiful,” Druig echoed, but Makkari didn’t think he was walking about the poem or the art. Was it just her imagination, or was he moving closer? His hand was sliding down her arm, entwining his fingers with hers.

For a brief moment, Makkari was certain he was going to kiss her. And in that moment, she was certain she would not stop him. She was certain that she wanted it.

And then, he jerked back suddenly, his eyes widening. The moment ended.

“Shit,” Druig cursed. Makkari’s sentiments exactly. “The bell. It just struck the top of the hour. Your class probably just started.” Makkari checked her watch. He was right. Shit. “I’m sorry, I’ve made you late.”

“Don’t be. The professor hasn’t started class on time once so far.” She didn’t want to go. “This was really nice.”

“It was.” Druig gave her a gentle smile before leaning in to press an even gentler kiss to her cheek. “We should do it again You can tell me more about that urn.”

“Okay.” Her heart was racing. “Bye.” She sprinted out of the room and up the stairs to her class. As she hoped, the professor was still figuring out how to project his presentation. Her interpreter gave her a questioning look.

“Got held up,” Makkari told her as she slid into her seat.

“Did you sprint up the stairs?”

“Yes.” That was definitely the only reason she was out of breath.

It was time to focus. Focus on the slides, focus on her interpreter, don’t think about Druig. Don’t think about his gorgeous eyes or his smile or the feel of his lips on her skin or that one freckle next to his left eye…

Come on, Makkari!

* * *

Druig pushed through the people that were crowding around the finish line, trying to get to Sersi. She was waving for him frantically, continuously looking over her shoulder for the runners that should be arriving any minute now.

“You’re late,” she chided.

“I know.” Druig held his hands up. “I had this thing I had to help Phastos with, and I tried to text Makkari, but I guess she’d already started by the time I did.”

“At least you get to see her finish.” Sersi pulled out her phone to check the stopwatch. “It’s been about fourteen minutes, and Makkari told me she usually comes it at around sixteen or so.”

“Her PR is fifteen-thirty-five-point-six,” Druig recited. “The qualifying time for the Olympics is fifteen-ten.” Sersi gave him a side glance.

“I see you’ve done your homework.”

“Makkari talks about it a lot.”

“Of course.” Sersi checked the time on her phone again. As she did, a text banner came down across the top of her screen. “It’s my boyfriend,” she said. “He wants me to call him. Give me one second, I’ll tell him it’s a bad time.”

“Alright.” Sersi ducked away from the noisy crowd, and Druig returned his focus to the cluster of trees where the runners should be emerging from.

And then he saw her. If she was out of breath, Druig couldn’t tell. There were a few other girls around her, but Makkari was definitely in the lead. As they neared the finish line, they began to sprint. Makkari flew. There was no other way to put it. Her feet barely touched the ground as she raced for the finish. Gradually, the distance between her and the others grew until she could have walked the last few meters and still have won. As she crossed the finish line, Druig couldn’t help but cheer. He made his way through the crowd.

“Makkari!” He waved his arms, trying to catch her attention. As she spotted him, a wide grin spread across her face.

“You made it!” she signed as they reached each other

“I know, I’m sorry I couldn’t see you start. But you were amazing just now!”

“Thank you. I’d give you a hug, but I just ran five thousand meters, and I’m kind of disgusting, so—”

Druig laughed and wrapped his arms around her. Maybe she was a sweaty mess, he didn’t particularly care. He’d take any chance he could to hug her.

“‘Kari!” Sersi pushed towards them. “Hi! I’m sorry, my boyfriend called. But well done! Do you wanna go get your time?”

“Yes!” Makkari’s running bib had a microchip that recorded exactly when she crossed the finish line. Already, the runners were crowded around the table where the moderators were taking notes of their times off of a computer. Makkari’s teammates congratulated her on her win, and Druig couldn’t help but love the way she flushed from the praise.

“Sixteen-oh-one-point-five,” the moderator reported, and Druig translated. “Well done.” Makkari nodded, and headed to the side of the track to grab her things.

“Hey, what’s with the face?” Druig asked.

“Face? There’s no face. This is my face.”

“And as beautiful as it is, there’s something wrong.” Makkari looked to Sersi who shrugged.

“He’s right. You’ve got that look like when you realized you didn’t turn in your calculus homework on time.”

“I just…I was hoping to PR. But I’ve been distracted lately, and my head wasn’t in it, and—”

“You still won,” Druig reminded her. “And this was only, what, your third meet? You still have plenty of season left to improve.” He nudged her. “If that was just mediocre Makkari, I’d hate to see what full-strength Makkari can do.”

“I’ll bet she’s terrifying,” Sersi agreed. “Like a blur.”

“Like the wind.”

“Like—”

“Okay, okay.” Makkari laughed, but Druig could tell that there was still something bothering her.

“Let’s get some food in you,” Sersi suggested before Druig could press further.

“Carbohydrates, please and thank you,” Makkari said.

As they headed to the parking lot, Druig gently wrapped an arm around Makkari’s shoulder in a side-hug. She let him give her a squeeze, then politely shrugged out. He remembered that look in her eye when he’d asked her if she missed home. Even though Makkari smiled as Sersi chattered on about the sorority she’d been accepted to and how she’d met her new boyfriend, Druig could see that same look in her eye, like she was folding in on herself. But she clearly didn’t want to dwell on it at the moment, and Druig, well, he was quickly finding how hard it was to deny her anything.

* * *

Makkari thought it would get easier after midterms were over. She’d been working almost nonstop for several weeks, scheduling time to study and write papers around her cross country practice while keeping up (somewhat) healthy sleeping patterns. And when she stepped out of that last exam and treated herself to coffee, she felt happy. Ready for things to slow down.

But as it turned out, she didn’t do well with slow. It was like the beginning of the semester, when classes had just started and there hadn’t been too much to do outside of the classroom. Except now, there weren’t nearly as many events as there had been those few two weeks of school.

To make things worse, it poured nearly the entire week after midterms. Time she would have spent outside reading on the green or running was now spent in her dorm, mostly alone as Sersi prepared for her sorority induction. The perpetual silence Makkari dwelled in had never seemed so loud.

It all broke on Friday night when Ajak video called. Makkari got through the usual questions— “How are you? How are classes? Are you remembering to eat?”— with a smile on her face. Eventually, she told Ajak she was tired and hoping for an early night.

“Alright,” Ajak said. “You stay safe this weekend. I love you.”

Makkari just froze. She could feel her throat start to constrict.

“Love you, too,” she signed hurriedly. “Bye.” She quickly ended the call before her composure broke.

All of a sudden, Makkari was sobbing, and she couldn’t stop. She also couldn’t figure out why, and that just made it worse. She was struggling to breath. Panic was setting in.

She reached for her phone, half-blinded by tears.

“Help. I need you.”

And then, she waited. She tried to imagine the route from his dorm to hers. How long would it take? Ten minutes? Fifteen?

The light that served as a doorbell flashed after seven minutes.

Makkari opened the door to find Druig, quite out of breath. Concern was already written over his face, and it grew as he saw the state she was in.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I can’t do this! I miss home! I miss Ajak! I…can’t—” Druig gripped her shoulder with one hand.

“Do you want me to take you home?”

“What?”

“I will drive you home, Makkari. Do you need to be somewhere safe?” Makkari thought about that. Home was safe. But so was Druig. She shook her head.

“Just don’t go.”

“Never.” Another wave of emotion crashed over Makkari, and fresh tears began to spill. “Hey, hey. Eyes up here, love. Eyes up here.” Druig didn’t sign “love”, but Makkari saw his mouth form the word through her blurred vision. “Can we go sit on your bed?” She nodded. “Okay. C’mere.”

He scooped her up, even though the bed was just a few paces away. He got her settled first, then grabbed the box of tissues and a bottle of water from her nightstand. When he climbed up next to her, she curled up against his side. He gently cradled her face and used a tissue to wipe away the tears. Then, he offered her the water bottle.

“Drink.” She did. “Are you hungry?”

“No.”

“Well, we’re gonna find you something to eat in a bit anyway.” Druig’s hands were still for a long moment. “It’s okay to be homesick, you know,” he said. “It doesn’t mean you can’t do this. It just means you have a good home with people who love you. You’re very lucky.”

“Was it hard for you?” Makkari looked up at him. “You left your family on a whole different continent to come here.”

“It was hard, yeah. But even though there were bad times, I was still happy here. Do you think you can still be happy here?”

“I do.”

“Then you can do this.” He turned to press a kiss to her temple. “For the record, I think you can do anything.” Makkari smiled.

“Thanks.”

“Do you want to try something? To help calm you down?”

“Okay.” Druig gently reached for her hand. He brought it up and placed it against his throat.

“You feel that?” There was a pulse of vibration accompanying each word his mouth formed. Makkari nodded. And then, the vibrations became longer, one stringing into another stringing into another.

Druig was singing. Makkari’s gaze returned to his mouth, trying to make out the words, but there were no shapes she recognized. It wasn’t in English.

They sat like that for a few minutes. The vibrations against her hand were calming. She could feel his pulse under her thumb, and soon, her own heart rate had slowed enough to match it until she didn’t know whose heartbeat was whose. She let her eyes drift close and took deep breaths. When the vibrations stopped, she opened her eyes to find Druig smiling at her.

“There’s my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“I didn’t know you sing.”

“Oh, no. I definitely don’t. I mean, it’s not good singing.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“No really.” She lifted her hand from his throat and found his hand, squeezing tight. “Thank you for coming all this way and offering to drive me three hours home and sitting with me like this.”

“Thank you for texting.” His thumb rubbed small circles on the back fo her hand. “I’ve been a little worried. I just didn’t know whether or not to push.”

“You have my permission to push next time.”

“How about no next time?”

“Deal.” Druig leaned forward and gently pressed his forehead to hers.

“Food now. It’ll make you feel better.”

“Okay.” Makkari pursed her lips. “And then…would you like to come back here…and watch a movie with me?”

“Will Sersi mind?”

“She’s having her induction night for her sorority.”

“Okay then.” Makkari ducked her head to hide her smile.

“Let me wash up. I’ll meet you in the lobby.” They left the room and Makkari went to the communal bathroom to splash some water on her face, rinsing away the remaining tear stains.

She’d realized something as Druig had helped her through her panic attack. At first, she wasn’t sure if it was just her emotions still running high. But as she continued to calm down, as she and Druig went out to eat and then returned and watched Frozen together, she became certain. She really, really wanted to be his girlfriend.

Chapter Text

“If people are supposed to start showing up in less than five minutes, wouldn’t it make more sense to have the snacks ready a little bit before then?” Druig huffed as he heaved shopping bags of soda onto the table.

“It would,” Ben agreed. “But someone’s a chronic procrastinator.” A wadded up piece of paper came flying from across the room.

“I heard that!” Phastos called. Ben just shot a smile in his boyfriend’s direction. Druig bit back a snide comment. He knew perfectly well that if the time ever came, he would be just as sickeningly sweet with Makkari, and he had no desire to be called out on it. Phastos came over with his clipboard, surveying the snack table.

“Did you get everything?”

“I’m pretty sure this is every soda ever conceived by man,” Druig confirmed. Phastos rolled his eyes.

“I hope you’re not planning on spending the entire evening lurking here by the food.”

“Of course not.”

“You also can’t just glue yourself to Makkari’s side the minute she arrives. You need to talk to people you aren’t working up the courage to ask out.”

“I’m not-! She’s-!” Druig sputtered. “You’re one to talk!”

“Just be friendly.” Phastos glanced at his watch. “Okay. Here we go.”

“Try to relax,” Ben said, gently rubbing Phastos’ back. “It’s gonna go great.”

“I sure hope so.”

Students began milling in. There was going to be a short presentation about fifteen minutes in, but until then, everyone was free to socialize. Druig thought he was doing pretty well. The people he’d talked to hadn’t immediately left the first chance they got. That had to be a good sign. Still, he was distracted, constantly checking the room for a certain beautiful, beautiful someone.

He was helping Phastos talk up a freshman when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He knew who it was without even having to turn around.

“My beautiful Makkari,” he greeted her. His eyes flit briefly to the clock on the wall. “You’re late.”

“That would be my fault,” Sersi said. “I was finishing an essay. I hope you don’t mind that I’ve come.”

“The more, the merrier,” Phastos said. As Sersi joined the conversation he was having with the other freshman, Druig sidled up to Makkari.

“I’m glad you’re here.” He was. It was the first time he’d seen her since her panic attack a week ago. “How are you?”

“Better,” she replied.

“I’ve been told that I’m not allowed to glue myself to your side for the evening.”

“What a shame.” Makkari tilted her head to the side. “I like having you close.” Druig couldn’t help but blink in surprise. She was leaning forward slightly, smirking up at him. His heart skipped a beat.

“Okay!” Ben called. “Thank you all for coming this evening. My name is Ben, and this is Phastos. Remember, this is just an interest meeting. We’re going to have a brief presentation about what it means to be an Orientation Leader, and then we’ll have some icebreakers and other activities. Please feel free to keep getting snacks and drinks. I’m going to turn it on over to Phastos.”

Makkari kept her place next to Druig throughout the presentation. He kept his hands at his sides rather than clasped behind his back or tucked into his pockets, which felt a bit unnatural. But every now and then, Makkari’s fingers would brush against his, and that made it very much worth it. He kept looking at her out of the corner of his eye. He felt like there was something different about her. Was it just his imagination, or was she leaning towards him, as if pulled by gravity? It was all wildly distracting.

Finally, the presentation was over, and Druig left Makkari with Sersi to keep making the rounds. He caught Makkari watching him a few time, a smile tugging at her lips. He winked at her once, and she quickly looked away, blushing adorably.

“You’re doing so well,” she told him as they crossed paths by the snack table. “Is Phastos making an extrovert out of you?”

“If anyone’s doing that, it’s you,” he replied. “You and your infectious energy.”

“Sersi had to go. She has an exam tomorrow.” Makkari’s smile turned mischievous. “I’m going to hang out with you for as long as it takes to finish this—” she held up her cup of water— “and then I’ll go so you don’t get in trouble with Phastos. Deal?”

“Deal.” Makkari seemed intent on finishing her drink as slowly as possible. A good fifteen minutes passed before she finally threw away the plastic cup.

“I’d better go break the news to Phastos that I only came for the snacks,” she signed. “I just don’t think the summer times are going to work for me.”

“Not even for free food and a stipend?” Makkari smirked.

“Not even for that. Enjoy the rest of your evening. I’ll see you around.”

She wandered off in search of Phastos, and Druig finished answering a few questions. When he glanced out the window, he was surprised to find the sun long set. He frowned. Makkari shouldn’t have to walk back to her dorm alone in the dark.

“Hey, have you seen Makkari or Phastos?” Druig asked Ben.

“They’re just outside talking,” Ben replied.

“Thanks.” Druig headed for the door, but paused as he heard Phastos talking quietly.

“He’s smiled more tonight than the entire year and a half I’ve known him.” Druig felt blood rush to his face. “No, it’s definitely because of you. You two are really lucky to have found each other.”

Druig retreated to the snack table as if he’d always been there. He waited, trying to clear his thoughts, until Phastos came back inside. Druig approached him as casually as possible.

“Is it alright if I go?” Phastos smirked knowingly.

“Yeah.”

Druig left, catching up with Makkari quickly.

“Would it be okay if I walked you home?” Was that a too boyfriend-y thing to say?

“If you want to.”

“I think I should.”

“Try again.” Her eyes sparkled. He took a step closer to her.

“I’d like to very much.” Her smile grew.

* * *

Makkari stared at the popcorn bag in the microwave, watching it go round and round. Her laptop sat on her bed, Hocus Pocus primed and ready to go. She’d created a lovely nest of pillows and blankets. Sersi was out with her boyfriend, so she had the dorm to herself. All in all, it was shaping up to be a pretty good Halloween.

And of course, right when the timer on the microwave had counted down, the light at the door flashed. Makkari bit back a groan. She pulled the bag out and threw it towards her bed before heading to the door.

“Trick or treat,” Druig greeted with a smirk. Makkari laughed. He was wearing a shirt that read “This is my costume. I’m a homicidal maniac. They look just like everyone else.”

“Addams Family?” she guessed, nodding towards it.

“Yeah. Can I come in?” He held up a plastic grocery bag. “I’ve brought offerings.”

“Okay.”

“Sersi texted. She said she was going out for the evening and you might like some company.”

“Since when do you and Sersi text?”

“Since we started contriving on how to get you to fall in love with me.” Druig winked.

“I knew I’d regret introducing you two.”

“Anyway, I don’t have to stay. I thought you might like some candy. It being Halloween and all.” He spilled the contents of the bag on the bed. “I wasn’t sure what you like, so I got some of everything. Feel free to give me anything you don’t want. I promise I won’t let it go to waste.”

“This isn’t how trick-or-treating usually works,” Makkari signed, though she was eying the candy with interest. Druig shrugged.

“Maybe traditions can change.”

“You brought pretzels!” Makkari seized the little bag. “Okay, you can stay.”

“Wait, seriously? Those were just in one of the variety pack. No one actually wants the pretzels.” Druig narrowed his gaze. “Tell me I didn’t buy all this candy just for you to want the pretzels.”

“I don’t love this kind of candy,” Makkari admitted. Druig threw his hands in the air.

“Okay. Deal’s off. Good-bye forever.” Makkari laughed and grabbed his arm as he tried to leave, pulling him back. “How can you not like candy?”

“I said I don’t love it, not that I don’t like it. I’ll eat some of it. But it’s just…so sweet.”

“That’s the point.”

“If I want sweet, I’ll go for fruit or something.”

“So where do you stand on various chocolate-covered fruits?” Druig asked, stepping closer. Makkari realized she was still holding on to his arm. “Is that fair game?”

“Only if it’s coming from my boyfriend,” Makkari replied. She watched Druig’s gaze narrow as he searched for meaning in her words. Maybe it wasn’t fair to tease him like this, maybe she should just tell him. But it was a little fun. She held his gaze for a long moment, then nudged him playfully. “I’m going to watch Hocus Pocus. Care to join?”

“Sure.” They both climbed onto the bed, Makkari with her popcorn and pretzels, Druig with his wide assortment of candy. “This is the one with the three sisters, right?”

“Yes. It’s arguably the best Halloween movie ever. I’m pretty sure one of the television channels just plays it on loop all day today.”

“Are you into horror movies at all?”

“No. I couldn’t even get through the trailer for the new It.”

“Well, if you ever want that adrenaline rush—” Druig snaked an arm around her shoulders— “call me, and I’ll come over and protect you.”

“Druig, that is the oldest trick in the book.” Still, she nestled against his side as she hit play. It was just as natural as when they were ten and nine. “Are there peanut M&Ms?”

“I don’t know, Miss I-Don’t-Love-Candy.”

“I want to mix them in with my popcorn.” She turned her attention to the bed, trusting she had a good minute of opening credits. She managed to locate the little yellow bag, but just as she went to grab for them, Druig snatched them off her duvet. “Druig…”

“What are the magic words?”

“Trick or treat,” she replied obligingly. And then, in a moment of brilliance, she reached up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “There. That’s your treat, now give me mine.” Druig dropped the bag in her lap. “Thank you.”

“Makkari…” Say it. Just say it. “Never mind. Let’s watch the movie.” Makkari nodded, trying not to feel too disappointed. She still got to cuddle with Druig and watch Hocus Pocus. Not a bad Halloween at all.

* * *

“We have food!” Sersi exclaimed as she and Makkari pushed their way to their seats in the bleachers. “If you want to consider this food, that is.”

“Are you saying that these chips covered in cheap cheese sauce are not haute cuisine?” Druig asked as he accepted the plastic carton of nachos. “Tastes Michelin-worthy to me.”

“That’s because you’ll eat anything,” Phastos said.

It was Homecoming weekend, the pinnacle of which was the basketball game that alumni and students alike flocked to. Makkari, Sersi, Druig, Phastos and Ben had decided to get their free student tickets as a group and make a night out of it. Sersi’s boyfriend was supposed to join them, but he seemed to be running late. Druig couldn’t help but marvel at the community he’d somehow stumbled into. This time last year, he’d spent the weekend holed up in the library, not really knowing anyone besides his nerdy roommate. How things changed.

“What did we miss?” Makkari asked as she plopped down into her seat next to Druig.

“Well, the ball’s been moving up and down the court a lot. Went through the hoops a few times.” Makkari smacked him, and Druig retaliated by tossing a cheese-less chip at her. “We scored once, they scored twice. It’s not looking great.”

“Well, it’s only the first half,” Makkari insisted, ever the optimist. “And it’s Homecoming. Surely we won’t be beaten at our own Homecoming.”

“Tell that to the other team,” Phastos said.

“Winning and losing aside, this is really fun,” Druig signed privately for Makkari. It was quite useful, being able to communicate nonverbally in the loud stadium. “I’m glad you talked me into it.” Makkari rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t talk you into shit. I asked if you wanted to come, and you said ‘Anything for you, light of my life.’”

“Come on, I have not once called you light of my life.” Yet.

“Saving that one for a special occasion?” Her chin was lifted, and her smile was a challenge, a puzzle Druig so badly wanted to crack. Something had definitely shifted between them in the past few weeks. He no longer knew just where he stood, and that scared him a little.

“We’ve got the ball!” Sersi was suddenly shrieking.

The whole student section seemed to jump to their feet at once, cheering and clapping. Makkari was clinging to Druig’s arm as she bounced up and down, her eyes glued to the court. The home team scored, and the crowd went wild. Through it all, Sersi somehow managed to hear her phone ringing, and a slightly relieved smile crossed her face as she answer.

“Perfect timing, babe! We just tied! Are you close, or—” Her brow furrowed. Druig nudged Makkari to draw her attention to her roommate. “I don’t understand, you knew that…no, I’m not saying…okay, okay, I’m sorry. Of course, it’s alright.” Sersi’s jaw clenched slightly. “Maybe next time. I will. Bye.” She hung up and heaved a sigh.

“You okay?” Makkari asked. “Is he not coming?”

“He’s not. One of his friends had this last-minute thing, and…” Sersi’s features contorted slightly, and for a moment, Druig thought she might be close to tears. But then she was smiling. “He said he’d take me out this week to make up for it. It’s fine.”

“No, not fine,” Phastos insisted. “He doesn’t even have the courtesy to call until he’s been late for, what, almost forty minutes? I’m telling you, that’s a red flag right there.”

“I can beat him up for you, if you’d like,” Makkari offered. Sersi laughed nervously.

“That was quite the escalation.” Sersi took a deep breath. “It’s really nice of you all to be concerned, but really, it’s okay. Stuff happens.”

“You’re too sweet for your own good,” Makkari signed.

“Can we just get back to the game? I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”

They dropped the subject, but Druig noticed how Makkari paid her roommate extra attention. If Sersi didn’t want to dwell on it, Makkari seemed determined not give her a single moment to do so. It seemed to work. Druig couldn’t deny that Sersi was about as sweet and good as they came, and any guy she was dating probably wasn’t worthy of her.

When halftime rolled around, Druig got to his feet.

“I need some fresh air,” he told Makkari when she looked up at him questioningly. “Want to come with?” She glanced quickly at Sersi, who was engrossed in conversation with Phastos and Ben, then smiled and nodded. They made their way through the hordes of people heading for the concession stands and outside into the cool November night. “How’s Sersi?”

“Okay.” Makkari sighed. “She really, really likes him, and I just can’t tell if he’s as committed as she is. It’s not the first time he’s done this.”

“Who is he? Does he go here?”

“Honestly, I have no idea. I don’t even know his name. Sersi just always calls him her boyfriend.”

“Would you really beat him up?”

“If he hurt her? Absolutely.” Druig grinned. “You don’t think I could?”

“I have no doubt you could.” He bumped her gently. “I think Sersi’s really lucky to have a friend that cares about her as much as you do.”

“You don’t mind I’ve been talking to her more? I worried you might be feeling a bit ignored.”

“Not at all. It’s sweet.” He leaned in closer. “It’s just another thing to love about you.”

* * *

Makkari startled awake as the bus jolted to a stop. She groaned, already feeling the soreness in her neck. She didn’t think anything would make her happier than getting to sleep in an actual bed rather than curled up on a bus seat. She looked out the window. It was dark. There were a few people waiting for the cross country team’s victorious return from the championship meet, but it was nearly three in the morning, so the energy was very low.

She stood up, gathered her bags, and got off the bus. She saw him as she stepped down. Druig waved and headed towards her.

“Hey, beautiful.” He pulled her into his arms, squeezing tight. “Miss me?”

“Only as much as you missed me.”

“Infinitely, then.”

“Do you know how late it is?”

“I do.” He very smoothly took one of her bags and wrapped an arm around her, which Makkari took as an invitation to rest her head on his shoulder. “I thought you should get some sort of welcome. How was Florida?”

“Warm,” Makkari replied, already wistful. “I didn’t wear a jacket the entire time.”

“Sounds nice.” She let her eyes flutter shut for a moment, blindly putting one foot in front of the other and trusting Druig not to let her fall. But then he nudged her gently, and she opened her eyes. “Don’t fall asleep on me just yet.”

“Sorry. Long bus ride. Not comfortable.”

“I can imagine.” By the time they reached the dorm building, the cool night air and walking had jolted Makkari’s senses into a slightly more lucid state.

“Before I forget, I wanted to ask a favor.”

“Anything, my beautiful Makkari.” It was so nonchalant, the way he added “my” and “beautiful” to her name, as if those words had always been a part of it. She wondered if he even noticed when he said it anymore.

“Sersi invited me to a party at her sorority house. It’s the last night before Thanksgiving break. I’d really like to go, but she’ll probably be distracted most of the time, and I probably won’t know anyone else there, so I was wondering…”

“You need a designated driver?” Druig teased. Makkari rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll come.”

“Thank you. I’ll meet you around seven on the green that night?”

“It’s a date.” Druig’s eyes immediately went wide. “Except that it’s not. Obviously. Because we’re not…oh, fuck.”

“You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“That must be the exhaustion talking.”

“Actually, you’re pretty cute a lot of the time.” They were outside her door, but Makkari hadn’t even reached for her key. “Thank you for being there.”

“No problem.”

“Don’t give me that. It’s three in the morning, and you came out just so I wouldn’t be alone on my walk from the bus to my dorm. That’s really, really sweet.”

“Do you want any help getting your stuff in?”

“No, I’m fine.” She turned her face up to his. “I’ll see you Tuesday?”

“Yeah.” Druig paused, then lean down to kiss her gently on the forehead. Some part of Makkari wanted to grab him by the collar and kiss him properly, but she was just too tired for that. “Good night, my Makkari.”

“Good night, my Druig.” She found her key and unlocked the door to slip in. Sersi was fast asleep, and Makkari hoped to keep it that way. She didn’t need her roommate to see how she was smiling like an idiot.

* * *

“What do you think about this for tonight?” Makkari asked as she stepped out from behind the closet door. Sersi leaned back in her chair, looking her up and down.

“It’s nice, if a bit fancy. This is just a casual party. Maybe you could…” Suddenly, Sersi’s eyes widened. “Hang on. This is the first time you’ve ever asked me for fashion advice.” Makkari shrugged, pursing her lips. “And you invited Druig to the party tonight.” The blush was inescapable. “Oh, my God! You want to seduce him!”

“I do not want to seduce him!” Makkari insisted. “Is that what this is saying?” She looked in the mirror. Maybe the sequins were a bit much… “I just want to…give him a hint. That maybe I’m ready.” Sersi clapped her hands.

“I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks.”

“Although, and this is just a thought, you could just tell him.”

“I probably could,” Makkari agreed. “I guess I’m just a bit scared. I know it’s just the insecurity talking, but what if the excitement of finding each other was all it ever was? What if it’s worn off for him? What if he doesn’t—”

“Makkari, you are one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, but that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. Druig adores you. He lights up whenever you’re with him, I’ve seen it.” Sersi stood up and wrapped an arm around Makkari, tucking her chin on her shoulder. “That boy is in love with you.”

“I know,” Makkari admitted, unable to fight a smile. “I’m in love with him, too.” Sersi laughed and squeezed her tight. “I don’t know. I just want to know he wants this as much as I do.”

“Don’t wait forever,” Sersi said. “He may well be waiting for you to make the first move.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Makkari returned her focus to her reflection in the mirror. “So, lose the top?”

“Wear whatever makes you feel pretty.”

“It almost doesn’t matter. Druig will just call me beautiful anyway.”

“And you wonder if he wants you.” Sersi shook her head. Across the room, her phone lit up. “Oh, I gotta go! Send me pictures if you need advice.” She squeezed Makkari’s hand. “I’ll see you later! Be confident!”

“Bye.” Sersi dashed out the door and Makkari went to her closet.

She hadn’t been joking about Druig calling her beautiful no matter what she wore. It was why she’d opted for skinny jeans. Her thighs were fairly muscular from her running, and there were times she couldn’t help but be self-conscious about it. She’d wear looser-fitting pants or skirts to hide just how disproportional her legs were to the rest of her body. But she knew when Druig’s eyes were on her, when his mouth formed the words “my beautiful, beautiful Makkari”, it wouldn’t matter what she was wearing. She’d feel as beautiful as he believed her to be.

She pulled off the sequined top and picked out a deep red, long-sleeved crop top that showed off just a bit of her toned stomach. She shook out her curls, spritzing and fluffing them just a bit. Light makeup. No jewelry beyond her usual assortment of earrings and rings. Black ballet flats. She stared at her reflection in the mirror.

It wasn’t just that she looked pretty that made her breath catch. She looked like an adult. Makkari squared her shoulders and held her head just a little higher. She imagined walking into a classroom, as the teacher rather than the student. She imagined sitting down for a press conference after qualifying for the Olympics. She imagined giving presentation about finding in dig sites around the world. The woman who looked back at her could do all that. The future she’d imagined for herself suddenly seemed real and attainable.

“Dr. Makkari Veron,” she signed, just to test it out. She smiled.

Makkari grabbed her phone and started out for the green. The campus was buzzing with excitement on the last day before Thanksgiving break. Sersi’s was not the only Greek house to be throwing a party. One club was preparing to show a movie on the green once it got darker, so there were quite a few students milling about. Makkari caught sight of Druig leaning against a tree, scrolling aimlessly on his phone. She snuck up behind her, peering over his shoulder to look at his screen.

“You waiting on a hot date?” she asked. He startled as her hands suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Oh, no, I’m waiting on something better.” He turned, giving her a quick once over. “Look at that. She’s here.”

“I’ve never been to a sorority party before. What do you think?” Makkari turned a slow circle. She was perfectly aware Druig was probably checking her out. She wasn’t sure if she was teasing him or testing him. Maybe both. She turned back to Druig just in time to see him swallow hard. Her heart skipped a beat. “Good?” she asked, head cocked slightly, eyes wide and innocent.

“Yes. Good. That’s exactly the word I was going to use.” Makkari raised a brow, and Druig’s serious expression melted into a smile. “You’re breathtaking, Makkari, but that’s never had anything to do with what you wear.”

“You’re rather breathtaking yourself,” she replied. “Shall we?”

“Lead the way.”

* * *

The party was in full swing by the time Druig and Makkari arrived. Druig couldn’t help but feel mildly excited. After all, he had the most beautiful girl on campus on his arm (sort of). The last few times he’d gone to social events hadn’t been complete disasters. Maybe he was getting better at this whole socializing thing.

“You look so amazing!” Sersi exclaimed as she met them in the foyer. “I’m so glad you both could make it!”

“Thank you for extending the invitation,” Druig replied.

“Go on in, have fun! There’s booze if that’s your thing, and soda if it’s not. I’ll catch up with you later and introduce you to my boyfriend!”

“He’s coming?” Makkari asked eagerly.

“He is, and I can’t wait for you to meet him. Now go!” Druig thought he might have caught Sersi throw some sort of look at Makkari, like go get ‘em . Makkari just rolled her eyes and took him by the hand to drag him into the main room where most of the party was concentrated.

“It’s loud,” Druig complained as the music threatened to burst his eardrums. Makkari, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

“I can feel it!” She was tapping her foot to the beat. “Dance with me!”

“I don’t really…”

“No one does!” She pulled him into the fray of students. “All dancing is these days is bouncing to the music. Just bounce!” After a few moments of watching her, Druig obliged, although with significantly less energy. Makkari laughed and took both of his hands so they were sort of bouncing together. It was so much fun.

“Do you want something to drink?” Druig asked as the song ended.

“Yeah, let me come with you.” Together, they weaved towards the makeshift bar. Makkari poured water into her red cup, and Druig got some soda. “So, now what?”

“Beats me. I’ve never been to a sorority party before, either.”

“What song is it now?” Makkari asked, nodding towards the dance space.

“Slow. Love song.” Druig very carefully maintained her gaze as he sipped his soda.

“Gross.”

“Totally.”

“You want to dance?”

“Only if you do.” Makkari tossed her empty cup away.

“Very much.” They joined a handful of other couple making use of the slow song. Makkari wrapped her arms loosely around Druig’s neck, and he held her waist. “So, did you register for classes for next semester?” she signed against the back fo his neck

“Way to kill the mood.” Makkari smacked his shoulder. “Yes, I did. It’ll be my last semester before I have to decide on…” he paused dramatically “my future.”

“Now there’s a mood killer.”

“Isn’t it? And what about you? Will you be braving another semester in these hallowed halls?”

“I am. There’s this guy I just can’t seem to get away from who goes here. I think he’d be pretty disappointed if I left.”

“He sounds terrible.”

“He is. He’s got in his head that I might want to go out with him one day.” Makkari sighed. “And the worst part is, he’s absolutely right. Because I’m kind of crazy about him.”

“You are?” Druig’s heart fluttered.

“Yeah, just a little. But don’t tell him.” She winked at him. Druig stopped their swaying, pulled her just a bit closer. The slow song had ended, but he didn’t make any effort to leave.

“Makkari?” She looked up at him hopefully. Could it really be this easy? “Do you want—”

“Watch out!” A boy tripped and fell right into them, clearly having had too much to drink. Druig tried to pull Makkari out of the way, but not before whatever was in his cup sloshed onto her. The boy's friends came running over, jostling past Druig roughly to get him on his feet, all of them laughing.

“Are you okay?” Druig asked Makkari.

“I’m fine. I’m going to go find a towel, and then you can finish asking me that question.”

“Okay.” She left, and Druig retreated to a corner.

He felt on edge. He’d just come in physical contact with a bunch of strangers, something he realized hadn’t happened in a long time. Suddenly, everything seemed hyper-focused. There were people everywhere. The lights were too bright, and the music was too loud. And he was alone. He tried closing his eyes, taking deep breaths, but his heart rate refused to settle. The idea that he might be on the verge of a panic attack wasn’t helping to calm him down. He tried to find something to distract himself with. Counting usually helped, if he could just…

Wait, Makkari was coming back. He couldn’t help but sigh deeply in relief. Her brow furrowed as she found him folding in on himself.

“Are you okay?” Focus on her, focus on her beautiful eyes.

“I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed. I might step out for a minute.”

“We can go.” She took his hand. “You’re not comfortable here. You don’t have to stay. Let’s go.”

“Okay.”

“Can we find Sersi and say good bye?”

“Yes.” Druig trailed Makkari as she wove through the people. Focus on her, focus on her curls. Count them.

“Makkari!” Sersi was all tipsy giggles when they found her.

“Druig and I are going to get going. This was fun! Thanks again for inviting us!”

“Oh, oh, wait, quick, meet my boyfriend! Ikaris!”

Druig froze.

No. Please, no. He’d found Makkari, that was enough coincidence for a lifetime. What could the chances possibly be that—

“Ikaris, this is my roommate Makkari and her friend—”

“Druig.” It was him. And Druig was that scared little boy, hiding in his room, trying not to make a sound. Ikaris smiled, that same wry smile that didn’t reach his eyes, that said just grit your teeth and bear it. But he’d been ten for God’s sake, and no ten-year-old should be told—

“You two know each other?” Sersi asked.

“We were in the same foster home for a while,” Ikaris replied. He took a step forward. “I—”

“That’s enough.” Makkari was between them in an instant. Druig saw Ikaris’ eyes narrow, then widen with recognition.

“The little spitfire.”

Makkari turned to Druig. For a moment, he caught the look she must have been giving Ikaris. For a moment, she was terrifying and all in defense of him. Then her gaze softened, though her eyes still held a fierce protectiveness. “Shame she can’t always be around to protect you.” Well, look at that. She was.

“We’re leaving,” she said before offering her hand. He gripped it tightly, as if it were a lifeline. Makkari waved good-bye to a slightly confused Sersi, then led him from the house. It took a minute for Druig to realize she was taking them to the garden.

“I’m sorry,” he choked as they sat down on a bench. “Seeing him…it was like…I didn’t think…”

“Druig, look.” She waited for his gaze to fall on her hands. “You are safe. You are loved. Say it.”

“I’m safe. I’m loved.” He exhaled slowly. “Hug?” Makkari nodded furtively, and Druig pulled her into his arms. She fit so damn perfectly. “I love you,” he whispered over her shoulder. “I love you, Makkari.” At least of that much, he was certain. One day, he’d say it to her face, say it every way he knew how.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Makkari asked as they pulled apart.

“I…” But Druig could barely get that one sound out before choking up again. He gripped Makkari’s forearms tightly, terrified she would somehow slip away. Thoughts of Ikaris and that house and those people kept bombarding his mind.

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” Makkari pulled him back to her. She cradled his head to her shoulder with one hand and signed on his upper back with the other. “I’m right here. I’m always going to protect you, remember?” That’s what she’d said to him that night. At the memory of it all, Druig began to cry. Makkari let him. She held him closer, stroking his hair.

“I’m sorry,” he finally managed, leaning back to look at her.

“Don’t you dare say that.” She gave him a small smile and gently thumbed the tears from his cheeks. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” Her hands were still for a long moment. “Did you ever see anyone?”

“I had some counseling when I got back to Ireland. But it was a while ago now.” Druig took a deep breath. “You think I should?”

“I think…I am not qualified for this.”

“No.” Druig reached up to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch. “You’re not. And it’s not your job.”

“But I am here.” She moved even closer so their knees brushed. “I care about you. No matter what happens, I care. And I’ll talk to Sersi, make sure we don’t have anymore surprise encounters.”

“Thank you.”

“Would it be okay for me to tell her about what happened? So she understands.”

“Yeah.”

“Will you be okay tonight? I could stay with you.”

“You don’t have to.” Druig took a deep breath. How tempting it was to say yes, to let Makkari take care of him. But that was the point of going back to therapy, wasn’t it? He couldn’t be emotionally dependent on her. “Really, Makkari, I’ll go straight back to my dorm. You can come with me if you like, explain to Phastos. I’ll be okay.”

Makkari stared at him intently. Druig could all but see her mind working, trying to determine if this was the best course of action. And then, she nodded. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms firmly around his shoulders. She pressed her cheek to the crook of his neck, and they just sat there. Druig wondered if she knew just how much comfort she provided in letting him hold her.

And there was that little voice again, that still-small don’t let her go . But he knew he had to. He’d let her go and trust that he would get her back soon, for good this time.

* * *

After getting Druig to his dorm and enlightening Phastos on the situation, Makkari went back to the party. The energy was just as high, but she ignored the frivolity. She finally found Sersi with Ikaris and, to her credit, only bristled a little at the sight of him. She gently took her roommate’s arm.

“Can we talk?”

“You’re back!” Sersi exclaimed. “Is Druig okay?”

“He will be,” Makkari replied, ignoring Ikaris. “Seriously, I need to talk to you.”

“Hey.” Ikaris tapped her shoulder. She turned around, jaw clenched. “You’re Makkari, right? The girl from the park? I don’t think we ever met properly, but Druig clearly—”

“I’m not really interested.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re saying.” Makkari sighed and turned back to Sersi.

“Please? I just need five minutes.”

“Okay. Come with me.” She led her up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. “Is everything okay? Ikaris wouldn’t tell me why Druig was so…weird when they met.”

“The foster house Druig and Ikaris were at together was not good,” Makkari signed slowly. “And Ikaris didn’t make matters much better. I don’t think he ever hurt Druig, but the father definitely did.” Sersi grew pale. “One night, I’m not entirely sure what happened, but Druig was hit, and he came to my house. My foster-mom let him stay while they figured out what to do. Ikaris was the one to figure out where he went, and he brought the mother to try and get him back. She was not a kind woman.” The image of Druig standing in front of her on those steps, protecting her from whatever his foster-mother was saying was burned into her mind forever.

“That’s terrible,” Sersi finally said. “But, but they were just kids. I mean, Ikaris was doing what he thought was right, he, he didn’t…”

“Maybe.” Makkari tried to soften her expression. “But seeing him again, it unearthed a lot of trauma for Druig. He’s going to work through it, but believe me, it’s hard. And I just want to make sure nothing…aggravates him, do you know what I mean?”

“You don’t want him to see Ikaris again?” Makkari nodded. “Alright. That probably won’t be too difficult.”

“Thank you.” Makkari stood and was about to leave, but she turned back. “Are you sure about him?”

“What?”

“About Ikaris?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sersi, he regularly stands you up. He stood you up at the basketball game, remember? And he’s so much older than you.”

“It’s just a few years. We’re both adults.”

“But you’re not.” Makkari flexed her fingers, as if she could pull the right words out of the air. “Just because you’re eighteen doesn’t make you an adult. The human brain doesn’t fully develop until you’re twenty-five.” She saw her friend’s lips purse into a thin line. “I don’t want to fight about this. It’s your life. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“But you think I’m making a mistake?”

“I didn’t say that.” Makkari inhaled sharply. “You’re my friend, Sersi. I care about you.”

“I think you should go.”

“Sersi—”

“Please.”

“Okay. Good night.”

Makkari left, feeling emotionally drained. She wondered if there was anyway this night could have gone differently. She knew that line of thinking wouldn’t get her anywhere, but still, she indulged in just a moment of imagining ending the night with a kiss from Druig rather than alone in her dorm.

* * *

“Hi.” Makkari found Druig under a tree the next day, his back against the trunk and his legs stretched out. “Ajak is picking me up in a few minutes. Can I join you until then?”

“Please.” Makkari sat down, setting her duffle and backpack next to her. She seemed hesitant to come too close, but Druig simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. “Are you looking forward to the break?”

“Yes. Thena’s bringing home her boyfriend. He cooks apparently.” She looked up at him. “You could come with me if you want. You know Ajak would be happy to have you.”

“I’m sure she would. But I have stuff I need to figure out.” Makkari sighed.

“I don’t want you to be alone.”

“Phastos and Ben are staying over break. I’m sure they won’t mind me third-wheeling.” Druig nudged her. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Of course I’m going to worry.”

“You don’t have to. Just go home and eat too much food and forget all about me for a few days.”

“That I refuse to do.” Druig smiled wryly and held her a little closer.

“When you get back, it’ll probably be very busy with finals and all, so we might not see much of one another before the semester ends. I’d like to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Am I wrong in thinking…that before everything happened, you…were ready to…”

“You’re not wrong.” Makkari let her head fall on his shoulder. “And what happened didn’t change anything. I still want…I’d still like to be your girlfriend. But am I wrong in thinking you need time now?” Druig shook his head.

“You’re not wrong.”

“You gave me time. It’s only right that you should take some for yourself.”

“I just, I want to be a good man for you. You deserve nothing less.”

“I think that you’re already a great man.”

“I can be better.”

“We can all be better.” She shifted so she could press her forehead to his. “For the record, I wouldn’t object to you as you are right now.” Druig felt like his heart was being squeezed. How was it possible to love one person this much?

“You’re absolutely amazing, d’you know that?” He cradled her cheek. “My beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“My beautiful, beautiful Druig.” She leaned back slightly, eyes darting nervously over his face. “Could I kiss you? Just once?”

“One for the road?” Druig teased gently. She rolled her eyes. “Yes, you may.”

Makkari cradled his face in both hands to pull him down to her. When their lips met, it took everything in Druig not to pull her right into his lap, to thread a hand in her hair and kiss every inch of exposed skin. But no, this wasn’t that sort of kiss. This kiss was a promise.

It wasn’t until Makkari pulled back and thumbed away his tears that Druig realized he was crying.

“You’ll keep me posted?” she asked. “If you can’t find anything through the school’s wellness service, Ajak has contacts. She’ll help if you need it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” In her sweatshirt pocket, Makkari’s phone started vibrating with a text. For a moment, Druig wasn’t sure if she’d go.

“She’s here.”

“Go. It’s okay.” He took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back. “It’s okay. We’re gonna be okay.”

“Be safe.”

“You too.”

Chapter Text

Thu, Nov 25, 10:17 AM

Makkari: Hi! Happy Thanksgiving! How are you?

Druig: I’m doing good.

Makkari: Are you doing anything today?

Druig: I told Ben and Phastos that I’ve never had a proper American Thanksgiving.

Makkari: What??? You haven’t??

Druig: …

Makkari: You…lied? I’m so shocked!

Druig: I mean, technically, no. My mom and I kind of celebrated when we lived here since she had the day off. But we probably weren’t doing it right.

Druig: What about you? How’s your day been?

Makkari: Really nice. Thena’s boyfriend, Gilgamesh, really knows his way around the kitchen! He’s super sweet, and Thena likes him a lot. I think he’s calming.

Makkari: I miss you.

Druig: I miss you, too.

Makkari: I bet I miss you more.

Druig: Not possible.

Makkari: We’re gonna be *that* couple, aren’t we?

Druig: I sure hope so.

Druig: Put your phone down and go enjoy your day with your family. I’ll text you later.

Makkari: Okay. Have fun with Phastos and Ben! Send my love!

Druig: Absolutely not. I’m keeping all your love for myself.

Makkari: You’re ridiculous.

Druig: Bye, beautiful.

Thu, Nov 26, 7:53 PM

Makkari: Guess who’s gonna be a big sister!

Druig: What?! Thena’s pregnant already?!?

Makkari: No!! And if she had a kid, I’d be their aunt.

Makkari: Ajak has decided that since all her birds have flown the nest (her words, not mine), she’s started looking into fostering again.

Druig: Very cool!

Makkari: There’s a kid in Maryland who could be here as soon as Christmas.

Druig: You’re gonna be a great big sister. They’ll be lucky to have you.

Makkari: You’re very sweet.

Druig: I gotta go. Ben just put on the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Special.

Makkari: Classic. Enjoy!

Sat, Nov 28, 1:16 PM

Druig: I just wanted to let you know that the student mental services got back to me. I have my first session on Monday.

Makkari: I hope you know how proud I am of you.

Druig: I do.

Wed, Dec 1, 9:02 AM

Makkari: Merry Chrysler!

Druig: You are simultaneously twenty-five days too early and a decade too late. Why do I find that so attractive?

Druig: How are your finals shaping up?

Makkari: I’ll live. I stayed up so late last night studying though. Definitely not something I want to repeat.

Druig: So I probably can’t talk you into meeting this weekend?

Makkari: I’m sorry, I can’t.

Druig: No problem. Study hard, future Doctor!

Makkari: You too!

Fri, Dec 3, 12:49 PM

Druig: Hey, sorry to bother you. I just saw Sersi getting lunch by herself. Isn’t that something you two usually try to do together?

Makkari: We haven’t had much time to hang out lately. And we might have hit a rough patch. I said some things about Ikaris I maybe should have kept to myself.

Druig: Is she mad at you?

Makkari: Not mad, exactly. This is Sersi we're talking about. It’s just weird.

Druig: I’m sorry. I’m here if you need support.

Makkari: Thanks, but I think it’ll be okay. Just another week until the term ends, and then we get a month to have some space.

Druig: Still, if you need anything, please call me.

Makkari: You’re supposed to be focusing on you right now. I promise, it’s fine.

Mon, Dec 6, 11:34 AM

Druig: Good luck!

Makkari: Good luck!

Fri, Dec 10, 2:44 PM

Druig: You alive?

Makkari: Alive and safely back home. I’m so sorry I never got to see you before I left!

Druig: It’s alright.

Makkari: If you wanted to pop by for a few days…

Druig: My grandmother is actually flying over. I’m picking her up on Sunday, and we’re going to spend Christmas outside NYC. Maybe see a musical.

Makkari: OMG, do you like musicals?

Druig: There are a few I find tolerable.

Makkari: YOU LIKE MUSICALS!!! I’M TELLING KINGO!!!

Druig: You’re a menace, do you know that?

Makkari: I’m your menace.

Makkari: Tell your grandmother I say hello and that she has a wonderful grandson.

Druig: Oh, am I gonna tell her about you.

Makkari: What’s that supposed to mean?

Makkari: Druig?!?!?

Thu, Dec 16, 4:18 PM

Makkari: Kingo wants to know what you saw on Broadway.

Makkari: He literally won’t shut up. Will you please tell me?

Makkari: I admit it, I made a mistake. I created a monster. Please tell me!!!

Druig: We saw Phantom.

Makkari: Kingo appreciates your choice of a classic.

Druig: Do you have a new sibling yet?

Makkari: They arrive on Monday. Their name is Sprite.

Druig: Sounds cute.

Makkari: I’ll let you know.

Tue, Dec 21, 6:23 PM

Makkari: Not cute. Definitely not cute.

Druig: You don’t like them?

Makkari: No, I absolutely love Sprite! I’m just warning you that if you ever call them cute, they’ll probably kill you.

Druig: I’ll keep that in mind.

Fri, Dec 25, 11:19 AM

Makkari: Merry Christmas!!

Druig: Merry Christmas, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.

* * *

“I’m bored,” Sprite announced as they entered Makkari’s room.

“I’m kind of busy at the moment,” Makkari replied, looking up from the clothes she was sorting on her bed. “Can you go…read a book or something?”

“But I want to get to know my new big sister,” Sprite insisted with the sweet smile Makkari had quickly learned never came without strings. She sighed and sat down, patting the spot on the bed next to her.

“What do you want to know?”

“What are you studying in college?”

“Anthropology.” Sprite mouthed the word carefully, their brow furrowing slightly.

“Is that…the study of…”

“Humans.”

“Right. I knew that.”

“Do you want to hear about my classes or…”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you studying anthropology?”

“Because, just like you, I’m insatiably curious.” Makkari thought for a moment. “Humans are…violent. I think they’re inherently good, but they’re still violent. They’ve destroyed a lot of what they’ve created. I’d liked to find what remains, learn about the people who created it, and preserve so someone else can know as well.”

“Do you like collecting things?” Sprite asked. “I mean—” they nodded to Makkari’s dresser, which was littered with keepsakes— “obviously. But like, human stuff. History stuff. Do you collect that?”

“This is human stuff.” Makkari crossed to her dresser. “I’m a human, aren’t I? Maybe one day, people will wonder who Makkari was, and they’ll have a box of my junk that’ll tell them just that.”

“When do you go back to college?”

“My classes start the tenth. I’ll probably go back to campus the weekend before.”

“Do you like it there?”

“I do, very much.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Makkari sputtered slightly. “Sorry. I take that back. I know you have a boyfriend. What’s his name?”

“Who told you I have a boyfriend?”

“Kingo.” Makkari mentally cursed her brother. In the time he’d spent at home for the holidays, he’d managed to secure his place as Sprite’s favorite sibling, which Makkari found mildly offensive since Thena had spent Christmas with her boyfriend. Kingo was clearly using his influence for evil. “I don’t have a boyfriend. I have a…close male friend, and we have an agreement.”

“Kingo thinks you’re in love with him.” Sprite flopped back on the bed, bouncing their legs in the air. “Are you in love with him?”

“Does it matter?”

“You could tell me what it feels like.”

“You’re twelve. Why do you need to know what love feels like?”

“I’m insatiably curious.” Makkari smirked. She’d walked right into that one.

“Have you ever been on a swing?”

“Duh. I’m twelve.”

“It’s like that.”

“Love is a swing?”

“Sort of. It’s a swing you build together. And you go up and up and up, and then you fall, and it’s exhilarating, but it’s also kind of scary because you have to trust the other person will catch you—”

“That’s not how swings work.”

“Don’t ruin the metaphor. Anyway, you think they’ll catch you, but it’s still a lot to trust someone like that, and sometimes you go flying off and they come running to make sure you’re okay, and…” Makkari swallowed hard, her hands faltering. “Okay. Maybe I am in love.”

“I knew it.”

“You’re a weird kid, Sprite. I think I like it.” She leaned down to ruffle their hair, and they immediately swatted her hand away. “Remind me before I leave, I’ll show you my swing.”

“That’s not a totally weird thing to say after you just compared love to a swing.”

“Don’t worry, this is a real swing.”

“I thought it was a metaphor.”

“Maybe it’s a little of both.”

* * *

“Hey, you’re back,” Phastos greeted as Druig entered their dorm. “How was New York? I heard you saw a musical.”

“How did you…?” Druig bit back a smile. “Makkari?”

“Yep.”

“I’m gonna go with it’s sweet that she was talking about me to you.” Druig set his bag on his bed. “Did she say anything else?”

“She was mostly just checking in to make sure you were alright. She asked that I didn’t leave you alone for too long. Drag you into some holiday festivities if need be. That sort of thing.” Phastos lightly punched Druig’s arm. “She really cares about you, you know.”

“I know.” It was a new thing, having someone who wasn’t related to him care so much, but Druig found he liked the feeling quite a bit.

“Are you two…?”

“Waiting a little longer. At least until…” Druig waved his hand as if to encapsulate his entire mental health journey. “I just don’t want to make it her job to make sure I’m in a good mental place. I want to know that I can exist…without her, I guess?” Though he shuddered at the thought.

“You must love her an awful lot to do that kind of work for her.” Druig winced.

“Is it that obvious?”

“Only to me, because I’ve seen you go from not giving two shits about anyone to actually being a pretty decent, caring guy. Which I guess was inside you all along. It just took her to bring it out.”

“Thanks.” Druig fixed his gaze on his feet. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

“Was that a compliment?”

“I’ll take it back.”

“No, actually, you can’t.”

“Hey, before we move on from the matter of Makkari, can I ask your advice about something?”

“Yes, I think you should wait until after you both graduate to propose.”

“Ha ha.” Druig turned to rummage through his bag. “I actually got her something. Well, I saw something that made me think of her, and my gran said I should just get it and…” Druig found the little silver drawstring pouch and extracted the contents. Phastos came closer to get a better look, and to some surprise, Druig found he didn’t mind the close proximity. “When should I give them to her?”

“These are nice.”

“I know how much she loves her earrings. But should I wait until we’re officially together, or should I give them to her sooner? I don’t want her to think there are, like, strings attached or something.”

“Are there?”

“Of course not.”

“Then she won’t think that.”

“How can you—” Phastos laughed.

“You are way overthinking this, man. She knows you, right?” Druig nodded. He was tempted to admit that Makkari probably knew him better than anyone except his grandmother. “Then she’ll appreciate the gift from you. After all, who doesn’t like presents?”

“She told me once that me being her friend was present enough,” Druig muttered. “Back when we were kids.”

“Now that’s adorable.” Phastos narrowed his gaze. “Were you adorable as a kid? I mean, Makkari, obviously. That I can imagine, no problem. But you…I’m having trouble.”

“I had a bowl-cut back then,” Druig confessed. It was a little weird how easily he could tell Phastos this, and a little weird how when Phastos laughed at the thought of Druig with a bowl-cut, Druig laughed, too. “But you’re right about Makkari. She was gorgeous, even back then. Big brown eyes.”

“Well, I suppose between the two of you, you’ll have decent-looking children. But not until after you’ve both graduated.”

“Hey Phastos, fuck you.”

“Fuck you, too.” But he smiled as he said it, and Druig smiled, too.

* * *

Makkari sighed as she set her bag on her bed. She didn’t think she’d missed college while she had been on break, but now, it felt oddly nice to be back. Maybe this was becoming a home for her after all.

As she began unpacking, the door opened and Sersi walked in. Her eyes widened at the sight of Makkari. Makkari froze. She and Sersi had been cordial enough after Thanksgiving, but that had been with the understanding that they only had to be around each other for two more weeks. Now, they had a whole four months in front of them.

“You’re back.” Sersi surged forward and hugged her. “I’m so glad! Why didn’t you text?”

“I guess I didn’t think to.” Makkari took a breath. “I realized, I never apologized for what happened. It wasn’t any of my business to tell you how to live your life, and I’m sorry—”

“Don’t worry about it.” Sersi’s smile was genuine as she squeezed Makkari’s hand. “We’re friends. We’re allowed to butt into each others’ lives every now and then. You were just looking out for me. And I could never stay mad at you. You’re too sweet.”

“I’m sorry all the same.”

“Your apology is accepted. Do you want to get coffee?”

“Sure.” They headed to the coffee shop in the bookstore, Makkari feeling much lighter now that she knew where she and Sersi stood.

“Speaking of butting into each others’ lives,” Sersi began with a sly smile, “may I ask how you and Druig are?”

“Still not together. Getting closer though.”

“At least you’re going somewhere. That’s better than the alternative.” Makkari’s brow furrowed, catching a hint of longing in Sersi’s expression.

“How are you and Ikaris?”

“Fine, I suppose. I’ve told you I live fairly locally. He does, too. I asked if he wanted to come over for dinner one night, meet my parents. He said that was a bit too fast.” Makkari gave her a sympathetic nudge.

“He might be right. I mean, I hate to take his side—” Sersi rolled her eyes— “but you’ve only been together for, what, four months?”

“I realize that. I just…I don’t know. I still like him and everything. But maybe he’s not the one.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t date him a while longer, while it’s fun.”

“I know. I’m just also watching my best friend play out an epic romance, and I can’t help but be a little jealous.”

“Please, don’t be jealous!” Makkari laughed. Then her eyes widened. “Wait, did you say I’m your best friend?”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes. And you’re my best friend?”

“After Druig, of course.” Makkari rolled her eyes.

“Of course.” They reached the counter and ordered their coffees. “Have any fun plans for the semester?”

“I just want it to get warmer. This cold is…” Sersi faltered for a moment as if she caught sight of something behind Makkari. “The cold, it’s annoying, and, and I don’t—” Makkari turned around to see what had distracted her, but there didn’t seem to be anything. When she turned back, Sersi was fighting a smile.

“What’s—”

A pair of hands were on her shoulders. She blinked and turned to find Druig right behind her. He grinned as her surprise turned into a huge smile. She threw her arms around his neck, and his hands were on her back, holding her close. As they rocked back and forth in their embrace, Makkari felt like she’d taken a breath for the first time since leaving in November. Of course they’d texted, but oh, how she’d missed this.

“Hello, gorgeous,” he greeted when they pulled back.

“Hi! I was going to text you, I…” Her gaze narrowed as she trailed off. “Wait, am I expected to believe you just happened to be here at the same time as us?” Makkari shot an accusing look at Sersi. “Did you text him again?”

“I had nothing to do with this,” Sersi swore before raising her hands defensively.

“She didn’t,” Druig added. “I just have a sixth sense that goes off when the most beautiful woman in the world is near.”

“I missed you, too.” Makkari found his hand and squeezed.

“I can go,” Sersi offered. “If you two want—”

“Absolutely not.” Makkari released Druig’s hand and went to stand with her (apparently) best friend. “This is our coffee date, and it’s girls only.”

“Looks like you’ve stolen my girl, Sersi,” Druig observed with a mock pout that was about the most adorable thing Makkari had ever seen.

“My secret plan all along,” Sersi affirmed. Makkari grinned.

“I’ll text you,” she told Druig. “We’ll do something this week, okay?”

“Sounds good to me.” Druig snagged her hand and dropped a kiss on the back. “You two have fun.”

The girls got their coffees and took their leave giggling. Sersi looped her arm through Makkari’s as they strolled across campus. Makkari glanced once over her shoulder back at Druig to see him smiling as he left. Yes, it was very nice to be back.

* * *

“So, what exactly did you tell your grandmother about me?” Makkari asked, nudging Druig. “Your text was very ominous.”

“Only good things,” Druig swore. “Not that there is anything bad.”

“I’d love to meet her one day.”

“I’m sure we can make that happen.” They walked in silence for a bit. Druig couldn’t help but smile as he saw the way Makkari was fidgeting with her box of leftovers from lunch. “Just ask.”

“What?”

“You’ve been avoiding the topic for nearly a whole hour. Just ask.” Makkari’s smile faltered for a moment, and her hands hesitated before signing.

“How’s your therapy going?”

“It’s going really well.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. My therapist said I’m making really good progress. She’s shown me some coping mechanisms that are really helpful. I honestly feel better than I have in a long time.” Makkari slipped her hand into his and squeezed.

“I’m really proud of you.” She loosened her grip slightly, but Druig held on. She looked up at him, and he shrugged. She smiled and adjusted her hand in his. How perfectly it fit. “Will you tell me about your coping mechanisms? Is any of it something I can help with?”

“A lot of it is about state of mind. Like…okay, she has this concept of big knives and small knives. One big knife is going to hurt more than one small knife, right? But if you have a bunch of small knives, that could hurt as much as one big knife, yeah? Like, a lot of homework assignments all due at once can be as stressful as one exam. So maybe you have an issue that seems pretty insignificant, but when you put it together with a lot of other small issues, it can be overwhelming. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense.”

“So dropping some of the small, less important issues gives you more energy to deal with the important ones. I mean, it’s really interesting. She’s kind of teaching me how my brain works and how I can hack it. A lot of the times we just talk…” Druig trailed off as he saw how big Makkari’s smile had gotten. “What?”

“You’re like Kingo when he talks about his movies.”

“And?”

“And it’s fun to watch you talk about something you’re passionate about.” She tilted her chin, and Druig almost instinctively mimicked her. “I’d even say it’s rather attractive.”

“Is that so?”

“And maybe I’m not the only one with a potential PhD in their future.” Druig blinked.

“You think I should be a therapist?”

“I think you’ve found a field that really interests you.”

“Oh, you had to go all academic advisor on me.” Druig bumped her playfully. “I’m about to get enough of that in my meeting today.”

“You actually have a meeting?”

“Yeah.” Druig checked his watch. “It starts, oh, shit, five minutes. I completely lost track of time. I’ve gotta go!”

“Wait!” Makkari caught his arm and pulled him close enough to peck his cheek. “For luck.”

“Thanks, beautiful.” He gave her a wink before dashing off.

Of course, his academic advisor’s office was all the way across campus. Thankfully, it was a fairly small campus. Once inside the building, he took a moment to try and catch his breath. Then, he walked up the stairs and knocked on her door, right on time.

“Come on in.” He entered. “It’s nice to see you again, Druig. Please, take a seat.” As he sat down, his advisor shuffled some forms that Druig caught his name on. “I have to say, I was a bit surprised to get your email.”

“It’s a small knives thing,” Druig replied, a smile tugging at his lips. “The whole pick a major thing has been bugging me, and I’d really like to get it sorted out.”

“Well, we can certainly explore some possibilities in more depth. Are you still set on studying the human psyche?” Druig nodded. “Have you given it any thought since we last met in the fall?”

“Some, I guess. I’m, well, I’m seeing a therapist at the moment, and the things we talk about interest me. But I’m not sure if I want to be a therapist.” His advisor smiled.

“Well, that’s a good place to start. What about it is attractive to you?”

“I like knowing why I feel what I feel, why I think the way I do. I mean, she’s really making a difference in my life.”

“And does that interest you? Helping others?” Druig blinked. He’d never really thought of his study of why human brain function the way they do as something he could use to help others. It had always been about trying to make sense of himself. But when she said it as straightforward as that…

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“May I ask, Druig, why you’re in therapy?”

“I was in the foster system for a bit when I was ten. It kind of messed me up.”

“Have you thought about pursuing a path in that field?” The advisor turned to her computer. “We offer a degree in social work, you know. Let me find the catalogue…ah, here. Yes, most of the introductory psychology course you’ve taken would count towards it.”

“I could be a social worker?” Druig felt slightly dumbfounded. Even as he said it, he felt as though something was sliding into place.

“I have a sister,” his advisor said slowly. “She went to speech therapy for most of her childhood. And when she got to college, you know what she wanted to do? She wanted to help kids who had the same struggles as her. I’m not saying it’s the same for everyone…”

“I could help kids like me,” Druig murmured. How many boys and girls were hiding in their closets, terrified of the very people who were supposed to take care of them? How many were confused and questioning why their lives had changed so drastically, so suddenly? “I can do that?”

“You don’t have to decide right now.” His advisor passed him a form. “Just have that filled out and returned to me before you register for your classes for next fall, okay?”

“Okay.” Druig stood. “Thank you. This was…thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

* * *

“Oh, thank God, you’re back.” Sersi stood as Makkari entered their dorm. “My calculus is killing me. You’re good at it, right? Do you think you could…” Her gaze narrowed as she noticed the groceries Makkari had. “What’s all this?”

“Nothing.”

“No, no, what is it?” Sersi peeked into one of the bags. “What on earth are you doing with this much candy?”

“It’s for Valentine’s Day.”

“You don’t like candy.”

“Some people do.”

“Right.” Sersi crossed her arms over her chest. “This is all for Druig isn’t it?”

“Were you saying something about calculus? Do you want me to—”

“Makkari!” Sersi was laughing as she spilled one of the bag out, revealing a wide arrange of Valentine’s chocolate and candy. “You realize that if you’d waited until after, you could have gotten this at half the price?”

“Yeah, but it needs to be on Valentine’s Day.” Makkari shoved the candy back into the bag. “For Halloween, Druig came over, at your recommendation, may I remind you, and he bought a ton of candy with him. This is the other candy holiday of the year. It’s my turn.”

“You two are going to be insufferable once you’re actually together, aren’t you?” Sersi said with a groan. Makkari shrugged, a smile tugging at her lips.

“I just think that after what he’s been going through, he deserves a little sweetness.”

“Makkari, I promise you, the only sweetness he wants in his life is you.”

“Don’t say it like that!” Makkari flung a pillow at her roommate. “I just want to make him smile. He has the prettiest smile, have you noticed?”

“No, perhaps you could tell me more.” Makkari all but lit up, and Sersi pursed her lips against a laugh.

“His nose gets all scrunchy, and his eyes crinkle, and it’s like…sunshine.”

“Girl, have you got it bad.”

“I know.” Makkari leaned closer, as if she and Sersi weren’t already alone in their dorm. “Every time I see him, I really, really want to kiss him. It wasn’t like that at all last semester. Or, it happened a few times, but not on a consistent level like now. I think it’s because we kissed before Thanksgiving and—”

“Hold on, you two kissed before Thanksgiving?” Makkari nodded. “You never told me!”

“It was literally the day I left. And it was just a quick, good-bye kiss.” Makkari squeezed her lip between two fingers. Sometimes, if she concentrated, she could still feel it. “We ran into each other on Wednesday. He told me he’s finally decided on a major. He wants to be a social worker.”

“That’s great that he—”

“A social worker, Sersi! He wants to help kids like me and like him, and—” Makkari buried her head in her hands for a moment— “it’s so goddamned attractive!”

“Oh, you are absolutely adorable.”

“Shut up.” Makkari plucked at the grocery bag. “Do you think this is too much?”

“No, I don’t.” Sersi moved closer and wrapped an arm around her. “I think he’ll love it. Just like he loves you.”

“He doesn’t—”

“He loves you, you love him, and you’re gonna get your happily ever after if I have anything to do with it.” Makkari sighed and let her head fall on Sersi’s shoulder.

“You’re a really good friend.”

“I know.”

* * *

It was nearly seven when Druig got a call from Makkari. His brow furrowed. He was pretty sure she was still at a track meet. And what was stranger was that it was an audio call.

“Hello?” he asked slowly as he answered.

“Is this Druig?” an unfamiliar female voice asked. Druig clenched his jaw slightly.

“Is Makkari okay? Where is she? Does she need—”

“Please, calm down. Makkari is fine. She got a bit injured at the meet today. We don’t want to send her home alone.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Druig grabbed his jacket, but paused before he left. Of course, he wanted to be with Makkari on Valentine’s, but he’d known how busy she was, and hadn’t planned on pushing in. But now, it seemed like the universe was giving him a sign. Which was strange since it had never shown much interest in him before. Before he could second guess himself, he grabbed the little silver pouch that had been sitting in his desk drawer for nearly a month.

It was a short walk to the track. He tried not to sprint the whole way there, telling himself that Makkari was with her coaches, and she would be fine. A lean, middle-aged woman was waiting in front of the field house.

“Druig?”

“Yes.”

“She’s right inside. Go on in.”

“Thanks.” Once again, he hesitated. “Why did you call me? Why not her roommate?”

“She didn’t want to call anyone at all. She insisted she was fine.”

“Yeah, she’s stubborn like that.”

“She is. But, she finally said we could call you. It was you, or nothing.” Druig nodded, trying not to blush. “Don’t keep her waiting.”

“Thanks.”

Druig found Makkari on a bench, carefully wrapping a slightly swollen ankle. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe, trying to look stern. When she noticed him and looked up, a smile spread across her face. That certainly made things harder.

“Happy Valentine’s,” she signed in greeting.

“Are you okay?” he asked, nodding to her foot. Makkari shrugged and nodded. “What did you do?”

“I strained it at some point yesterday. Technically, I shouldn’t have been running, and definitely not as hard as—”

“You think?”

“Shut up. I wasn’t going to lose because of a bad ankle. And I didn’t.” Druig sighed and crossed to kneel in front of her.

“You could have really hurt yourself.” She rolled her eyes.

“I didn’t. I’m fine.” She leaned forward, her face dangerously close to his. “You need to stop being so protective of me.”

“You’re the one who’s been jumping off swings since you were nine.” Makkari pouted.

“Kiss it better?” She gently kicked his shoulder. Druig smirked and took hold of her calf. He bowed his head and pressed his lips to the bandages. Her sharp inhale made it well worth it.

“I’m taking you home.” In one fluid motion, he scooped Makkari off the bench and into his arms.

“Are you seriously going to carry me all the way back to my dorm?”

“You bet I am.”

“You’re ridiculous.” Her hands were still as they made it out of the field house and back towards the school. “I was going to text you after my meet. Ask you if you wanted to come over. Maybe watch some cheesy romcom.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“No, you’ve got a weird look, like you’re trying not to tell me something, but you really want to tell me.”

“Could I put you down for a minute?”

“You are literally the one who insisted on carrying me, so yes.” Druig smirked as he returned her to the ground, though his insides were a fluttering mess.

“I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket for the pouch. “It would have been your Christmas present if I’d seen you at Christmas. I’ve been waiting for the right time to give it to you.”

“Druig, I’ve told you, I don’t need presents from you.” But when he pressed the pouch into her palm, she obligingly opened it and poured out the contents. Her breath caught as the earrings clinked into her palm, sparkling in the yellow light of the streetlights. She looked up at him.

“Emeralds are a symbol of good fortune, balance, and growth.” Druig explained. “They also happen to be my birthstone.” He stepped closer, placing a hand on her waist. “I’m ready when you are, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“You are?”

“Yes.”

“So I can kiss you?”

“If you want.” In an instant, Makkari had the earrings in, pocketed the pouch, and threw her arms around his neck. She crashed her lips to his, and he pulled her as close as he could. He kissed her until he couldn’t breath, and then started kissing every inch of her face. He finally pulled away to look at her. She was all but bouncing with excitement. “Shit, we’ve gotta keep you off that foot.” He scooped her back up.

“You have to come back to my dorm now.”

“Why?”

“Because I bought so much candy for you for Valentine’s!” Druig started laughing, or maybe crying, or maybe both. He spun her around, making her laugh. He’d never heard anything so beautiful.

“Do you know that I am absolutely head-over-heels in love with you?”

“I should hope so.” He kissed her again, because he wanted to, because he could. He never wanted to stop.

“You’re a miracle, Makkari. You’re my miracle.”

“I’m also your girlfriend now.” Druig couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping. A strangled noise escaped his throat that he was very glad Makkari couldn’t hear.

“That’s…nice.”

“And you’re my boyfriend?”

“Whatever you want.” He dipped his forehead to hers. “For the rest of ours lives, whatever you want, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“Can we go to my dorm room and watch a cheesy romcom and eat Valentine’s candy?”

“Absolutely.”

Chapter Text

“So.” Druig dropped his backpack and an armful of books on the ground before plopping down next to Makkari. “Where should we go on our first date?”

“Hello to you, too.”

“Right, sorry.” Druig leaned forward to kiss her. “Hi. How are you?”

“I’m good.” She moved to his side so he could wrap an arm around her. This was technically supposed to be a study session, but Makkari had a sneaking suspicion she wouldn’t get much studying done. “Do we need to have a first date?”

“Of course!”

“Okay, but what’s the difference between a date and what we’re doing right now?” Makkari pursed her lips as a thought that she’d been mulling over for the past forty-eight hours came to mind. “What’s the difference between us dating and us just being friends?”

“You mean besides this?” Druig kissed her again, and she couldn’t help but smile against his lips, humming appreciatively.

“Right, besides that.”

“Well, the difference is that we’re going to spend more time with each other, just the two of us. We might talk about things we didn’t talk about before. We might do things we didn’t do before.” Makkari rolled her eyes and swatted him, all while fighting a rising blush. “And if I were to take you out on a date—”

“So you’re taking me out?”

“I mean, I’d like to. I’ve kind of been giving it some thought over the past few months.” Ignoring that, Makkari cocked her head.

“So the boy is going to take out the girl?”

“Makkari, if you’d like to take me out, all you have to do is ask,” Druig crooned, leaning in closer to brush his nose to hers. “But I call first.”

“You call it?” He shrugged.

“Yeah. In fact…” Druig reached into his jacket and pulled out a rosebud-shaped chocolate left over from their Valentine’s stash. He offered it to her like it was a diamond ring. “Makkari, will you make me the happiest man alive and go on a date with me?” She laughed and reached for the chocolate.

“Fine.”

“Fine?” Druig snatched it away with a smirk. “You’re going to have to do better than fine, my darling.”

“Druig!”

“C’mon.” He lifted his chin in challenge. Makkari rolled her eyes and mimicked him.

“Druig, nothing would bring me more joy than going on a date with you.”

“Now that wasn’t so hard, was it?” He pressed the chocolate into her hand and yet another kiss to her lips. It was amazing; she’d been kissed three times in a matter of minutes, and yet every one had set her heart equally aflutter.

“If that’s settled, where should we go on our first date?”

“I had some ideas.” Druig opened his laptop and pulled up not any schoolwork, but a list of local restaurants. “Of course, you could just leave this to me and be surprised.”

“You said you’d given it some thought.” Makkari perched her chin on Druig’s shoulder. “What were you thinking?”

“Now that’s definitely going to be a surprise.”

“A good surprise?”

“I’d never give you anything but.” Makkari closed her eyes for a moment. She was still getting used to the idea that she had a boyfriend, that Druig was that boyfriend, that she was his girlfriend, that she was a girlfriend. It was the quiet moments like this that made it feel so very natural, like they were really meant to be.

“Okay. Surprise me.”

“Really?” Makkari laughed at the way Druig lit up.

“It better be good.”

“It will be spectacular, I swear. All you have to do is be ready at, let’s say six on Friday night?”

“I can do that. What should I wear?”

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll be as beautiful as ever.”

“Sure, but I don’t want to show up to a nice restaurant in jeans.”

“How about I tell Sersi, and she’ll help you so it’ll still be a surprise.”

“Sersi’s terrible at keeping secrets.”

“I think for us, she’ll make an exception.” Makkari smirked. When she’d told her roommate that she and Druig had finally made things official, it had taken Sersi a good few minutes to calm down enough to demand every detail.

“Friday at six?”

“Friday at six.”

* * *

“This was a terrible idea.” Druig groaned as he hung up the phone. He slumped forward, letting his head bang on his desk. “That’s the fifth restaurant that doesn’t have anything available tomorrow night!”

“Well, that is what you get for waiting until the day prior to make reservations,” Phastos said. “I though you’d been planning this since like, her orientation.”

“The general structure, yeah. I was waiting for her to actually say yes before getting to the specifics.” Druig turned to look at his phone. His list of options was growing smaller “I’m screwed.”

“You’re not screwed,” Phastos assured him. “Screwed would be if you’d told her where you were taking her, and now you couldn’t follow through. At least you still have the element of surprise.” Druig made a noise that vaguely sounded like agreement. “Does it have to be a sit-down restaurant?”

“Well, I’m not taking her to McDonald’s, that’s for sure.”

“But maybe you should go for something a little less formal.”

“I said it would be spectacular.”

“Okay, think about your favorite moments with Makkari. What made them spectacular?” Druig exhaled, feeling heat climb his neck.

“Being with her,” he muttered.

“Exactly.” Phastos sat back with a self-satisfied smirk. “You think it’s any different for her?”

“You’re such a sap.”

“No more than you are.”

“What did you do on your first date with Ben?”

“We hung out at his work. Bought each other books. Got coffee.” Phastos shrugged. “Simple stuff, you know?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Druig mused. “Makkari loves books.”

“Don’t you dare copy my first date.”

“I won’t. I’ll save it for, like, a sixth date.”

“Fair enough.”

“So, keep it simple?”

“You can never go wrong with keeping it simple.”

* * *

“Turn for me.” Makkari did. Sersi stepped forward, her gaze scrutinizing. She brushed her shoulder, straightened her sleeve.

“Acceptable?” Makkari asked with a raised brow. Sersi had taken her role of getting Makkari ready for her date very seriously. Makkari thought they were cutting it rather close, with six o’clock mere minutes away.

“You look amazing, if I do say so myself,” Sersi decided. Makkari gave an exaggerated sigh of relief before turning to look at herself in the mirror. Try as she might to use her outfit to get clues on the date, Sersi had remained silent. It was a fairly casual look Makkari had ended up in; a simple, knee-length dress over black legging, her red leather jacket, and a pair of sneakers. The shoes were the most telling.

“Is this going to be a walking-heavy date?” Makkari had asked when Sersi had instructed her to put them on. But Sersi had just shrugged. Her restraint was rather impressive.

“Okay, two minutes,” Sersi said now, checking her phone. “Take off your jacket.”

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me. It’s a move.”

“A move?” Makkari echoed doubtfully, though she slid her jacket off and draped it over the back of her chair. “Do I need to make moves if he’s already taking me out?”

“Because it’s fun. Twenty seconds.”

“You act like he’s going to come at exactly—” Makkari laughed mid-sentence and went to the door. She opened it, and Druig nearly fell through. “You’re adorable.”

“Go back in,” Druig pleaded. “Let me do this right.” Makkari chortled but shut the door. A moment later, the light flashed.

“Who could that be?” Makkari signed to Sersi with a sarcastic expression. She opened the door again and gasped, clasping a hand to her heart. “Druig!”

“Very funny.” He reached for her hand a pressed a kiss to the back, his eyes drifting over her. “You look beautiful this evening.”

“You’re welcome!” Sersi called.

“Would you like to step in while I grab my jacket?” Druig nodded, and Makkari turned to retrieve her coat. She could feel him watch her walk away. Sersi gave her a thumbs up. Makkari made a face at her friend as she pulled her jacket back on. “Ready.”

“My Makkari.” Druig offered his arm.

“Do I get to know where we’re going now?” she asked.

“You’ve waited this long? Why ruin the surprise?”

“Hey, lover boy!” They paused for Sersi. “Have her back by ten, got it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Druig replied with a salute.

“Okay, you kids have fun. Bye!”

“Bye, Sersi.”

It was a short walk from their campus to the local downtown area, but they barely spoke the whole way. Makkari noticed how Druig’s eyes kept darting around nervously, how his fingers twitched as if resisting the urge to reach for something.

“This isn’t weird, is it?” she finally asked.

“What? No, no, of course not.” Druig chuckled. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the weather.” Makkari looked up at the overcast sky. “There shouldn’t be any rain until later tonight, I just don’t…”

“It won’t,” Makkari replied. “I’m sure it’ll hold out.”

“I hope so.”

“Are we close?”

“Yes. In fact…” They rounded the corner. “We’re here.”

Half a dozen food trucks filled the parking lot of one of the office buildings. Picnic benches had been set up, and lights were strung up above. Dozens of people milled about, laughing and talking and eating. There was even live music, probably a local group. A slow smile spread over Makkari’s face as she looked at all the different options, from Korean to Colombian to Cajun. She turned to Druig to find him looking at her intently.

“What do you think?”

“I think it’s spectacular,” Makkari replied, turning to loop an arm around Druig’s neck. “Where do we start?”

“I say we just get everything. You wanna go clockwise?”

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

“Oh, God, oh, it’s so spicy!” Druig lunged for his soda, but Makkari pulled it back.

“You have to eat all of it!” He took a deep breath and shoveled the last bit of shrimp into his mouth.

“It burns!”

“Swallow your food!” Druig did, though it felt like his tongue was on fire. Makkari laughed and handed over the soda before giving him a round of applause. “Well done. Just a few more levels of spiciness, and you’ll be ready for Ajak’s homemade hot sauce.”

“I think no.” Druig gulped down his soda and exhaled in relief. “Where’s the dessert? We got ice cream some where, right?”

“No, we have tres leches cake.” She found the styrofoam container under their many bags. Druig watched as she unwrapped a fresh fork and loaded it with cake. “Open.”

“I was going to pull that one,” he protested teasingly. But he leaned forward to accept the bite.

“Good?”

“Delicious.” They quickly finished off the cake. “Are you ready for part two?”

“There’s a part two?” Druig gathered up all the trash and threw it away.

“If you’ll just follow me.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, smiling as she leaned into him. They headed towards the nearby park. “So, I actually have a confession to make.” Makkari tilted her head to the side, a smile tugging at her lips.

“This wasn’t your plan A, was it?”

“It wasn’t even plan B.” Makkari smirked and let her head fall on his shoulder.

“I loved it.”

“So this would be the part where we take a starlit stroll through the park, but the weather doesn’t seem to want to cooperate.” Druig glared up where the night sky was still cloudy.

“I’d walk with you in any weather,” Makkari replied with a bright smile.

Weather notwithstanding, it was a lovely night. A little crisp, but it was still February, after all, so not bad all things considered. There were even a few trees that were stubbornly blooming, pink blossoms pale in the light of the lampposts that lined their path. They passed a few locals also out on evening walks, but otherwise, it was just Druig and Makkari.

“Look!” They rounded a bend to find a small clearing where a Japanese magnolia was in the early stages of flowering. Makkari ducked out of Druig’s arm to see it up close, eyes closed as she inhaled. “They smell so good!”

“They do.” Druig was barely within a few feet before picking up the floral aroma. He gently touched Makkari’s shoulder, prompting her to turn back to him. “Do you want to dance?”

“There’s no music.”

“So?” He held out a hand, and without hesitation, she took it.

“You could sing.”

“I don’t think we need to inflict that on the poor woodland creatures.” Makkari grinned as she stepped closer to Druig. He held their joined hands over his heart, let his other hand settle on her waist, and began to sway in place.

“This has been the best date I’ve had,” Makkari signed with her free hand. “Thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.” Makkari sighed and rested her head against his chest. After about a minute of swaying, he tapped her for her attention again. “I’m gonna kiss you now.” She smiled.

“I was wondering when you would.”

It was still a wonder to him that he could just kiss her whenever he wanted. He moved his hand from her waist to cradle her cheek and leaned down. His lips had barely touched hers before she was snaking an arm around his neck to pull him closer. He moved both of his hands to the small of her back, lifting her off her toes ever so slightly. For a moment, he considered backing her up to the trunk of the tree so he could really kiss her, but then…

A drop on his hand.

Makkari pulled back slightly, her brow furrowing as she felt something too.

“Was that—?”

“No, it definitely wasn’t.” Come on, just half an hour more. Surely Druig could will the rain away for just half an hour more. But then another drop, right on the tip of Makkari’s nose. “Well, shit.”

“We’re getting caught kissing in the rain,” Makkari marveled, turning her face upwards in awe. The few drop quickly turned into a drizzle. She threw both of her arms around his neck and kissed him again. “This is the best first date ever!” Druig couldn’t help but laugh as she took what he’d just been considering an unfortunate development in stride.

“We should head back before this gets any worse,” he insisted anyway.

“One more kiss?”

“You don’t need to ask me twice.” This time, he cradled her wet face in both hands and kissed her. A damp chill was starting to set in, but her mouth was warm, and it sent waves of heat right to his toes. But even as they kissed, her teeth began to chatter. “Oh, sweetheart, c’mere.” He unzipped his jacket and tucked her inside, against his chest, trying to offer some warmth. “Inside with you.”

* * *

They managed to avoid the worst of the rainstorm, reaching Makkari’s dorm just as it really began to pour. She suddenly felt strangely shy as he walked her up to her room. She had a perfect excuse to ask him to come in. Did he want her to ask him to come in? Did she want him to come in?

“This one you?” Druig asked as she nearly walked right past her own door. She smiled nervously. “Where’s that beautiful mind at?”

“I was thinking…” She took a deep breath. “Do…”

“You know, I’m helping Phastos with something early in the morning.” Makkari pursed her lips against a sigh of relief. “I should get going.”

“Right. Of course.” Druig took a step closer so she was cornered against her door.

“Good night, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.” He leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her lips. “Sleep well.”

“Good night.” Makkari fumbled for a moment with her keys, then managed to slip inside, where she promptly slumped against the door, smiling giddily. She looked up to find Sersi sitting on her bed, grinning broadly, the only indication that she’d moved at all since she’d left being that she’d changed into pajamas.

“How was it?”

“Perfect.”

* * *

“Okay, this is her last event of the meet.”

“We know, Druig.”

“Four hundred meter hurdles.”

“We know, Druig.”

“Fifty-five-point-four seconds is the qualifying time for the Olympics.”

“Druig!” Phastos and Sersi exclaimed at the same time.

“What?”

“We know all of this,” Sersi said. “You have been giving us stats all through the meet. I really thought that was going to be Phastos’ job.”

“Hey, just because I know a lot of random, useless information doesn’t mean I know all of the random, useless information.”

“This isn’t random, useless information,” Druig protested.

“It’s not like if she sets a qualifying time here, she’ll be invited to the Olympics.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Guys! It’s starting.” They all turned their attention to the track. Makkari was crouched in position, perfectly still.

“Set,” came a voice over the loudspeaker. Druig pressed up against the railing. The pistol went off, and the race began. Makkari seemed to fly. Druig didn’t know much about form, but he thought hers was beautiful. She leapt over one hurdle after the other, her pace never faltering. And then, the final stretch. Sersi grabbed his wrist as she jumped up and down. Makkari was neck-in-neck with two other girls. She put on a burst of speed and pulled ahead. She crossed the finish line mere milliseconds before the others.

“She won!” Sersi exclaimed. “She won, she won!”

“That’s my girlfriend!” Druig exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically.

As soon as he was able, he clamored down from the bleachers, Sersi and Phastos close behind. Makkari was near the field house, out of breath but smiling as she spoke with her coach. Druig waved his arms to catch her attention. Her smile widened. She excused herself and sprinted towards him with such speed, he stumbled back a few paces as he caught her and spun her around.

“How do you still have energy after that race?” he said as he returned her to the ground.

“How was it?”

“You were incredible, of course!”

“That was really something,” Phastos said as he and Sersi caught up.

“It’s so amazing to watch,” Sersi added. “You look so cool when you run. It’s like your feet barely touch the ground, and you’re practically flying!”

“Thank you,” Makkari replied. “And thank you both for coming. It really means a lot.”

“Do I get a thank you?” Druig teased, bumping her gently.

“You’re her boyfriend. You’re legally obligated to come,” Sersi said. Makkari laughed as she slipped her hand in Druig’s.

“I’d come no matter what,” he insisted.

“Aw, look at you two.” Phastos grinned as he looked between Makkari and Druig. “All happy and in love. It’s hard to believe a year ago, Druig was just my quiet, moody roommate.” Druig looked at Makkari accusingly.

“You went and ruined my reputation.”

“You could stop holding my hand.”

“Shut up, I’m keeping this forever.” He lifted her hand to his lips.

“They’re just sickening, aren’t they?” Sersi said, wrinkling her nose. Phastos nodded in fervent agreement.

“You’d think after almost three weeks, they would have cooled down.”

“Hey, quit talking about us like we’re not here,” Makkari interjected. “Do your gossiping behind our backs, like normal people. Now can we please get some food? I’m starving.”

“Brilliant idea, m’darling, as always.”

* * *

“I am so over this paper!” Makkari complained, slamming her laptop shut and pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. She looked over to Druig for some sympathy only to find him repressing a smirk as his eyes darted back to the same page he’d been reading for the past half hour. The smirk fell away as he met her eyes with a sweet smile. “Fuck off.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault I finished my midterms.” He climbed off the bed to kneel behind her, sliding his arms around her shoulders. “But this paper is all you have left, right?”

“Yes.” She arched her neck to look at him. “And it’s not technically due until Friday, but I was really hoping to get it done before I went home tomorrow. This stupid concession/refutation section is just driving me insane.”

“Maybe what you need is a distraction.” Druig leaned forward to graze the tip of his nose along the curve of her neck. Makkari groaned regretfully and pulled away.

“Let me at least figure out how to start this paragraph. Just a few minutes.” Druig smirked and kissed her temple.

“I’ll be waiting.” He returned to the bed to read. With a deep breath, Makkari opened her laptop and started typing. She still couldn’t figure out a good hook for this section, but she did set up the counterargument, and rather nicely, if she did say so herself. The rest could come later.

“Done,” she declared, all but jumping on top of Druig. “Ten minutes, then I go back to work. Deal?”

“Deal.”

Druig seized her by the waist and flipped their positions so he was pressing her into the mattress. Makkari’s surprised squeal was quickly swallowed by his mouth. She let him take charge, happy to give in to sensation and think of nothing but his lips on hers.

“Am I too heavy?” he signed against her arm, trying to prop himself up on one elbow so he wasn’t completely crushing her under his weight.

“No. You’re perfect.”

“And you.” He pulled away, eliciting a small whine from Makkari that quickly caught in her throat as he began to gently trail his lips along her jaw. “This all right?” he spoke into her skin, forming each word carefully so she could feel it.

“Yes.”

“And this?” As light as a feather, he kissed down her neck. Makkari shivered and nodded fervently. “What about this?” He found her pulse point and began to suck delicately. Makkari grasped at the sheets with one hand.

“Fuck, Druig,” she signed with the other, fingerspelling against his side as the overwhelming sensation made her forget all but the basics of her own language. “Don’t stop.” He didn’t. Makkari let her fingers slide into his hair, gripping slightly as his sweet, clever mouth lavished the point with attention. But then, he was pulling away again. “I said don’t stop.”

“I gotta, unless you want a hickey, and I don’t think you want to explain one of those when you go home.” Makkari pouted.

“Don’t remind me that I have to go a whole week without you.”

“You went nine years without me, remember?”

“That was before I knew what a good kisser you were.” She pushed herself up to kiss him. And then again, because he was smiling at her, and it was the prettiest thing she’d ever seen.

By the third kiss, he was easing her back into the mattress. She moved a hand to his chest before gliding her tongue along his lower lip, relishing the vibrations that rumbled under her fingers in response. And then he found his way into her mouth and was doing that thing with his tongue that sent all her blood right between her legs. She couldn’t help it. Her hand flew up to grip the little hairs on the back of his head and tugged him away.

And he moaned. She could feel the vibrations in his chest, and it made her own heart flip at having done that to him. He said something, she felt that, too. She tapped him on the shoulder. When he pulled back, she found him bright red.

“What?” Makkari asked with a laughing smile. “What did you say?”

“I didn’t mean to—”

“I don’t care. I’m glad if it made you feel good.” Judging by the gentle poking she felt near her hip, it definitely had. “Now what did you say?”

“Brilliant girl,” he finally admitted. She watched his mouth form the words, her entire body trembling slightly. She gave his hair another, experimental tug. His eyes rolled back ever so slightly. She grinned.

“Your brilliant girl,” she signed with her free hand. “And don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.”

“Your brilliant girl has to get back to work now.” She kissed him, and he quickly caught her cheek to keep her there.

“One more minute.”

“No, I have to—”

Suddenly, the light at the door flashed, and an instant later, Sersi walked in. Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. Makkari felt blood rush to her face. She gave her roommate an awkward wave from where Druig had her pinned to the bed.

“I’m just gonna leave,” Sersi decided, keeping her face perfectly neutral. “Do not get her pregnant,” she ordered Druig. He buried his face in Makkari’s shoulder but gave her a thumbs up. With a satisfied nod, Sersi left. Makkari shook with silent laughter.

“Maybe you should just go,” she said. “You are rather distracting.”

“Don’t leave tomorrow without saying goodbye.”

“I won’t.” Druig gave her one last kiss before extracting himself, grabbing his bag, and heading out.

Alone on her bed, Makkari squeezed her eyes shut, smiling so wide it made her cheeks hurt as she wiggled with excitement. She’d been properly made out with. What a thing to look forward to when she came back from spring break.

* * *

It was mostly boredom that drove Druig to the campus bookstore on his spring break Friday. But also laziness, because if he’d really wanted to browse for books, he would have done better to make the trek to the Books-A-Million in town. The campus bookstore had a much smaller selection, its merchandise mostly consisting of school supplies, college paraphernalia, and textbooks. He was looking through the single row of fiction novels when he a set of hand suddenly wrapped around to cover his eyes. A very familiar perfume of citrus and shea filled his senses.

“Makkari!” He whirled around to pull her into his arms, laughing in disbelief. “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were coming back until Sunday!”

“I wanted to surprise you!”

“Well, you definitely succeeded.” He leaned down to kiss her, letting his hands fall to her waist to tug her even closer.

“I was thinking, since Sersi is staying with her parents until Sunday, do you want to have a sleepover?”

“What a romantic way to put it.” Makkari grinned and swatted his shoulder.

“I didn’t mean…” She flushed slightly, pursing her lips and glancing down at her feet for an instant before looking back at him. “An entirely clothed sleepover. Movies, pizza, some light making-out. That is what I am proposing.”

“That sounds like a very fun time.”

“Okay.” She was bouncing with shy, adorable excitement. “You wanna come over now, or do you need to grab some things?” Druig shrugged.

“Will you think poorly of me if I come over as I am?”

“I quite like you as you are,” Makkari replied brightly. “But no, I won’t judge you if you don’t bring a change of clothes.”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Hand in hand, they went to Makkari’s dorm. She detailed the trip she, Ajak, and Sprite had taken to the beach as they went. Once safely inside her room, Druig tried to pin her to the door, eager for the making-out portion of the evening. But she laughed and ducked under his arm before shoving him towards her bed.

“Slow down, baby. You pick a movie for us. I want to check my emails real quick. Kingo’s premiering one of his movies at a film festival soon. He supposed to send us tickets.”

“Sounds fun.” Druig flopped onto her bed and opened her laptop to browse one of the streaming platforms she already had brought up. Makkari sat down at her desk to scroll through her phone. He was distracted from his task by her sudden gasp. “What is it?”

“My archaeology professor just sent an email about an event they’re doing at the museum downtown on Sunday. We can get extra credit if we go and write an essay…” She paused to scroll down. Druig leaned over to look as well.

“I have a orientation leader meeting that night, or I would love to go with you.” He found the time the event started. “Will Sersi be able to go with you?”

“I don’t know. I might just go alone. Archaeology isn’t exactly her thing.”

“Will you, will you be able…” Druig took a deep breath, trying to find a way to express his concerns. Makkari just laughed.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I mean, does anyone else in your class know ASL?”

“Druig, it’s okay, really. There’s an exhibit, so it’s not like—”

“I know, but I’m not gonna let you go without—”

“Let me?” Makkari’s jaw clenched. Druig felt all the blood rush from his face. Fuck. That had been the wrong thing to say. The look in her eyes made him take a step back. “Okay, first of all, you interrupting me is just rude in of itself. Second of all, to be clear, you don’t let me do anything. And finally, I am perfectly capable of doing this myself.” He had to fix this, make it go away.

“Makkari, I didn’t mean…I just want to take care of you.”

“I’m not some damsel to be rescued. Yes, I have a disability that makes navigating the world a little harder, but I manage. I can manage perfectly fine without you.”

“Yes, but you don’t have to. I know it’s hard to ask for help, but if you—”

“Don’t you dare turn this on me! This is not an issue with me. When I need help, I do ask. I’m sorry if that’s not the same for you, if you got messed up by your trauma—” Makkari stopped short, as if she was realizing what she was saying.” Druig felt like he’d been slapped in the face. For a moment, he thought he saw her anger dissolve, but then her expression just turned blank. “I think you should go.”

“Yeah, that’s probably best.”

As the door shut behind him, Druig slumped against it, trying to process what had just happened. He and Makkari fought. She was angry at him. He was a little angry at her for what she’d said, but he was mostly just angry at himself. He should have dropped the issue the moment she’d said she would be fine. Why had he pushed?

No, he knew why he’d pushed. He’d been trying to absolve himself. Trying to make excuses for why he said what he’d said rather than just own up to it. He’d dug himself into a hole, and in trying to dig himself out, he’d made it so much worse.

“Don’t go to bed angry,” his grandmother had warned him when he’d first told her about Makkari. At the time, the idea of being angry at Makkari was laughable. He wondered if he should go back and try to make peace. But Makkari had asked him to leave, and he was in no position to contradict her.

Terror clutched him the whole way back to his dorm. What had he done?

* * *

As the door shut behind him, Makkari felt fists she hadn’t even realized she was clenching unfurl. Tears brimmed in her eyes. She felt…she didn’t know what she felt. Anger? Disappointment? Fear? Regret?

Fuck, why had she said that? She was angry at Druig, sure, but it certainly hadn’t warranted that sort of underhanded blow. The hurt look in his eyes had nearly broken her heart.

But even now, she was still angry. Did he really think she was so dependent on others that she couldn’t spend a single evening alone? Was that what he thought caring for her was? Stripping her of her autonomy? Surely not, and yet…

So many times in her life, she’d been treated as a charity case, someone to be pitied and coddled. Druig had never treated her like that. Not until just now.

She blinked back her tears. She really didn’t feel like breaking down that night. Her emotions, her relationship, it could wait until morning. For now, she just wanted to calm down. Fill her mind with some meaningless movie or television show.

She climbed onto her bed and pulled her laptop towards her. Anastasia was pulled up. Druig had pulled it up. He knew how much she loved that movie.

Fuck. Maybe she should text him to come back. Wasn’t it one of the first rules of a relationship not to go to bed angry? Maybe…

The door opened. For a split second, Makkari thought it was Druig, and hope and anger bloomed simultaneously in her chest. But it was Sersi.

“Makkari? What are you doing here?”

“What are you?” Sersi looked exhausted, not as if she’d spent a week having a restful, restorative break. “Are you okay?”

“Are you?” Makkari realized a few tears had made down her cheeks. She reached up to swipe them away.

“Druig and I had a fight.”

“I’m so sorry.” Sersi took a breath. “Ikaris and I broke up. I needed a change of scene.” Makkari stared at her blankly for a minute.

“You win.” Sersi laughed, but it quickly turned to tears. “I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that.”

“It’s okay.” Sersi dropped her bag on the ground. “Can I come sit with you?”

“Yes.” Makkari moved over and set her laptop aside. Sersi climbed up next to her, and the girls both went to wrap an arm around each other. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I guess…I didn’t think breaking up would feel like this.”

“Like what?”

“Like…empty. I thought I’d be angrier.”

“You kind of knew it was coming, right?” Sersi nodded. “What did he…how did he…”

“Oh, no, I broke up with him.” Makkari’s eyes widened.

“Wow. Okay. Good for you. So, aren’t you, relieved, or…I don’t know, the appropriate emotion when you break up with someone?”

“I hoped he would fight for me.” Sersi pulled her legs up to her chest and buried her face between her knees for a moment. “He just let it happen.”

“Maybe letting you go was the best thing he could do for you,” Makkari signed slowly. “Maybe he didn’t want to keep you in a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere.”

“When you love something, let it go?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“That helps, actually.” Sersi sniffed and brushed away her tears. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

“What about you and Druig?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay.” Sersi let her head fall on Makkari’s shoulder. “Though, for what it’s worth, I think you and Druig have something really, really special. Have I mentioned he adores you?”

“Once or twice.”

“He does, Makkari. And I think you feel the same way. So let me ask you, was that fight worth throwing away what you two have?”

“No, of course not.”

“Good. I didn’t think so.” Sersi found Makkari’s hand and squeezed. “Take tonight. Calm down, clear your mind. Text him you want to talk in the morning.”

“Now?”

“He’s probably terrified right now that he completely blew it. Just let him know he didn’t.”

“How are you so good at this?” Sersi shrugged. Makkari grabbed her phone and typed out a text. “Good?” She showed Sersi.

“Good. Send.” She did. A second later, her phone vibrated. “What did he say?”

“Just to have a good night.”

“That’s good, Makkari. He’s giving you space. He probably needs some of his own.” Makkari nodded. She felt a little more sure now.

“I was really scared there for a minute,” she confessed to Sersi.

“And now?”

“Now…I don’t ever want to feel like I’m going to lose him again.” Sersi smiled and wrapped her other arm around Makkari to give her a squeeze. “Thanks for being here. I don’t know what might have happened if I spent the night alone.”

“What are best friends for?”

* * *

Druig tried not to fidget too much as he waited in the little courtyard of Makkari’s dorm building. There was an insecure part of him terrified that she wouldn’t show, and an even more insecure part of him saying he deserved it if she just completely ghosted him. He tried to focus on his breathing; in and out and in and…

There she was. He pursed his lips against an enormous sigh of relief. He made room for her on the bench, keeping a respectful distance between them. As Makkari sat down, he wordlessly passed her a cup of tea.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.” For a while, they just sat there. Finally, he turned to her. “So last night was…just…awful.”

“Yeah.” Druig took a bracing breath.

“Can I apologize?”

“You probably should.”

“I am so sorry that I gave you the impression I don’t think you can take care of yourself. I’m sorry that I tried to make excuses about why I said what I said. I handled the whole situation very poorly.”

“So did I.” She set her tea down to place a hand in between them. Druig gratefully covered it with his own. “I’m sorry for what I said. I know how hard you’ve been working to cope with your trauma, and a lot of that has been for me. I never should have belittled it. I went too far.”

“Look, tell me the truth. Did I completely fuck this up?”

“No. No, of course not.” Makkari moved a little closer. “We had a fight. We learn from it and we grow. Are you ever going to underestimate me again?”

“Never.”

“And I’ll never use your past against you.”

“We’re okay?”

“We’re okay.” Now, Druig did breath a sigh a relief. He held out an arm, and Makkari nestled against his side.

“The day I willingly put this relationship in danger is the day I don’t deserve you anymore.” He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re still the best thing to ever happen to me.”

“My sentiments exactly.” She looked up at him. “Want to come up, get back in bed and watch that movie?”

“Yes, please.” He gently cradled her cheek. She meet his eyes with such sincerity, it almost pulled three little words right from his lips. He bit them back and kissed her instead. They weren’t quite there yet, but soon. Very soon.

Chapter Text

“Ohmigod, get down!” A startled noise escaped Makkari as Sersi pulled her from the ledge where they’d just been enjoying lunch to crouch behind it.

“In the nicest way possible, what the fuck, Sersi?” But her roommate just gestured for her to be still as she tentatively peeked over the ledge. Almost immediately, she ducked back down. “What are you looking—”

“Don’t!” Sersi lightly smacked Makkari’s shoulder as she tried to look up. “I don’t want him to see us!”

“Who? Is it Ikaris?”

“No.” Sersi pursed her lips, flushing slightly. “You know I’m taking that biology lab for my science credit? We got partnered up for a project we’re supposed to do, and my partner, his name is Dane, he’s…”

“Cute?” Makkari guessed with a smirk. She looked up again, scanning the students. “Is it that one in the green sweatshirt?”

“No.”

“What about the one over there, with the curly brown hair?” Sersi’s blush increased, and Makkari grinned triumphantly. “He is cute. Is he nice?”

“As far as I can tell, he’s absolutely lovely.”

“So why don’t you want him to see you?”

“Because I’m worried I’ll do something stupid like ask him out if we spend too much time together.” Makkari laughed. “I’m serious! After Ikaris, I’d really just like to be single for a while.”

“And hiding from him like we’re in grade school is the way to go? You can’t just be friends with him until you’re ready to be in a relationship? Like me and Druig?”

“You and Druig knew a relationship was the end goal. Dane doesn’t know, and he’s not gonna know, and I…” She trailed off as a shadow fell over them. They both looked up to See Druig standing over them, looking very confused.

“What are you do—”

“Get down!” Sersi exclaimed and Makkari signed in unison, both of them grabbing a hand to tug him to the ground.

“Okay, this was not in my afternoon plans.” He looked at Makkari “What are we doing?”

“Hiding from Sersi’s crush.”

“It’s not a crush!” Sersi leaned back against the wall with an exaggerated huff. “It’s…a vague attraction. Which I’m not going to pursue, because it’s been less than three weeks since my last relationship ended!”

“You two could just be friends for a while, like me and Makkari,” Druig suggested.

“That’s what I told her!” Sersi rolled her eyes.

“I hate to break it to you, Druig, but ‘just friends’ do not look at each other the way you looked at Makkari for all those months. If you had told me you just wanted to be her friend, I would have laughed you out of town.” Druig’s jaw dropped in mock offense. He turned to Makkari, but she just shrugged.

“She’s got a point. We kind of left the ‘just friends’ part of this back when we were ten and nine.”

“I could just be your friend,” Druig insisted. “I wouldn’t have any problem with just being friends!”

“Is this you breaking up with me or…?” Druig scoffed and leaned forward to kiss her.

“Never,” he murmured before kissing the tip of her nose.

“Are you two done being the epitome of romance?” Sersi complained.

“Sorry,” Makkari signed half-heartedly as Druig rested his head on her shoulder. Sersi rolled her eyes and peaked over the ledge again.

“Okay, he’s gone. I’ve gotta go. See you later.” Sersi gathered her things and left. Druig repositioned himself so his head was in Makkari’s lap. She leaned against the wall with a happy sigh, her fingers quickly finding their way into Druig’s hair.

“It’s not so bad down here,” he decided. “Excellent view.”

“From here too,” Makkari replied. She cocked her head, admiring the way Druig’s irises lit up in the sunshine. “You have such pretty eyes.”

“We could have just been friends, right?”

“Are you still on that?”

“I mean, you know I’m not just trying to get in your pants, right?” Makkari laughed, fighting a blush.

“I know.”

“Not that I wouldn’t like to…get into your…” Druig made a face, his ears turning pink. “That did not come out right at all.”

“You make up for it by being adorable,” Makkari replied brightly, leaning down to kiss his forehead.

* * *

Druig stretched as the credits began to roll. For a moment, he just stared up at the stars, taking in the cool night air and the feeling of Makkari’s hand in his. Some club or other had set up a movie night on the green, with free pizza to boot. Druig had suggested it for their Friday night date.

He turned to Makkari, grinning to find her fast asleep. That was fine. He didn’t really care if she watched the movie or not. With finals just a few weeks away, Makkari was already throwing herself headlong into studying, determined to make it onto the President’s list. Like any good boyfriend, Druig had noticed that she needed a break and, hence, the movie.

“Hey, beautiful,” he murmured, leaning down to ghost his lips along her cheek. “Show’s over. It’s time to go.” Her eyes fluttered slowly, enchantingly open. She smiled up at him, and for a moment, her sleep-soft features reminded him of the girl who’d whisked him away to a secret kingdom nearly ten years ago.

“Hi.”

“Come on, we gotta clear out.” He helped her off the blanket and to her feet before hastily folding it and draping it over his arm. She slipped her hand into his, resting her head on his shoulder.

“That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages,” she signed with her free hand. “Though I’m sorry I slept through the movie.”

“Don’t be. I’m just glad you gave that beautiful brain of yours a break.” Makkari was uncharacteristically quiet for the rest of the walk to her dorm, but Druig figured she was just still half-asleep. “Don’t stay up all night studying,” he teased when they reached her door. He was about to lean in to kiss her good-night when she pressed a hand to his chest, stopping him.

“I still owe you a sleepover.” Druig blinked.

“What?”

“You were supposed to spend the night with me that time. We never made it up.”

“Makkari, I—”

“Stay.” She looked up at him with those big brown eyes, and for God’s sake, he still hadn’t figured out how to say no to that. “Sersi’s spending the weekend with her parents. Stay. Please.”

“As you wish.” She opened the door and he followed her in, suddenly awkward, as if he had never bee inside her dorm before. He continued standing awkwardly by the bed while she pulled off her various rings and earrings. She turned to him with a smirk.

“Are you just going to stare at me like that all night?”

“Sorry,” Druig replied, flushing. Makkari just smirked again and slipped behind her closet door to change. Druig tried to relax. After a minute, she stepped out, wearing an oversized t-shirt that looked suspiciously like one he’d been missing for several weeks.

“You little thief,” he said, crossing to slide his arms around her. “My beautiful, beautiful Makkari.” He kissed her, gently backing her up to the bed. “I seem to recall light making-out in the description for the sleepover.”

“You don’t want me up late studying, but you’ll keep me up to kiss me?” Makkari disapprovingly clicked her tongue. “Bad influence.” But she let him lift her to sit on the edge of the bed. He stepped forward to stand between her legs. Her knee hooked over his hip as if to pull him closer.

Sitting on her bed, Makkari was about the same height as him, and she took advantage of it as her lips left his to explore his neck. Druig played with the hem of her — wait, his; no, hers — shirt. When his fingers brushed her spine, she shivered, pausing her ministrations. Seeing a way to get some respite, he slipped a hand up her shirt. Her back was warm, which meant his fingers must feel very cold to her, explaining her breathy little gasp. Hoping to hear the sound again, Druig continued tracing up and down her spine.

And then, without thinking, Druig slipped his hand to her front, caressing her stomach briefly before skimming up and up to her—

“Fuck.” He all but jumped back as Makkari inhaled sharply. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have…I didn’t…” How was he ruining this two times in a row? “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Makkari was blushing fiercely, but she didn’t look angry. She just crawled up to the head of her bed and under the covers. She gestured for Druig to join her, which he did, albeit while keeping as much distance as he could between them. “So, sex.” Druig watched her hands out of the corner of his eye, trying not to look directly at her, though he could feel Makkari’s gaze on him, watching for a reaction. “That’s a thing that exists.”

“Yes.” His face flushed. “Where are you going with this?”

“Just wanting to know where you stand on it.”

“Like…” he worried his lip, “with you? Or in general?”

“Do you want us to have sex?” God, she wanted to have this talk now.

“Do you?”

“I asked first.” Druig turned fully towards her to find she’d crossed her arms over her chest and was waiting expectantly. He groaned and buried his face in his hands a minute, trying to get his thoughts — and certain parts of his body — to behave.

“Okay, yes. I do. A lot. You have no idea.” A slow smile spread over Makkari’s lips.

“Really?” Druig huffed.

“You are the most beautiful creature on the planet, probably in the entire universe. Of course I want to worship every inch of you. Of course I want to make you mine. But I want to do it properly, and I’m sorry I jumped the gun just now.” He swallowed hard, though the grin on Makkari’s face was infectious, and he found himself biting back a smile of his own. “Is that what you wanted to see?”

“You can’t blame a girl for being curious.”

“You’re such a menace,” Druig grumbled before pulling her into his lap to kiss right behind her ear, a place he’d found to be incredibly ticklish.

“Stop it!” She tried to escape, but he held firm. “I’d like to have sex with you, too!” That all but knocked the wind right out of him. She twisted to look up at him with a coy smile. “I could mess you up good, pretty boy.”

“You could,” Druig agreed. He reached up to drag his thumb along her jaw. “You’d probably ruin me forever.” Her breath hitched, and he could all but see her enjoying that thought.

“One day.” She relaxed against him. “Maybe next semester we could take a weekend trip together.”

“Have you to myself for a whole weekend?” Druig shifted so he was lying down, Makkari curled in his arms as if she was always meant to be there. “Forget sex. That alone sounds like heaven.”

“Note taken.”

“Can I turn out the light?” She nodded Druig twisted to switch the lamp off. When he turned back, he kissed Makkari on the forehead. “Good night, my Makkari.”

“Good night, my Druig.”

* * *

Makkari blinked lazily awake to find herself in the warm circle of Druig’s arms. Oh, yes, she could get used to this. She kissed his jaw before snuggling close to go back to sleep. But Druig shifted next to her, his chest rumbling as he said something. Makkari pulled back so she could watch his lips.

“Am I still dreaming, or is that really you I’m waking up to in my arms?”

“I’m real.” Druig narrowed his gaze and kissed her. He pulled away with a smirk.

“So you are.” He brushed loose curls away from her face. “My beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“I take it back. That was the best sleep I’ve had in ages.” She stretched before leaning over Druig to find the clock. “I need to run before it gets too warm.”

“No,” Druig whined. “Stay with me. It’s Saturday. Why would you run on a Saturday?” Makkari laughed.

“I guess skipping one day won’t end my career.”

“Definitely not.” Druig pulling her up onto his chest, cradling her head over his heartbeat. “We should just stay here all day,” he mused.

“What about food?”

“Valid point.”

“I have protein bars.”

“We’ll have to ration,” Druig said very seriously. “How’s our water supply?”

“We could just pop into the dining hall. I’ve got tupperware.”

“Nope, you’re staying right here.” Druig turned to the side so she was back on the mattress. “I will brave the campus to bring us sustenance. Your only job today is to lie there and look absolutely gorgeous.” Makkari giggled, sinking her head into the pillow. Druig’s smile softened as he cupped her cheek. “Just like that.”

“What happened to ‘stay with me’?” she asked with a pout.

“Never fear, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari. I’ll be back.”

“You realize you’re being kind of ridiculous, right?” Druig playfully bopped her on the nose.

“What you need to understand, m’darlin’, is that I fully intend on spoiling you—” he kissed her left cheek— “every chance I get—” her right— “for the rest of our lives.” Makkari’s breath caught. His words came so easily off his hands and lips, as if they were the simplest thing in the world.

“The rest of our lives,” Makkari echoed, hiding her hand beneath the sheets so she could get a sense of what the words felt like without Druig seeing.

“Twenty minutes,” he promised as he started to climb out of bed. “Not a second longer.” Makkari sat up as well, wrapping her arms around his torso and propping her chin on his shoulder.

“We could go back to sleep for another hour or two,” she suggested. “If I’m having a skip day, I may as well make the most of it. They won’t stop serving breakfast until ten.”

“What? But isn’t it—” Druig found the clock, and his jaw dropped. “It’s seven-thirty! How…” He looked at the window, where sunshine was already streaming in.

“This is just when I wake up to run,” Makkari replied. “It’s hard to break, even on weekends.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so willingly awake before eight.”

“You’re on Makkari time now,” she teased.

“Well if that’s the case…” He twisted to push her back on to the bed, kissing her as her head met the mattress. “Let’s go back to sleep.”

“Or…” Makkari lifted her chin in challenge. Druig was as quick as ever to catch on.

“Or…”

* * *

“I would like to propose a toast,” Phastos said. “On this, our last day before the hell that is finals week, I would like to thank every person here for making this year kind of wonderful.”

“Aw!” Sersi lifted her glass. “Speech, speech!” Druig smirked at his roommate, who seemed to be regretting having said anything, and curled closer to Makkari, who had both her arms around him.

“Well, to Ben, my lovely boyfriend, who has lit up my world.” Ben grasped his hand to press a kiss to Phastos’ knuckles, and Druig joined in Sersi and Makkari’s chorus of fawning over the sweet gesture. “To Sersi, I never thought I could have a such a strong bond with a friend of a friend of a friend, but here we are.” Sersi inclined her head with exaggerated formality. “And to Druig and Makkari, who have driven us all crazy, but also sort of made our lives better with free entertainment.”

“Yay, Drukkari!” Sersi exclaimed, clapping.

“Thank you,” Makkari signed. “We’ll be here for the rest of your lives.” Druig laughed as the others groaned, though his gaze was fixed on Makkari. She’d looked so perfectly at ease saying that. Was she dreaming up a future for them as well?

“Everyone feel properly acknowledged?” Phastos asked, ready to wrap up what he’d started. He received no objection. “Good. To—”

“Shit.” Everyone turned to Sersi, who had suddenly frozen, a look of slight horror on her face. “I, I’m sorry, it’s…” Druig turned, following her gaze across the dining hall. His fist tightened. It was Ikaris.

“We can go,” Makkari offered, slipping her hand in his. He squeezed it, grateful for her support.

“No,” he told her. He looked at the others, who’d started gathering their various trays. “Let’s stay. Why should we leave because of him?”

“Are you sure?” Sersi asked. He reached across to touch her arm.

“It’s your choice as much as mine. But if you’re okay with staying, so am I.” Sersi held his gaze for several long seconds. Then she nodded.

“Let’s stay.”

“But what if he comes over here?” Makkari asked, concern still written on her face.

“He won’t,” Druig replied, though he wasn’t sure why he felt so certain. “He has absolutely no reason to.” Sersi nodded. “Now, Phastos, I believe you were about to make a toast?”

“Yeah.” He raised his glass, and the others followed suit. “To us.”

“To us.”

They spent another ten minutes talking and finishing off their lunch. As they went to return their plates, Druig suddenly felt a set of eyes on him. He turned to see Ikaris watching. Makkari noticed, and tensed, sliding a protective arm around Druig’s waist.

And then, Ikaris raised a hand in silent greeting. Druig couldn’t quite bring himself to return the gesture, but he did nod curtly. And then, wrapping an arm firmly around Makkari’s shoulders, he left.

“Are you okay?” she asked when they were back out in the sunshine. In answer, he pulled her close and kissed her hard. She wore a breathless smile when he broke away. “What was that for?”

“The past can stay in the past, yeah?” He pressed his forehead to hers. “As long as I’ve got you in my future.”

“You do.” She pressed her signs to his chest, right over his heart. “You do.”

* * *

Makkari blinked as she emerged from the building into the bright sun. A smile crossed her lips as she breathed in deeply. She was finished. And then Druig was running up to her, looking just as excited as she felt.

“Well?”

“My wrist might be sprained,” she replied, shaking it slightly, “but I think I did okay.” Her smile grew. “I’m done!” Druig laughed and wrapped his arms around her waits to hoist her up and spin her around.

“Your first year of college is officially completed!” He returned her to the ground and kissed her quickly. “I am so proud of you!”

“I’m proud of you!” Makkari retorted. “You’re halfway done, and you picked your major!” A mischievous glint entered Druig’s eyes as his hands slid down to her waist, tugging her gently closer. Makkari’s heart flipped.

“You wanna go be proud of each other in your dorm room?”

“Absolutely.” She seized his hand and took off, pulling him after her. By the time they reached her building, they were both giggling uncontrollably. Druig kept trying to pin her to the wall in the elevator, ready to make out with her right then and there. But Makkari never let him get more than a few kisses in before slipping out from under him.

They finally stumbled down the hall, and as Makkari fumbled with her key, Druig dragged his lips down the back of her neck. She got the door opened, and Druig scooped her up, showering her with kisses as he brought her to the bed.

“My beautiful, brilliant Makkari,” he murmured. “How are you my actual girlfriend? How did that happen?”

“Less talking, please?” Makkari reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair and pull him firmly to her lips. But he’d only just gotten a hand under the curve of her back when the light at the door went off. Druig collapsed on top of her, groaning into her neck.

“Five minutes with my girlfriend, is that too much to ask?” Makkari laughed, kissing the top of his head.

“It’s probably Sersi. If you ask nicely, she’ll leave us alone.”

“Fine.” Druig grudgingly climbed off the bed, and Makkari propped herself up on her elbows. “Don’t move,” he order, shaking a finger at her. Makkari winked, and he went to answer the door. But it wasn’t Sersi on the other side.

It was Thena.

“Hello,” she greeted. If she was at all fazed by Druig’s presence in her little sister’s dorm, she didn’t show it.

“Thena.” Makkari shot up, smoothing out her top. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to help you pack and bring you home, as Ajak told me you discussed.”

“We did, that’s right.” Makkari blushed. “I forgot.”

“Evidently.” Makkari risked a glance at Druig, but he was stubbornly staring at his feet, his face bright red.

“Most of my things are already packed, it’s really just my bed we need to worry about.” Makkari climbed off and pulled her suitcase from her closet. “Thena, maybe you could bring this to your car while Druig helps me strip the bed?”

“Very well.” Thena glanced between Makkari and Druig warily. “But nothing and no one else gets stripped, understood?”

“Yes,” Makkari signed, the heat in her face nearly unbearable. Thena gave a sharp nod, took Makkari’s suitcase, and left. Druig slumped against the door as he closed it behind her.

“Well she’s as terrifying as ever,” he said, his eyes wide. “I thought she was going to just straight up murder me.”

“I’m sorry, I forgot she was coming.”

“Don’t worry about it. You’ve had a lot on your mind.”

“I have a present for you.” Makkari went to her desk and pulled out a small box.

“Oh, sweetheart, you shouldn’t have.” She perched on the edge of her bed, gesturing for Druig to join her. She opened the box and carefully removed the layer of cotton.

“I know your birthday is in May, so consider this an early present.” She held up the chain of iridescent and red crystals. “It’s a sun catcher. You hang it by a window and…” She turned it so it caught the light, throwing miniature rainbows across the bed. “You got me the earrings with your birthstone. Rubies are mine.”

“Makkari.” He linked his fingers with hers, letting the sun catcher roll into his palm. He bowed his head over their hands and pressed a kiss to her wrist. “Thank you so much.”

“I’m going to miss you.” She moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I’ll come visit,” he promised. “And we’ll text and video chat and—”

“I’ll still miss you.” Druig smiled. He picked up the sun catcher, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. Makkari watched as he gently tapped it to her nose.

“Caught you.” She laughed. “My sunshine.” Druig wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She buried her nose in his leather jacket, which he still stubbornly insisted on wearing even though it was May. It smelled like him. One of these days, she was going to steal it.

When Thena returned to find them sitting silently together, the bed untouched, she didn’t say a word.

* * *

June 27, 12:42 AM

MischievousSpirit: Druig?

Druid02: Who this?

MischievousSpirit: I’m Sprite, Makkari’s foster sibling.

Druid02: The famously not cute kid?

MischievousSpirit: Not sure whether to be flattered or offended, but I’ll take it. Do you know Makkari’s birthday is soon?

Druid02: I’m aware it’s in early July.

MischievousSpirit: And you’re planning on visiting her on or around that time?

Druid02: Is this an interrogation?

MischievousSpirit: I know about the swing.

Druid02: And?

MischievousSpirit: I will get her to the park on her birthday around noon so you can surprise her.

Druid02: That’s unexpectedly sweet from someone I’ve never met.

Mischievous Spirit: I have no idea what else to get her. She’s got everything. Have you seen her room?

Druid02: It’s on my bucket list.

MischievousSpirit: Ew. So do we have a deal?

Druid02: It would see we do.

MischievousSpirit: Pleasure doing business with you.

* * *

Druig waited on a bench at the park. It was a bit conflicting to be back here after everything he’d endured at that foster home, but this was also where he’d met Makkari. But at least he was finally getting her something for her birthday.

He finally caught sight of her coming up the street, a shorter figure behind her that must be Sprite. He got to his feet and headed over to her, trying not to grin too widely. At first, it seemed like she didn’t even see him as she surveyed the park. But then she did a double-take, gasping excitedly. She ran the last few feet between them and into his waiting arms.

“You’re here!” she signed against his chest. “What are you doing here?”

“Happy Birthday,” he replied simply. Makkari whirred around to Sprite, who wore a smug grin.

“Did you do this?”

“You are extremely hard to shop for,” they replied with a shrug. Makkari broke from Druig’s arms to give her sibling a tight hug, ruffling their hair gently. “Hey, don’t make me regret it!” Makkari laughed and turned back to Druig.

“Swing?” she guessed.

“Swing.” Sprite bid them good-bye, and they went to crawl under the chain link fence, admittedly harder at nineteen and twenty.

“How did you two do this?” Makkari wondered. “Did they somehow steal your number from my phone?”

“Sprite tracked me down on social media.”

“You’re on social media?”

The swing was still there, slightly frayed, but Makkari assured him it was still functional.

“Can I go first?” she asked with a mischievous smile.

“Of course.”

She pulled herself up, rocking slowly back and forth. After a moment, Druig wedged his foot into the loop as well. He heard the branch above groan at the weight, but it held. He pulled himself up so they were nose to nose. His hand brushed the top of hers.

“Hi.”

“Hi.”

They spun in a slow circle. He settled his free hand on her waist and leaned down to press his forehead to hers. This felt safe. This felt like home.

“It’s okay,” Druig whispered, mostly to himself since Makkari’s eyes were closed. “We’re okay.” She tilted her head just so to brush her nose against his. He could count all the freckles around her eyes. There was nothing he’d rather do than memorize her. He finally tapped for her to open her eyes. “Are you ready for your birthday present?” He climbed down, offered her a hand.

“That wasn’t it?”

“That was Sprite’s present. I have one of my own.” He cradled her cheek with one hand, leaving the other free to shape one simple sign. “I love you.” Her smile lit up her whole face as she flung her arms around him, sending him stumbling back until he hit their old oak tree. He slid down, gathering her in his lap.

“I love you, too!” Makkari signed fervently. “I love you, Druig! I—” He leaned forward to catch her lips, slipping his hands into hers to still them. He kissed her until she had to pull away, gasping for breath. He couldn’t help a smug smile as she rested her forehead against his again. “You can give me that present whenever you like.”

“Well, I have one more for you.” Steeling his nerve, Druig reached into his pocket. He waited for Makkari’s full attention before opening his hand and revealing what sat on his palm. She inhaled sharply.

“Druig, I don’t—”

“It’s not what you think,” he quickly interjected. “These are Claddagh rings. They represent love and loyalty and friendship.” He pointed out the heart, the crown, and the clasped hands in turn.

“So it’s not…”

“No. It’s not any sort of proposal, or even a promise. It’s more like…friendship necklaces.” Makkari smirked, and Druig released the breath he was holding. “You get one, and I get one. That okay?” Makkari nodded. She gently touched the smaller one, her thumb brushing against the heart.

“They look old.”

“They were my parents’,” Druig replied, relying solely on signs as he didn’t trust himself to talk without breaking down. “When they divorced, and my mum moved to the States with me, she took them with her. She promised I could have them when I grew up.”

“I really shouldn’t have one then,” Makkari insisted. “These are your family heirlooms. What if I lost it?”

“My love.” He took her right hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. It was a little loose, but not dangerously so. He lifted her hand to his lips. “She would have loved you so much. And she would want you to wear it.”

“What was her name?”

“Caitrín,” Druig replied. “Like Catherine. But my grandmother called her Ta.”

“You have no idea how much it means to me,” Makkari signed, her eyes filled with tears. Druig gently thumbed them away and kissed her forehead.

“Believe me, I do.” He pulled on his own ring with only the briefest thought to the father who’d up and left so long ago. “It looks really good on you, darlin’.”

“Thank you.” She tucked her head in the crook of his neck, splaying her hand to look at the ring. Druig entwined his fingers with hers, letting metal brush against metal. “This is the best birthday ever.”

Druig didn’t know how long they stayed there, nestled together under their tree. At some point, he thought Makkari might have dozed off, but he didn’t want to risk moving and rousing her to check. The sky was starting to turn gold when her hand tightened around his, and she looked up at him with her beautiful brown eyes.

“We should get going. Thena’s boyfriend is making dinner.” Druig nodded and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before they both got to their feet. Once they were under the fence, Makkari glued herself to his side, wrapping her hand around his forearm. “You’re staying right? For a few days?”

“Or until Ajak kicks me out,” he teased.

“She would never. Did you and Sprite tell her you were coming?”

“I didn’t. Sprite may have.” They arrived at Makkari’s house. This time, Druig didn’t hesitate at all to climb the steps with her. Makkari knocked on the wall as she kicked off her shoes. Ajak entered the foyer, a knowing smile on her face before she even saw Druig

“I found him in the woods,” Makkari signed with a playful smile. “Can we keep him, can we keep him?”

“Hello, Druig.”

“Hi, Ajak.” Druig accepted her tight hug, though Makkari refused to let go of his hand.

“Dinner will be ready soon. Everyone else is in the kitchen,” Ajak told them. She tilted her head thoughtfully to the side, giving him and Makkari a somewhat scrutinizing glance. “Will I be making a mistake in letting you two share a room?”

“Ajak!” Makkari signed with a horrified expression.

“Of course not,” Druig said quickly. “Ma’am,” he added. Ajak nodded with a slight smirk. Makkari groaned and escaped with Druig into the kitchen.

“We’re back!” She pulled him towards the island counter, where Sprite and Thena sat on one side watching who Druig presumed to be Gilgamesh arrange…something on a tray the other side. “Gil, this is my boyfriend, Druig.”

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Gilgamesh said in greeting. “You like Mandu?”

“He likes all food,” Makkari replied as she pulled up more bar. Druig shrugged and nodded. Gilgamesh chuckled.

“They’re basically Korean dumplings. I made them over Thanksgiving, and this one—” he nodded to Makkari— “can’t get enough.”

“And it’s my birthday so I get to pick,” Makkari added seriously.

“Makkari has nothing but rave reviews of your cooking,” Druig told Gilgamesh.

“She’s informed me of your appetite,” he retorted. “Perhaps we have finally met our matches.”

“Excuse me?” Thena asked with a raised brow.

“My apologies, dearest.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. “You’re right, I already have my match.” Druig grinned at Makkari.

“And I already have mine.”

“And I already hate this,” Sprite declared.

As everyone laughed, Druig looked around the kitchen. Like magnets drawn to flint, his eyes fell on Makkari. He realized that underlying feeling of being home, it was all her. He had finally found where he belonged; right at her side.

Chapter Text

Three Years Later

Makkari smiled as her phone lit up with a video call. She quickly sat up and propped her phone on the pillow before answering. Druig’s face filled the screen.

“Tell me you rebooked!” she pleaded.

“I did. Flight leaves at six a.m. tomorrow.” Makkari gave him an exaggerated sigh of relief, though she did feel a great weight melt off her shoulders. “It is cutting it awfully close, though. I’m talking absolutely nothing can go wrong between now and you walking across that stage close.”

“Nothing will,” Makkari signed. Druig laughed.

“If Makkari declares it, so be it.” He sighed and leaned back against…something.

“Where are you?” Druig flipped his phone to show the interior of the airport. “You’re not spending the night there, are you?”

“It doesn’t make sense to go back. And it’s not so bad.” He shifted slightly, propping his chin on his hand. “But I’d rather be with you, of course.”

“Me, too.”

“Where are you?”

“At the hotel with my family. Thena’s napping, and the rest went out for food.”

“And how are you, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari?” She took a breath with a smile.

“Excited. Some disbelief. I keep reminding myself that not much will change since I’m just coming back next semester to start my master’s.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“How are you? How’s your field work?”

“Good days and bad days, as always. But there’s nothing I’d rather be doing.” Makkari raised a teasing brow. “Okay, there’s one thing I’d rather be doing.”

“Good answer, babe.” She shifted onto her side, content just to look at him. The light in the airport was harsh, but it couldn’t detract from the beauty of his eyes. “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“I’m counting the minutes.”

“I was thinking, after the ceremony, we should—” Makkari stopped abruptly as she caught sight of the door opening behind her in the corner feed of her phone. “They’re back.”

“Let me say hi.”

Kingo, Ajak, and Sprite piled into the room, arms laden with bags of take out. After a minute, Gilgamesh entered from the adjoining room with Thena.

“I have Druig on video call,” Makkari told her family.

“Hi Druig!” everyone chorused.

“Hi,” he replied with a laugh.

“Did you get that flight rebooked?” Kingo asked, swooping in to seize the phone from Makkari.

“Hey, give me back my boyfriend!” she protested.

“I did,” Druig affirmed.

“Good. ‘Kari’s been a nervous wreck since you first called.”

“Excuse you, I was no such thing,” Makkari insisted, snatching her phone back. “I should probably go, lest I lose you in the chaos.”

“I’ll text you later tonight, yeah?” Makkari nodded. Druig held up his hand, thumb out and pointer and pinky raised. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” For a second, Makkari wasn’t sure if she could bring herself to end the call. She wanted to reach through the screen and pull Druig through to her. Then, she gave him a little wave and tapped the button to hang up.

“You know, you and Druig are killing the whole long-distance thing,” Kingo said.

“We’re lucky it’s only been a few months,” Makkari replied. “And he’ll be back by next semester.”

“Come, the food’s getting cold,” Ajak called. “If you’re going to eat on the bed, Sprite, please be careful.”

“Yes, Mom,” they replied with a mouthful of food. Makkari left and went to make herself a plate. She checked her watch. Seven-thirty. In less than twenty-four hours, she’d official be a college graduate. Hopefully in less, she would see Druig.

* * *

“Of all the days they had to do construction, it had to be today,” Druig muttered as he prepared to follow the signs for a detour that would no doubt make him later than he already was. Well, he wasn’t technically late. Yet. There ceremony itself wouldn't start for another thirty minutes, and he’d be at the gymnasium in twenty. But by now, Makkari had probably separated from her family, which meant he wouldn’t get to see her until after the graduation.

His phone started ringing. He glanced over to where it sat on the passenger’s seat and gulped. He quickly answered it and switched it to speaker.

“Hey, Thena.”

“Where are you?”

“I’m so close, I swear. There’s this damned construction going on near—”

“Get. Here.”

“I will. Did Makkari already leave?”

“They all but had to drag her away, she was so intent on seeing you.” Druig winced.

“Fifteen minutes, T. See you soon.” He hung up and focused on driving as fast as he could without breaking any laws or causing damage to the rental car.

Finally, the school came into view. Druig reached over for his student parking pass so he wouldn’t have to deal with the chaos that was guest parking for the graduation. As soon as he was out of the car, checking his reflection to quickly straighten his tie, he texted Makkari.

Her reply a moment later consisted of both the angry face and the heart emoji, which he wasn’t quite sure what to make of. He raced up to the gymnasium to find Kingo waiting for him in the lobby.

“You made it,” he observed.

“I did.” Kingo pulled tickets from his pocket to show to the attendant before leading Druig up into the bleachers to join the rest of Makkari’s family. “How is she?”

“Many emotions. Hopefully at least not worried anymore now that you’re here.” They had to climb over a few groups to reach the others.

“Does anyone know where she’ll be?” Druig asked as he sat down between Sprite and Ajak, looking at the rows of empty seats on the court.

“She says she’s in the fourth row, but we’re so high up, I’m not sure we’ll be able to pick her out.” Druig pulled out his phone again to text Makkari, asking her to wave when she made it to her seat. There was no response. “They’ve been instructed to keep their phones away,” Ajak said, noticing. “And you should, too.”

“Right. Let me just check one last thing.” Druig went to his emails, scrolling for one from Phastos he should have gotten in the last few hours. He found it, read it, and smiled before pocketing his phone.

“What?” Sprite demanded, leaning over. “What’s with the stupid smile you usually reserve for Makkari?”

“Mind your own business,” Druig retorted, ruffling their hair. “It’s just a surprise for Makkari.”

“Tell me?”

“Nope.” Sprite stuck out their tongue. Druig returned the gesture.

“Will you two not act like children?” Thena asked from Sprite’s other side.

“But I am a child,” they protested.

“I thought you were all grown up, almost-sixteen,” Druig teased, poking them.

“Hush, it’s starting.” Sprite threw him one last look before everyone turned their attention as “Pomp and Circumstance” began to play, and the commencement ceremony started.

* * *

“Top honor graduate, Makkari Veron, summa cum laude.” She watched the words scroll across the jumbotron as she walked across the stage. Makkari could barely keep from bouncing as she accepted her degree and shook the dean’s hand.

On her way back, she searched the crowds in the bleachers above, though she didn’t expect to find them. She returned to her seat, one foot tapping with anticipation. For once, she was glad her last name fell at the end of the alphabet. It may have taken an eternity to get to her, but now at least she didn’t have much longer to wait.

It took about ten minutes for the rest of her class to receive their diplomas. Closing statements were made. With a cheer, everyone threw their caps into the air. Makkari felt like she was going to burst as they began the procession out of the gymnasium.

Once they were outside, Makkari found herself in a sea of her classmates and their families and friends. She took off, weaving between people.

“Makkari!” Sersi tackled her from behind for a hug. “We did it!”

“We did!” Makkari turned to hug her properly. “Have you seen Druig?” Sersi laughed.

“No, but tell him I say hi.” Makkari nodded. “And don’t be late for pictures tomorrow!”

“I won’t!” Makkari continued her search. She was about to resort to her phone…

There he was. She saw his lips form her name. She sprinted towards him, hurtling herself into his arms. As he spun her around, tears that had been threatening her all day finally broke, and she buried her face in his shoulder. Without returning her to the ground, Druig crashed his lips to hers. She held onto her cap with one hand and wrapped the other around his neck, fingers tangling in his hair. Despite crying a little, Makkari thought she could live quite happily in this moment forever.

“I’m so glad you made it,” she signed once she was back on her feet. He smiled, gently cradling her face to thumb away her tears.

“For you, my darling, I would move heaven and earth to be at your side.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I am so proud of you. Congratulations, my beautiful, beautiful Makkari.”

“Thank you.”

“C’mon. Your family will kill me if I keep you to myself for much longer.” Druig kept an arm around her waist as they waded through the crowd. Ajak’s face was streaked with tears, and more welled in her eyes as she caught sight of her daughter.

“Congratulations, sweetheart!” Ajak said, wrapping Makkari in a hug and kissing the top of her head. “We are so proud of you!”

“Well done, little ‘Kari,” Thena added, kissing her on the cheek. Gilgamesh pulled her in for a bear hug.

“‘Atta girl.”

“Congratulations,” Sprite said. They held out their arms for a rare, voluntary hug, and Makkari pulled her little sibling close.

“She’s all grown up now,” Kingo declared, dramatically wiping away tears he would later claim was just acting. “Before we know it, she’ll be married!” Makkari swatted his arm, fighting a blush.

“Everyone to the car,” Ajak said. “Maybe we can beat the exit swarm and get to the restaurant on time for our reservations.”

“Possible, but not probable,” Thena said.

“I’d like to ride with Druig,” Makkari said, taking off her cap and gown and passing them to Ajak. “We’ll meet you there.”

“No detours you two!” Kingo called.

“But a detour was exactly what I had in mind,” Druig said, snaking an arm around her waist to pull her back to him. “Mind if I whisk you away on a brief adventure?”

“Is this going to make us late for our reservations?”

“No later than the rest of them.”

“Whisk away then.”

* * *

Druig drove out the significantly less congested back exit and downtown. They passed Makkari’s favorite cafe and the spot where they’d went on their first date. Druig only had one hand on the wheel as Makkari had stubbornly claimed the other one. Before long, they arrived. Druig caught his girlfriend’s confusion as she looked up at the regular old complex.

“Not exactly the height of romance.” Druig just nudged her and took her hand again to lead her into the building. Once in the elevator, he turned to her.

“I just want you to know that there’s no pressure on you whatsoever.”

“Okay.” Makkari’s brow furrowed. “Should I be scared?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Always.”

“Can I be just a bit dramatic?” He reached around to hold his hands over her face.

“Fine.”

Druig pressed his palms to her eyes and guided her forward. When he removed one hand so he could open the door, she kept her eyes shut, playing alone. Finally he removed both hands and pressed his lips to the back of her neck.

“Open.”

Makkari did. They stood in the center of an empty apartment. She turned a slow circle, taking in the kitchen and living space. She wandered over to the hall to see the two bedrooms and a bathroom. Druig’s heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest as she returned.

“I must admit, I’m a little relieved you’re not down on one knee,” she signed, trying to tease, but Druig saw the way her hands were just a little unsteady. “What is this?”

“I know your grad program offers you a place to live, but, if you wanted to, you could live here. With me.”

“You want me to move in with you? You…think we’re ready?”

“Again, there’s no pressure on you either way. No leases have been signed. It doesn’t even have to be here. But yes. I think we are. Almost four years together, including several months of long-distance, it has to count for something, right?”

“Right.” Druig stepped closer, taking a deep breath.

“I want it, Makkari. All of it. Things I never thought I’d want, things I never thought I deserved, I want them with you. I want to live my life at your side. One day, Makkari, I do want to marry you. I want to build a home with you. I thought we could start here.”

For a long moment, Makkari didn’t say anything. Her eyes were watering, but her hands remained at her side. And then, she flung herself into Druig’s arms, sobbing.

“Oh, fuck. Fuck, please don’t cry.” Druig held her closer, rocking back and forth slightly. “Don’t cry, Makkari, I’m sorry, I—”

“When did you know?” Druig almost didn’t register Makkari signing against his chest. He pulled back.

“Know what?”

“That this—” she gestured between them— “was it? I’ll tell you when I knew. It was when you made it to my dorm in seven minutes flat simply because I texted that I needed you. I probably knew before then but didn’t realize, because what nine-year-old realizes when she meets her soulmate?” Druig could barely breath. “Yes, I’ll move in with you, yes to all of it!”

“Oh, my Makkari.” Druig scooped her up and spun her around. “I love you so much. So much.”

“I love you more.”

“Impossible.”

“Try me.” Druig laughed and pressed his forehead to hers.

“I knew from the moment I kissed you the very first time. Since then, you have been in every thought that crosses my mind, in every breath I take.” Makkari took a shuddering breath.

“That was the sappiest thing anyone’s ever told me.”

“Just wait until I propose to you for real.”

“Bold of you to assume I won’t beat you to it.”

“Makkari, I swear, I’ve been planning for almost four years, don’t you dare take that away from me.” Makkari reached up to kiss him, smiling the whole time. Druig set her back on her feet so he could pulled her close.

“I love you,” she repeated, pressing the sign against his chest, over his heart. “I love you, my Druig.”

“I love you, my Makkari.”