Work Text:
Puzzling Affection
Marie's just settled down for a night alone, a cup of tea on the coffee table, the remote in reach as she tries to find something worth watching, when a faint tink! reaches her ears.
Marie mutes the TV and listens. Nothing.
As soon as she turns the volume back on, she hears it again. This time, she pauses longer, and it's coming from... the window?
Marie slips on her seabunny slippers and pads over, but it's too dark to see out. Something hits it with another soft tink!
She opens the window and peers down. Four stands there, holding a handful of pebbles, grinning. She has a shopping bag over one arm. “Hi!”
“You goof,” Marie says, laughing despite herself. “Why didn't you just call? I'd let you in.”
“But that would ruin the surprise!” Four laughs, too, an unholy cackle that she apologizes for in public. Marie's working on that. “May I come up?”
“Of course you—not superjump!” Marie corrects, too late, as she backs away from the marker on the floor. Four lands a little hard, somehow not breaking the window, but she can already hear the noise complaint from her downstairs neighbor. Someday, she's got to get a house, not just a wonderfully spacious second-floor apartment.
“Sorry,” Four says, clearly not meaning it. “Come on, I've got something for us.” She attempts to jiggle the shopping bag, but only swings it in a full circle around her arm, dumping several books on the floor. “Oh, carp, I didn't, uh—”
“Oh, for the love of...” Marie puts a hand to her face dramatically. “Tell me those aren't more books on figure drawing? I can't pose for you every night.”
“No, no!” Four ducks on the floor and scrabbles around, gathering them up, then shoves one in Marie's hands. Marie turns it rightside up and smiles: crossword puzzles. “I know you were really sad Inkopolis Print stopped doing their daily puzzle, but I found a bunch! That one is, uh, beginner puzzles, because I kinda stink worse than the captain at crosswords, but this one here is a collection of Inkopolis Print's puzzles from the years you were doing the news, and here's a collection from when Off The Hook was doing the news, and—”
“Slow down!” Marie can't help but laugh at Four's babble. “This is great, thank you. I really have missed it.”
Four grins up at her from the floor. “So... I was thinking we could do some together?”
“Of course we can.” Marie offers Four a hand. When she's got Four standing again, Marie comments, “I didn't know Captain Three liked crosswords.”
“Oh.” Four winks at her. “I meant in general, but yeah, I bet—”
Four stops talking as Marie laughs, and after a moment, joins in. She only stops when Marie pulls her close, wrapping her free arm around Four's shoulders. “Thank you,” she whispers. “Would you like to stay the night?”
Four's whole face changes color. Marie will never tire of that. “But I didn't bring my beakbrush or pajamas—”
“You can borrow mine.” She gives Four a kiss, just a quick peck, and releases her, snatching the bag of crosswords and tugging Four behind her when Four doesn't let go. “It's settled, then.”
Sure, Marie loves crosswords. But, as she settles again at the coffee table, with Four offering her a newly-sharpened pencil and almost spilling her cup of tea, Marie absolutely loves Four more.