Work Text:
Alarm went off and Fletcher Renn woke up. He took his mobile front from the nightstand and yawned lazily. He revised his notifications hoping nobody died which was a lot to ask due to recent events, but everything seemed perfectly normal or at least OK and permitted himself to stay in bed a little more. It was his first day off in what looked like ages but was told to remain alert and ready if anything came up. That was one of the few bad things about being a Teleporter, you can’t make excuses if you can appear in any place in seconds when requested. And, again, due to recent events, anything could come up anytime.
The Irish Sanctuary was busy to say the least. Detective Cadence Clearwater’s murder, Valkyrie Cain’s attempt of murder, the return of Insadoom Island just a few days ahead, negotiations for a security reform and Isolationists being a ticking bomb. Teleporters were needed in those cases that requested quick action. Everything was leading to a disaster. Everybody knew it. Even Fletcher could notice that.
Fletcher started his day as usual: a quick visit to his favourite cafeteria in Florence, a croissant right from Paris and started to get ready for the day. He was doing his hair when he stopped. It was his day off. But why did he take a day off in the first place? As a divine response his alarm rang again and a message appeared on his mobile’s screen:
“BEDROOM. FIRST DRAWER. PUT IT ON. DON’T MESS IT UP”.
He switched the alarm off and followed the instructions that none but himself could have left there. Went to his room and he opened the first drawer in his closet. A bracelet rested in the drawer. He thought it was a waste of space, because the drawer would be completely empty if it wasn’t for the bracelet. He told himself to put it on and so he took the bracelet between his fingers. Suddenly he remembered he had a date with a cute agent from the German Sanctuary called Myosotis Terra. And he also remembered agreeing to her request of taking off the bracelet, the only thing that kept him from keeping the date in his mind. It was a great idea though, because he felt overwhelmed and happy. Myosotis was, to put it this way, peculiar. She was an adept whose discipline made people forget about her the moment they lose sight of her. Unless a person is wearing one of her bracelets. Fletcher and Myosotis were caught by an aggressive Valkyrie’s pairing scheme and somehow, they were meeting up for dinner. At that moment, Myosotis gave him the bracelet and wrote down her phone number on a piece of paper.
Fletcher went to the chat and typed: “Is it good news if I feel overjoyed for having a date night with you?”. He pressed send. He didn’t have to wait a lot for getting a response. “Well, I feel the same way. Told you it would be fun. ;)”. He smiled and continued having breakfast.
****
“How come you are friends with “the” Valkyrie Cain?” Myosotis asked once the waiter took their order. Fletcher teleported both of them to his favourite italian, a few minutes away from the Colosseum in Rome. The question came like a kick. Fletcher didn’t think that his famous ex-girlfriend would be the first topic for the night.
“Well, it’s weird but… We used to date when we were teenagers. Back then when I was practically the last teleporter on Earth,” he answered trying not to put much enthusiasm in it.
“Oh, really? I thought Val was a lesbian all this time! Is it okay if I asked what happened between both of you to break up? Surely nothing due to the fact you are still friends. You don’t have to answer if you…”
“She cheated on me with a vampire we ended up killing in a pier near her home,” Fletcher interrupted her. It was better to deal with it fast.
“I’m sorry, I tend to be very inquisitive. Proffesional deformation. That’s how I say that I have a weakness for gossiping,” Myosotis apologized. “I got to meet Valkyrie in a mission. It was a rescue mission. Both Skulduggery and Valkyrie were contacted by the German Sanctuary to rescue me.”
“That’s what they do, I guess,” Fletcher laughed. “Does Skulduggery have a bracelet too? I recall you giving one of those to Valkyrie, even though she always forgets to put it on.”
“Skulduggery is… different. I don’t know why, but he always seems to remember me,” she explained. “Maybe is the not-being-exactly-alive thing? His mind is connected to his body magically. To be honest, I don’t really know,” Myosotis blushed as she noticed she was wondering and capitalizing the conversation. “So, apart from being a teleporter in the Irish Sanctuary, what do you do, Fletcher Renn?”
“I teach at Corrival Academy too. That’s like my principal job at the moment. I help students who want to adopt the teleportation discipline. Ireland is going to be nestling the next great generation of teleporters,” he said proudly.
“I can tell by the magnitude of their teacher,” she smiled.
“They’re naturals. There's only a few things I need to teach them, I swear. Although, I’m curious about something. If I may ask what do you do for a living? I know you work for the German Sanctuary. I just can only think of a specific job for someone with your skills.”
“And you’re right. Infiltration, espionage… That sort of stuff. I’m sorry I can't be more specific,” Myosotis said timidly.
“It’s okay, I understand. Well that pretty much covers everything about work, doesn’t it?” Fletcher said.
“And the night has just started…” Myosotis rose her cup of wine towards him.
Fletcher laughed. “Cheers to that!” he said doing the same thing until their cups met at the centre of the table. Maybe, and just maybe, he was permitting himself to feel something good about this after all. He will have to thank Valkyrie for introducing Myosotis to him.
At the end of the night, Fletcher had teleported them back to Roarhaven and walked by Myosotis laughing and chatting like delusional teenagers. He accompanied her to her flat and she offered him timidly to come inside and have a last drink together. Fletcher stayed for the night.
He kissed Myosotis’ forehead and she pulled him to meet her lips. She closed her eyes while her hand rested in his chest. He felt guilty someway for falling in love meanwhile everything else was tearing into pieces.
“Falling in love,” he thought. He smiled in the dark, and held Myosotis’ hand. It has been a while.