Chapter Text
The rain was lashed off-rhythmically against the glass by violent winds, in petulant defiance of the holiday season, shaking the window slightly while spitting upon the glass. Holly sat idly on the couch in Artemis' study looking out the window and into the darkened grounds beyond, half watching the droplets flowing into each other as they slid away into the night. It had, for a brief moment, actually begun to snow earlier in the night though even had any stuck it would have been washed away in the ensuing downpour. Artemis had called the weather mercurial, Holly called it downright spiteful.
She let her eyes drift from the window to look around the room. Artemis' office was near completely undecorated, the quiet drift of Christmas music from the festivities below and the human-sized and, according to Artemis, horrifically garish sweater beside her that had been tossed haphazardly onto the couch's armrest the moment he had wrestled himself out of it were the only signs of the Holiday season. On her other side sat one of Artemis' most recent romance novels, its cover swapped with a charity shop crime novel; she was about as likely to admit to reading them as he was to writing them but most of what came out in Haven was machine generated garbage, and if she was going to read human novels why not his?
The fact that the ones she chose to read always featured characters she could tell were blatantly based on her was just a coincidence, after all that was the majority of them.
Holly's gaze settled against Artemis' back, he was sat at his desk, looking over what seemed to be a small forests worth of paperwork that covered the desk; his monitors, empty glass, and a brightly painted rock-turned-paperweight that Beckett had gifted him over a dozen Christmases ago, had all been pushed concerningly close to the edge to accommodate the creeping growth of bureaucratic kudzu. Both of them were sequestered up here due to the sudden influx of guests that had arrived for Angeline's Christmas Eve gala-- albeit for different reasons. For her it was her fairy heritage necessitating secrecy from all but a select few humans; for Artemis it was a general distaste for most social situations and moreover the embarrassment of the horrible, and of course matching, Christmas sweater his parents had foisted upon him.
He'd been sunk deep into his work for some time now, ignorant to the world (and the elf) around him, and there was a small part of her that wanted to chastise him for... well for working through the holidays, of course. But then for that she didn't really have a leg to stand on as the only reason she was here was thanks to her own working through nearly twenty years of Winter Solstices and the resulted accrued holiday time she'd finally begun to spend upon his return to Earth.
She could hear the current song fade out, and upon recognition of the new one beginning a very slight smile came to her lips.
"I really can't stay~"
Engrossed in his work as he was, the musical lilt in her voice swam freely past Artemis' ears. He didn't so much as look up from his work, carefully marking another few notes down before responding.
"I assure you nobody will be coming up here Holly, there is no risk to the People's secrecy. Besides it's near freezing out there, just because your suit is rated weatherproof doesn't mean-"
"I've got to go away~" Another verse interrupted his rambling, causing him to spin away from the well-organized explosion of documents and chicken-scratch to look dryly at the elf, kicking her feet as the song continued faintly in the background.
Standing suddenly he walked over to the window, looking out past the curtain of rivulets into the distant, pouring blackness. He watched his own reflection for a moment, even with the years, the two blue eyes that looked back at him still carried a strange detachment. A wrong eye was a small price to pay, of course, but he still knew on some level this wasn't his body. Perhaps he should start wearing his hazel contact again, centaur's teasing be damned.
"This evening has bee-"
It was her turn to be cut off as he abruptly flicked the window latch, allowing the window to fly open, the knife-cold wind filling the room, flinging the curtains about and causing the carefully scattered papers to burst into an impressive acrobatic display. Freezing rain began to pour onto his face and suit, while the small puddle that formed on the faux hardwood around him was drained away by hidden system of hydraulics. He took a deep breath of the cold night air, relishing the feeling of his lungs starting to burn cold. He'd always been partial to the rain but spending half a decade in space had given him a newfound appreciation for the natural world around him. He closed his eyes for a moment, savoring it as the familiar chill settling across him. After so long spent in temperature controlled stagnation the sensation sent a shiver racing down his back like the raindrops against the glass. It was good to be home. It was good to be alive.
"D'arvit Artemis! What the f-fuck are you d-doing, c-close that!" Holly's chatter-toothed swearing snapped him out of his short revelry; he slammed the window shut as quickly as it opened, relatching it before he quickly strode over to the couch and pulled the several wool blankets that hand been draped over the couch's backrest and began wrapping them around her to ward off the sudden drop in temperature.
"T-that, was not your line, asshole." The elf muttered, pulling the blankets from him to wrap herself into a protective pile and sank into the thick, fluffy warmth, trying push away the terribly cruel drop of a few degrees. He returned to his desk, discarding his soaked suit jacket onto the coat hook, and then spun his chair out, sitting to face her with his typical smugness spread across his face.
"Yes, well, I think that referring to you as 'Baby' would have likely ended in me receiving bodily harm."
"As soon as it warms up in here, it still might."
"My apologies Holly, I just needed a moment of fresh air, that's all." The all-too-familiar withering look he received from beneath the shivering pile of blankets had its effect dulled by the hazel of one eye. Artemis fought to keep his expression in place at the sight, affection tugging mightily at the corners of his mouth.
"Maybe save the reconnecting with nature until it gets above single digits."
"And I was just staring to enjoy our nature walks around the grounds, what a shame."
"Artemis Fowl admitting to liking physical activity? Be still my beating heart, its a genuine Christmas miracle."
"Hardly," He scoffed. "I've just had good company."
She shifted, the blankets further obscuring her features as she pulled them tighter.
"After that stunt you might be taking tomorrows walk alone." She muttered, trying to sound grumpier than she was. It was an empty threat, and they both knew it; each grateful to have an excuse to simply exist in the others presence.
"Again, my apologies, you're more than welcome to co-opt that horrific sweater if you wish. Really the things I put up with for family." The faux-wool sweater was turned halfway inside out, still partially displaying a cartoon polar bear and "Big Brother" writ across it. Angeline had insisted on a family photo before the party began, and Holly had been all too willing to act as photographer, much to Artemis' chagrin. He already knew he'd have a hell of a time erasing those from Foaly's computers.
A small, deep-tan hand shot out to pull the offending garment into the mass of fabric, like a hungry starfish. "A single embarrassing photograph is hardly the worst thing you've endured Arty."
Another series of tremors rocked the pile as Holly struggled with the oversized sweater. Artemis watched with mild bemusement, the room had already returned to temperature but Holly clearly had no intentions of exiting her fortress of blankets.
"As we are both well aware, though typically others were made to endure in my stead." The shaking stopped, a hint of melancholy had crept into his voice that most listeners wouldn't have even registered.
"Artemis..." Her head emerged from the cocoon, ears flicking in the comparatively cold air.
"A poor attempt at a joke, Holly, no need to repeat your forgiveness again." He said, raising his hands in a placating gesture.
"You" Her eye's narrowed in emulation of a jabbed pointer finger. "Don't get to tell me who to forgive mister. Now, come over here so I can punch you."
Artemis let out a slight chuckle, standing and walking over to stand in front of the couch while staying just out of reach of the diminutive woman's wrath. His eyes flicked over to the end table, where a small crystal glass sat alone and empty save for a thin almost-circle of red around the bottom that failed to fully connect. He picked it up, holding it in the thin lamplight and turning it in his hand watching the kaleidoscope of colors shifting as he did so.
"Perhaps I could placate you with a refill?"
"Get a bit closer and I'll tell you."
"A warm drink then, perhaps?"
"Hmm..." She pulled an exaggerated expression of deep thought. "Alright, fine I guess."
"Hot Chocolate with almond milk, raw cacao, extra cinnamon, no peppermint and no salt?" He'd committed her preference to memory the first time he heard he ask Butler to make it for her several years back, and it had been one of the first real recipes he'd mastered.
"You know me so well Arty." She dropped the act, breaking into a grin that he also committed to memory, as he did every single time she smiled like that, or smiled in general. He was certainly not going to let her out of his memory for a third time.
"It's almost like," He paused, stepping forward putting himself dangerously in range of the blanket monstrosity. "I'm in your head, isn't it?" He tapped, quickly and feather-light, under her blue eye with his knuckle, before darting out of range of any retaliation. Taking satisfaction in her dramatic eye roll before turning to pick up his own empty glass.
"That was terrible Arty."
"I have my moments, I'll be back with your order shortly."
"Such a gracious host."
"Well I've been worse."
"Maybe, maybe not, at least you kept the cell warm."
"Touché," He paused to look pointedly at her disguised novel. "I hope you're enjoying 'A Half-Life of Loving U'"
Holly quickly pulled a blanket over her head to hide her reddening ears. "Just go get me my cocoa already Fowl. And turn the heat up while you're up."
Artemis tapped his watch, raising the ambient temperature to "stifling" before pulling the door open. As he left, something brushed over his hair, causing him to suddenly pause, before letting out something halfway between a laugh and a sigh. Hanging right outside the door just above his eye level tied with a golden ribbon, was a bundle of mistletoe. His eyes narrowed at the parasitic plant, white berries stared back like blind eyes, taunting as well as a plant can taunt.
"Something up?"
"Oh just Juliet thinking she's funny," He turned and stepped back so Holly could see the offending plant. "She's watching the cameras to finally give Butler a Christmas off and probably saw us both come in here. The mistletoe, it's a ridiculous tradition where-"
"I know what the mistletoe is for Artemis, where do you think humans got the idea from?"
"Ah," His small cultural slip-up mollified his annoyance at being interrupted. "At any rate, it's just a poor practical joke. Nobody is going to come to this part of the manor, save for you and besides-"
He stopped for half a moment thinking, now was certainly not the time to bring up those kind of memories.
"Well I doubt there's any force present that could move you from that couch currently, so I think Juliet will be quite disappointed." He quickly brushed the bundle aside, pulling the door all but shut so he could easily reenter with his hands full and hurried off, hoping that she hadn't caught his brief pause.