Chapter Text
The kettle whistled merrily atop the stove, and Kara hummed absently to herself as she removed it, wrapping a towel about the handle and wincing as she recalled the burn she'd foolishly inflicted on herself some weeks past. Sitting on the countertop were a pretty little china cup and a small bundle of herbs in a strainer, ready and waiting for her to concoct her morning brew. She yawned, absently half covering her mouth, and reached for the strainer when a scratching at her front door distracted her.
'Closed!' She called out, cursing whoever was on the other side, assuming it must be Yan, come to lecture her about her sliding down the Commerce Guild's leader board again. She knew she'd been slacking, but she'd also been hurting, distracted, she needed time for herself and she'd taken it. The consequences, she assumed, were waiting in her yard. More scratching, then an obnoxious skwark.
"X?'
Tea forgotten, she half jogged to the door, bare feet padding lightly on her floorboards. She pulled the door open and was immediately engulfed in panicked feathers as the raven flew about her head, shouting insistently.
'Fang! Station! Station!'
'What?'
'Don't go!'
'Fang's leaving?'
She felt cold sweep through her body, freezing her in place for a moment as emotions hit one after the other. Confusion, panic, hurt... Forgetting her bare feet she sprinted across her yard, shoving her gate open before she'd realised she'd even moved.
She saw the train idling at the station, but knew well by now that it would leave before she even got there, Jensen waited for no man, woman, or child, the Ataran Express left when it was meant to, and it was meant to leave now.
Regardless, she kept running, action taking over from thought, as she forced her protesting body over the tracks and up the steps to the platform.
Fang. She froze.
The train had started to pull away and he was there, on the platform. Relief had already worked its way into her chest when she realised, he was running too. One arm outstretched towards the departing train, his other hand holding the strap of his bag, Kara watched helplessly as he tripped and pitched forwards.
'Fang!' She ran to him, dropping to her knees and reaching for him, before pulling back as he raised a fist and pounded it onto the platform's boards.
'Fang!' She admonished, 'What in the Light are you doing?'
She reached for him again, trying to help him up, and starting as his hands landed on her shoulders. He knelt across from her, staring in disbelief.
'You... You're here? But I heard your voice... coming from the train...' confusion was etched on his handsome features, his brow furrowed as he took her in.
She shook her head, baffled, then a shadow caught her eye, and everything suddenly made sense. X had brought himself within hearing distance of them and seemed about as pleased with himself as a raven could.
'How disgraceful...' Fang was saying, but she shook her head, and he looked down to the floor before continuing 'How embarrassing for you to see me like this.'
His long black hair had fallen to obscure his face, and Kara found herself exerting huge effort to not reach out and move it. She glanced up to X, unsure of herself, but the bird had gone.
'f*ck.' she muttered.
Fang was mumbling something, but she couldn't hear him and she became suddenly aware that she was on her knees on a train platform with the town doctor, in her pyjamas.
'Fang, can we talk, somewhere not here?'
He looked up, blinking in realisation, and nodded meekly.
'Clinic... Not far.'
'Workshop. Much closer.'
He hesitated, then nodded.
They stood together, Fang keeping his gaze on the floor.
'Your feet...'
'I know. They hurt but I'll make it. And I suppose I'm in the best company I could be in case of injury.'
He looked at her then, reaching a hand out before stopping himself and letting it fall back to his side.
'Best not... Risk it...' he said, and she couldn't help but feel a spike of annoyance.
'Fang, I made it here, I'll make it home, you can check me over when we get there but if you suggest carrying me I'll tell X you're hiding crackers in your pillow.'
'He knows... No treats there... Checks.'
They stared at eachother for a brief moment while she fought her sudden amusem*nt, and the corner of his mouth quirked up.
'Workshop.' He said, simply, and she nodded again.
'Come on, I've got tea cooling.'
They made the short trip much more carefully, Fang watching attentively as Kara picked her way across the tracks and made an effort to avoid any stones that she might have trodden on in her mad dash to the station. She pushed her front door open and gestured him in, taking a moment to brush the worse of the debris from her soles before she followed.
He stood in her living room, looking around, hands clutched about the strap of his bag and slowly turning as he took his surroundings in. She was acutely aware that the place was a mess, dishes from last night's dinner sat on the coffee table and she hadn't swept in days.
'Sorry, I've not been... Well, I've not been well.'
'Should have... seen me...'
'That wouldn't have helped.'
He flinched, and she cursed herself, gesturing apologetically to the sofa.
'I'll uh, I'll bring tea, then you can tell me what all that was about.'
He nodded, making his way to the sofa, and she pushed on into her kitchen, grateful for a moment of isolation where she could rest her head on the countertop and breathe.
It had been nearly a week since she'd gone to Fang, heart in her mouth, and offered him the delicate red weaving they called a Heart Knot. It was an elegant tradition, a small item to say all the words that might escape you in the moment where you tried to articulate your feelings for another person. He'd accepted, clearly not knowing its implications, thinking it a curious trinket. And the next day he'd returned it. In the post.
She recalled the hours of agonising before she'd gone back to him with it, trying to make sure there could be no misunderstanding. He'd sent her away again, and she'd resolved to, well, sulk. The following few days had seen her aimlessly milling about her yard, unable to find any of the joy she had done previously when fulfilling the few comissions she'd had ongoing at the time. So she'd stopped taking them, reasoning that her work wasn't at its best and she needed to shake herself out of the depressive fog that rejection had plunged her into.
She'd thought they'd connected, convinced herself he must feel the same for her, she'd swear that he'd tried to tell her he loved her but his insistence that she'd misheard had her spiralling. X had clearly decided that enough was enough, she was sure the bird had put his mimicry to nefarious use this morning, and, pulling another cup from her cabinet, she resolved to either bury the creature in crackers and carrots, or pluck him.
Wisps of steam rose from the cups as she carried them back in to the living room, seeing that Fang had not only made himself somewhat comfortable on the sofa, but he'd also tidied a little. Abandoned newspapers now sat in a neat stack on her armchair, leaving her with only one seating option. She set the cups on the coffee table, and set herself down next to him.
'I'm... embarrassed.' He said, leaning forwards with his arms resting on his thighs, a thick curtain of glossy hair separating his face from her view.
'You really don't need to be. I'm fairly certain I made a fool of myself more than enough this week. There's no more embarrassment to go round. I took it all.'
'I… You think you want to be with me, but only because… you don’t understand who I am. Who I really am.'
She stared over at him, shaking her head gently, reaching a hand to his shoulder.
'Past is past, Fang. Unless you're actively murdering people or hoarding water...' She trailed off, unsure where the thought had even been going.
He turned to her.
'Everyone I love... Goes away in the end...'
She opened her mouth before realising she had nothing to say to that.
'I’ll tell you. I must tell you. Tell you everything. But I don’t know… how to say it…'
'Do you mind if I ask questions?'
There was a pause, he shifted back, leaning into the hand on his shoulder a little more, met her eyes, and nodded.
She found herself a little lost then, his startling blue eyes had caught her off guard before, but this time was something more than just a glance, something that set a fluttering of nerves in her chest.
'Everyone... Everyone you love?' She ventured, scared to look away.
He nodded, and began to explain.
