Operation Ludendorff: a Leviathan fanfic

Chapter 3

Ever since that rainy topside, Deryn had realized that the only time she felt herself lose touch with the world around her when Alek kissed her.

And at that very moment, Deryn wasn't in the corridor below the Atlas's rookery. For all she knew, everything around her didn't exist. All her senses were muddled, and all she felt was Alek's lips on her own and his hair between her fingers.

Eventually, it wasn't the sound of someone clearing their throat that brought Deryn back down to the Atlas, but Alek pulling away from her. When Deryn finally opened her eyes, Alek had his back to her, facing Dr Barlow. The boy's spine was so straight Deryn thought that it would snap in two.

The last time Dr Barlow had caught them in a situation like this; the woman had only smiled and told them off for not finding a better hiding place. But now she was as cold as a statue, her face a hard mask of supressed emotions that threatened to burst.

Blasted kissing, Deryn stood, Bovril still balanced on her shoulder. Alek followed her up, the daft prince opening his mouth to say something when –

"Well, isn't this barking awkward," Bovril said, cackling to itself.

Dr Barlow glared daggers at the beastie before turning her gaze back onto them. "If you two would accompany me to my office; we have matters to discuss."

When the lady boffin had her back turned, Deryn gave the Loris a hard look. Bovril didn't seem to notice though, and jumped to the edge of a gondola's window, seeming not to notice the change in everyone's mood.

"Bleeding beastie," Deryn muttered. The Loris had quite the knack for saying the exact wrong thing when Dr Barlow was concerned, and it was getting to be more of a problem.

Deryn pulled at the wrinkles of her shirt and ran her fingers through Alek's tousled hair. No use passing by the airship's officers looking like she'd snogged with the whole barking ship with Dr Barlow already mad at them.

She tried to tame her curly blond hair too, before muttering a curse and giving up. She would need a haircut soon, lest everyone notice how feminine she looked with long hair. She tucked her sketchpad beneath her arm, frowning at Bovril when the beastie climbed up Alek's arm.

They caught up with Dr Barlow opening her stateroom door, the woman not bothering to check who was behind her.

Dr Barlow, being a boffin and famous granddaughter of Charles Darwin himself, had gotten the larger stateroom on the airship. All the contents of the lady boffin's luggage was already placed all around the room; the wireless clicking away on a wooden desk.

Dr Barlow gestured to the cot the airship's crew had set up for Deryn to sleep in, her suitcase open and spilling shirts and bandages all over the small expanse.

Deryn moved the clothes away and sat on the cot, Alek sitting beside her. Bovril ran down the boy's arm immediately, scampering to where Dr Barlow's Loris was perching.

The two started talking madly, spouting old conversations they'd heard until the room was filled with noise. Usually, Dr Barlow would have glared at the beasties by that time, but the lady boffin only sat on the padded desk chair, placing her hand delicately on the edge of her desk.