The Purple Haired Craze

In Which A Key Decision Is Made

Alright! Ahead there is some slightly steamy stuff, but nothing too graphic, I think, considering I have no idea what sex is like... BE WARNED! If you are sensitive to any amount of sexual references, please don't read after the perspective shift in the chapter...

Valkyrie sat up on the morning of the last day of the year.

Skulduggery's birthday.

She looked blankly at the empty space in the bed next to her before rubbing her eyes and flopping back onto the warm bed sheets.

Whilst she was pretty certain young Skulduggery (as she still called him in her head) liked her, and she him, their relationship was a little confusing. They slept in the same bed, held hands and they would kiss sometimes, but Val realised that they hadn't moved from that yet and they were still quite distant most of the time, almost as if they didn't know how to break past the somewhat awkward barrier Valkyrie had unwittingly put between them; that she was from the future.

In her head, she was certain that Skulduggery's wife would make an appearance at some point and she would be forgotten completely. It prevented her from wanting to make any advances in their relationship together with the fear that it would amount to nothing.

Not that Liv had warned her about making relationships with the Dead Men; Val figured that Liv would have told her by now if she wasn't supposed to be investing in a relationship with a younger (and very much alive) Skulduggery. But there was still this instinctive reaction to distance herself from getting too close to the teenagers that she was struggling to get over.

Sighing, she slipped out of the warmth of the bed, dragging the nightgown over her head and moving to the wardrobe to grab the most warm and comfortable dress she could find. She certainly didn't enjoy the impractical dresses, but she had got used to them over the course of the last couple of months. She was just happy that the school didn't have dresses as part of the girl's uniform. Eventually, she settled on a deep crimson, but fairly simplistic in style dress.

Pulling her hair up into a simple pony-tail, Val slipped her boots on and made her way downstairs. The wooden staircases creaked, something that would generally creep her out in the middle of the night, but with the gentle sound of muffled voices it sounded almost soothing.

Skulduggery was already up, sitting at the main table next to Joy, who was refusing to eat her egg that she had been given for breakfast. Liv and Anton were quietly conversing with Aura and Roshan in the living room, seemingly occupied. Val arched an eyebrow; usually on her birthday, her parents would make it a nice day and go out of their way to make her happy, and yet Skulduggery was the one sitting with his little sister, practically force-feeding the small girl.

She went to sit down on Joy's other side. "Happy Birthday, Skul. Do you want me to feed her?"

The golden haired boy did a double take. "You actually celebrate Birth Days?

"Uh, yes? Don't you?"

He sat back in his chair. "Well, we remember it as a family just for administrative purposes, but it is nothing special really."

"But, it is! My parents, family and friends would get me presents and I'd get a day off from doing much work, and my mum would make a cake and-" She realised that she was waffling and fell silent.

"We've never done that."

Joy gave the table a vicious kick. "Skuldug'ry, I hate egg!"

"Behave!" he barked. "You know you aren't leaving the table until it's finished." He was clearly getting frustrated with the girl and Val felt the need to intervene.

"Skul, let me feed her. Take a break."

He gave a sigh, slumping in his chair. "You won't let her leave without finishing, right?"

"I won't"

"Alright." He stood up, and made his way to the stairs.

Valkyrie turned her focus towards Joy. "Now, little madam, you have something you need to eat."

Skulduggery was idly sketching at his desk when Valkyrie entered the room, hours later.

"There's food downstairs if you want some. We've all eaten." He watched as she moved to sit on the bed. "I said that you weren't really up to doing much today, so you won't be disturbed I don't think unless it's urgent."

"Thank you." He went back to his drawing, only just realising that he had repeatedly drawn Valkyrie all over the page. As the blood rushed to his face, he flipped the page over, grabbing another to work on before she noticed. "You got Joy to eat her breakfast?"

"I convinced her that egg is the most delicious thing ever because it's my favourite food."

"Is it?"

Valkyrie scoffed. "God, no! But eating a little bit of egg was worth it considering my bum was going numb."

Skulduggery laughed. "The pain you must have endured!"

"Absolute torture! You now owe me a life debt, seeing as I rescued you from that pain."

"You tortured yourself! I owe you nothing, but my gratitude."

Valkyrie pulled a face of mock surprise. "I saved you from certain doom of numb bum, and how did you repay me?"

"Oh, you wanted payment?" Skulduggery raised an eyebrow, not certain as to how this was going to pan out. Was she interested in him in the way he was interested in her? Had she realised how much he was holding back?

"Of course." Her eyes remained steadily on him as he stood up and moved to the bed, sitting himself gently on the other side. The atmosphere of the room suddenly felt incredibly tense as they kept their gazes fixed on the other.

"What sort of compensation would you require, my saviour?"

Their witty banter withered away as she shifted herself on the bed, the crimson of her dress highlighting the red tinge to her soft lips and dark hair. His heart almost stopped when she pulled herself over towards him, leaning so that her cheek brushed his, her mouth almost brushing the join between his neck and shoulders. "I would have thought you knew what I wanted by now, Lorcan," she whispered, making him shudder.

There was something so satisfyingly personal about the way she said his given name. "You weren't exactly overt in communicating what you wanted, Stephanie."

"Should I be?"

The feeling of her lips ghosting along his neck was unbearable. "Gods, yes," he breathed.

Her mouth pressed into nook under his chin as he tilted his head back, closing his eyes in bliss as she gently nipped his neck, moving downwards towards his torso. He gave a low moan as she swiftly undid the buttons of his top, letting her hands roam over the expanse of his chest. He pulled her closer, letting her practically sit in his lap.

"Did you lock the door," he gasped as she gave his ear lobe a nibble.

"Mhm."

"Good."

Another thing! I have no idea as to what I am supposed to do in the next chapter. Should I:

1. Jump forwards in time to when they all get back to school?

2. Make a chapter concerning more China plot developments?

3. Write what happens directly after Valkyrie and Skulduggery have the sex?

Let me know in the comments, or in the inbox! Thanks!