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[duerespectguv]

Declan's spent most of the day walking around the city because while it's not his London, it's London and he's missed it terribly. The streets are mostly the same as the ones he knows from home, at least, and it's nostalgic to wander around and know this was where James Watson had grown up and lived the most important years of his life. He misses James terribly when he's home because the UK Sanctuary is his home and wandering around and not seeing it in this version of London tugs at him a little.

He ends up at Kate's hut, or what was her hut, anyway, and waits just outside on the stoop for a bit to see if she'll come home. If not, he'll let himself in but he likes to respect her privacy. He's not really a fan of the Victorian clothes but he concedes to it since there's no other option and he's sporting a tweed suit and an overcoat that would have made James proud.

Besides, it's James' fault that he even knows how to tie a cravat to begin with. He'd have loved this.

Comments

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"Declan." Kate huffs a soft snort of warm affectionate laughter. "Think about who you're talking to. When have I ever let someone beat me?" She slides her fingers under the cuff of his shirt, scraping softly at the inside of his wrist with her nail. "I was flirting with you, babe. Trying to get you to think about how damned fast I roll for you in bed."

When they spar, which hasn't been much lately, she goes all out. Sometimes she wins, sometimes he does. Sex, though, that's different and when he wants her, most of the time, she's fighting herself to keep from rolling even faster.

"If you beat me when we're sparring, you're beating me straight up. Swear."

[duerespectguv]

"I know, Katie, it's just...I care about you and I needed to be sure, is all. But we've sorted it and I know you're not letting me win except in bed, so. We're all right."

He reaches for her, wanting her in his lap instead of her feet. "I want to talk to Steve, too. On training issues, not just...social ones."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

Kate gives him a look, sharp and potentially irritated. "I'm assuming you're talking about your training issues. My training, my decisions." She cocks her head and asks in a tone that says she's being really carefully patient, trying not to fly off the handle if he doesn't deserve it. "Yeah?"

[duerespectguv]

"Wanting to get on the same page, is all, so I'm not contradicting him," Declan explains, sensing this might get very bad very quickly.

"His military experience is vastly different from mine."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"No." That's flat and steady. She's not picking a fight but her training is her business. "I learned to fight on my own. My style's is already different than either of you. You leave it to me what I take from either of you."

[duerespectguv]

"Fair enough."

Declan's not wanting to fight but he can't help but think being on the same page with everyone in a coordinated effort's going to be better than going rogue. Still, Kate's life, Kate's decisions, and him nosing around in it's not going to do any good.

"What do you need me to do, then?"

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"First..."

Kate slides over into his lap the way she's been resisting since he mentioned talking to Steve. She kisses him, long and hard and slow, and then pulls back to leave space for talking.

"Thanks. For getting that. It's not that I don't respect you. I do." Which, for Kate, said a lot. The fact that she's saying it out loud says even more. "But I'm the one who's going to be making choices in the middle of any fight where I'm using what I know. I want all the options, not just the ones that work well together. Being unpredictable is one of the only advantages someone as small as me has in a fight."

She knows he gets that and he just wants to protect her. That feels pretty good, but being able to protect herself feels even better.

"Second, I think we need to tell some people, not just the people who might be in danger. I've got a few in mind, people who color outside the lines like me. But it might be better if you talk to the official good guys. And Tesla. Get a read from him on Druitt, maybe get some weapons?"

She runs her hand down his arm, thinking. "And...maybe you can come with me, learn who I check up on. So you can help me keep an eye on them?"

[duerespectguv]

"Tesla, I can handle. I think he's cross with Magnus right now, though, so maybe I need to get him a little drunk before I can sway him that it's in his best interest to help me," Declan muses, not sure how that's going to go.

"I'm on mostly-good terms with him, though, it should be right."

At the latter, though, he pauses. "You have people you check up on besides just us, then?"

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"He doesn't like Druitt that much, and at least the alcohol's free." Kate scoots a little closer into his lap. He's warm and it's fucking cold with it going from tropical fall to London winter in like an hour.

"It's kind of weird, right? Me caring about anyone. It's just. There's this whole group of girls from like fourteen to eighteen or nineteen that don't have parents or families. They have some people to look out for them and they're not clueless. But..." Kate shrugs, not totally sure how to explain. "I didn't have anyone at their age and it's hard. It makes me want to make sure they have someone to ask about stuff, to notice if they're sick or hurt or someone's hurting them."

She's kind of embarrassed about it. Doesn't really know what he'll think. "I look in on a lot of the animals that Magnus and I treat, too."

[duerespectguv]

"The animals don't surprise me. Magnus tells me you have a pet steno, after all."

Bit of a running joke in the Old City house and it's trickled over to his after visits from Will and Henry.

"We've gryphons in my house, you know. I bet they'd all imprint on Mummy Kate."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

Kate narrows her gaze at him. "Don't mock unless you like this couch more than my bed." Yeah, she's a little sensitive about this. Mostly because she doesn't get why she can't just leave them be. It's not like they're in danger here most of the time. Some because she does care and that's hard for her.

[duerespectguv]

"I'm not mocking, Katie-love, don't get your knickers in a twist. I think it's cute, actually."

He slides his hand down her arm, rubbing lightly and trying to soothe her. "It's good you're taking an interest in the girls, though. They need a good role model like you. And before you say you're not, you are."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

She's easily appeased when it comes to him and she's not invested in fighting. Not when he looks so damned good and they're so good together. She bends her head to kiss at the hollow of his throat. Tease it with her tongue.

"The last guy who called me cute-" Who wasn't Will or Henry. "Talks through a straw in his trachea now. You sure you don't want to rethink that?" It's about as non-threatening as a threat can be, except how she's tilted her head to mouth over his Adam's Apple.

[duerespectguv]

"I'll take my chances. I know how to get you to roll for me, love."

He's not usually so cocky about it but they're playing and he's keeping it light.

"Kiss me?"

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"You did say you wanted me to make you work for it," she reminds him, about the rolling, not the kissing. The kissing's definitely happening. Right now. And she slides her forearms up over his shoulders to lean in and kiss him deeply. Fuck, this is good. It's even better now that she told him how she feels.

[duerespectguv]

"Almost reminds me of home," Declan murmurs, catching her chin and deepening the kiss. "Fireplace, old house, it's like home."

There's nothing Declan wants more than to be home again but he doesn't want to trade this relationship for it, not for anything.

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

Kate hears the odd catch in his voice, but she's not sure what to do about it. They suck at talking, but if something's wrong... She pulls back, biting her lip and looking at him, expression soft. Her fingers slip through his hair. "You doing okay, babe? Magnus is eating this up, but she's kind of weird like that. I don't...just, you know, if you're not or you want to talk about it or anything, it's okay."

[duerespectguv]

"I miss James. Druitt's here now and all I want is for it to be James instead. I miss my family."

He doesn't want her to think that he doesn't want this or that she's not enough for him but he's never really been away from his own stomping grounds this long since he was in the military. It's a shift.

"Just nostalgic, is all."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

Kate kisses him again softly and shifts, fitting herself into his lap and his arms. She's not very good at the whole comforting thing, but it's easier with him than Magnus. With him she can make herself quiet and let him hold onto her, even if it makes her feel things that she'd kind of rather not deal with.

"It sucks, babe. I'm sorry. I wish it was him too, if that means anything. Maybe he'll come, sometime?" Going home isn't gonna help with James, since he's dead. Score one good thing about the island. "I wish you were spending the holidays with your family. Then I could come see you at New Year's or something and totally fail at being appropriate. It'd be fun."

[duerespectguv]

"Oh, definitely. New Years, I'd have you all to myself but I'd like you to meet my family too. I miss knowing I always have a place to go for the holiday," Declan admits.

"Even when we were too busy, James and I used to always have Christmas dinner together. I couldn't really introduce him to my family so some years I tried to stay with him so he wasn't so lonely."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"I never had a place to go for the holidays." It's awkward. Talking. But he needs to and she's pretty sure that listening is in the girlfriend contract. She shifts again so she can rub his chest with her hand. Hers always aches when she's talking about shit like this, so maybe it'll be soothing or something. "Which sucked sometimes but I was used to it. I think it must suck a lot worse to grow up with all that and have it taken away."

[duerespectguv]

"You deserve better," Declan says quietly, covering her hand over his chest, right over his heart. "I aim to give you better, at least, and if I ever miss the mark, please let me know. I love you too much to let you want for affection."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"I'm fine, babe." Kate leans up to kiss his jaw. He's too damned sweet for his own good. "More worried about you right now." Being small has some advantages for being a girlfriend, she's figured out. As long as she's careful with the heels of her boots - which she is - she can curl right up to him like a kitten. "You were talking about James. Your stories are a hell of a lot less boring than Magnus and Will's. Talk if you want. I'm not much good with headshrinking but I can listen."

[duerespectguv]

Declan arches a brow. "You just said that Helen Magnus is boring. How is that even possible, love?"

Still, it's amusing and having her curled up on him is nice. He lets his hand drift into her hair to stroke it while he talks.

"James is...complex. And so lonely, even more isolated than Magnus is. I used to drink scotch with him in his study and listen to old stories about The Five, I never got bored of it."

[girlsolo.livejournal.com]

"You've never had to sit in a room with her when she's obviously telling stories to Will." Kate flashes him a soft little grin. "You're talking to me. That makes you a thousand times more interesting before you even open your mouth."

Besides, he's touching her. That's the best thing in her life right now.

"I don't think there's scotch in this place but I can go find a bottle of something if you want. You can tell me stories about the Five." That's the only good thing about Victorian London so far. Real alcohol.