Isle of Ikea, Sunday Evening

[arboreal_priestess]

"So we're not leaving without getting a bed and some meatballs. Everything else is optional, but definitely those two things."

Verity had been threatening to drag Liam to Ikea ever since the giant snowstorm and she'd seen the empty expanse he called a bedroom. Honestly, Liam? A chair? If their physical relationship ever moved past the whole 'glowing cloud of purple light' thing, Verity figured they'd sometimes want a place to retreat to where they didn't have to negotiate with mice for a bit of privacy.

Which they couldn't do with just a chair.

"Also, considering the size of the store, maybe we should have brought along a couple of guide ropes and maybe a GPS," she added as the doors opened and she took in the sheer size of the store. Though maybe having the entire island being named for it should have given her a clue. "Uhhh...excelsior?"

[For the guy!]

Comments

[arboreal_priestess]

"But maybe he expected too much from a single person," Verity said softly. "He wanted you to do something he couldn't--and you still managed to achieve more than he ever could." She shook her head, hand cupping his cheek. "It's easy to measure the distance between the goal and where you fell short of it. It's a lot harder to measure how far you got, though."

[firstofitskind]

Ha'gel had been responsible for the creation of two species. Liam... had failed to save either, even if he'd managed to ensure humanity's survival.

"Maybe," Liam said, finally. "Got me here, at least. Can't complain about that."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Better not," she said, glaring up at him. "You're the best thing about this whole goddamn island. Probably the whole East Coast. Best thing that's happened to me in a long while, too."

[firstofitskind]

"Yeah?" Liam grinned at her. "Same here, you know. This place may be weird as hell, but I'm glad you're here to share it with."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Weird as hell?" Verity said, lips twitching. "Whatever makes you say that?"

Besides whatever that was.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's gaze followed Verity's. "I mean, the bassinet made of knives is a pretty good indicator?"

[arboreal_priestess]

"Awww, and here I thought it was charming," Verity said, batting her eyes. "Just what I was thinking about little Junior."

[firstofitskind]

"I've seen the number of knives you keep on your person," Liam snickered. "You would think that's charming."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well...you've seen most of them," Verity said, snickering. "...Probably."

[firstofitskind]

"You're literally just proving my point," Liam said, nudging her with one elbow.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Yeah, but who's going to feel stupid when they're putting a baby to bed and something terrible comes in and they don't have any knives to throw because they were too good for the knife cradle, huh? Huh?"

[firstofitskind]

"Someone who needs to throw knives in the first place," Liam retorted, giving her his best innocent face.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well look who's all smug and sassy now," Verity sniffed, like she didn't find that both adorable and completely attractive. "Who said you could do that?"

[firstofitskind]

"My girlfriend finds it endearing," Liam said haughtily.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Mmmm, sounds fake but okay," Verity sniffed, heading over to another bed.

Lots of swing in them hips, there, Very.

[firstofitskind]

Which Liam was just going to take a moment to eye appreciatively.

"You saying you think she changed her mind?"

[arboreal_priestess]

...Not if those hips were anything to go by.

"You sure she wasn't just humoring you this whole time?"

Because that was a very Verity trait, yes.

[firstofitskind]

"I suppose it's possible," Liam said, coming up behind her and circling his arms around her waist. "But, hmm, no, I don't think so."

[arboreal_priestess]

"You sound pretty sure of yourself," she said, turning in his arms, face upturned towards his.

[firstofitskind]

"Yeah, well," Liam said with a grin. "I'm a pretty good judge of character. And she and I have gotten to know each other pretty well these past few months..."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Well enough to tell when her body language is saying Kiss me, you fool?" she asked, wagging her eyebrows at him.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's response to that question was to, naturally, do just that.

[arboreal_priestess]

The same worker from before ostentatiously cleared his throat. "Can I help you two find anything?"

"Well," Verity said, pulling herself away from Liam with some reluctance, "we're looking for a bed that doesn't look like it was built by or in a nightmare."

The worker pointed towards another aisle.

"Super helpful." Verity rolled her eyes.

[firstofitskind]

“You realize you technically didn’t include ‘just plain weird’ in your list of qualifiers there,” Liam pointed out mildly, after the very helpful Ikea associate had wandered off.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I wasn't going to assume there were anything that fit that criteria here," Verity said, slinging an arm around his waist. "It's possible the best we'll find here is something that doesn't give you chills when you look at it."