InsaneJournal

Kate perched next to Daud on the roof of a building in downtown Vallo, legs hanging down the side, feet swinging. They had been bouncing from rooftop to rooftop in this busy little neighborhood for a while now – had to be over an hour, bordering on two. It was a fun exercise, a test of her coordination that relied a little more on instinct than sparring with Natasha, or Steve, or Yelena, or James.

Daud challenged her in different ways. He taught her different things. He was patient and held literally no judgment towards her, nothing against her. He may not be the most emotive, but Kate was emotive enough for both of them. She liked hanging out with him, and she got the feeling he enjoyed it in his own way, too. He put up with an awful lot of her TV and movie requirements, at least.

This particular building housed a bodega under two floors of apartments, and the savory smells drifting up to them were tempting Kate’s stomach. But she was content to sit for a moment, her muscles throbbing, and be quiet.

In the near distance, maybe a few blocks over, she could see the sloped roof surrounding a set of big copper bells, and she looked over at Daud. “Did I ever tell you about the bell tower I destroyed back home?”

“You didn’t,” Daud replied. As per usual, he left it up to her whether she wanted to tell him or not. He assumed she did, or she wouldn’t have brought it up, so it made sense to just wait for the story.

Daud liked Kate’s stories. He liked her company in general, and that of the other women she lived with, though he wasn’t the sort to say it. He’d never been one to talk about his feelings; allowing himself to occasionally have a feeling here and there was a real step forward since the end of his first life. Inviting Kate to go running over the rooftops and sharing his expertise on the matter was Daud’s idea of expressing affection. So far it seemed to work well enough with the people who were used to it.

Yeah, Daud definitely wasn’t the chatty type, but that was fine. Kate was known to fill a room with talk even when it wasn’t asked of her – she had her quiet moments, but they were much more rare. She always had something to say, and she wasn’t the best at holding back.

“It was on my university campus back home,” she explained. “Stane Tower. Big, pretentious thing and the bells hadn’t rung in ages. I guess the whole thing was just poorly built because my friends, Greer and Franny, bet me I wouldn’t be able to get the bells to ring with a tennis ball arrow. And when I did–” She held up both hands and made a whoosh and exploding noise as she spread them apart. “Totally fell apart. Administration was, uh, not happy.”

“Heh.” That qualified as a laugh from Daud. “If it’s that delicate, it had destruction coming.”

He’d never had much patience for the weak. He’d gotten a little better about that, particularly since coming to Vallo, but what good was a bell tower that couldn’t ring its bells?

“Did they catch you at it?” he asked. “Or was that the end of your academic career?”

“Well, it ended up being the end of it because I popped up here.” And as good as she was at school, she’d honestly never considered going to any university in Vallo. It seemed needless. “But no, my mom paid for the damages, and I would’ve gone back. I mean, maybe. Maybe not.”

After everything that had gone down that Christmas, it was hard to say where she’d ended up. She’d only just started working with Clint, and she knew herself. She wasn’t the type to let go of that opportunity, something she’d aspired to for ages, without a fight. Then there were all the complications that came with her mom’s arrest, which she still carried a lot of guilt over. She doubted it would be as simple as going back to school when there were other affairs to deal with now.

“I was only a semester short of graduating, so I probably would have gone back just to have it completed,” she decided after a moment of consideration. “But… Vallo.” And that wasn’t a complaint, not in the slightest.

“Vallo,” Daud agreed, as blandly accepting of it as they all were by now. He’d described it once as being like residents of a tropical island who got used to hurricanes. Once one was accustomed to it, Category 1 Weirdness was just a glorified rainstorm. But “Vallo” in all its complex glory brought a thought to mind, mainly how being here was indeed nothing to complain about for many of them.

“You’ve seemed happy lately,” he said, looking out over the city lights. “Things are going well?”

“Yeah, I’ve been happy,” she agreed with a grin. Things were changing for her, but it wasn’t in a bad way. Maybe that was an accomplishment, given how many former assassins she surrounded herself with. “It’s nice having some peace, you know? I don’t mind the fight, but not being under attack is pretty great.”

Daud nodded. The comparative peace and quiet of Vallo was his favorite thing about it. No vast political intrigue, no ruling class of the obscenely wealthy stomping on the poor, no plagues, no need for assassins, and no disinterested god fucking with it all. No need to kill gods or be them, either. He could be an ordinary fisherman and very seldom called out on being anything else. It was the perfect retirement from being the Knife of Dunwall and then the Outsider, occasional attacks from mad geese aside.

“There’s much to be said for peace,” he agreed, then paused. “Things are still good with Emily?”

He didn’t often ask about relationships, having never been in one himself, but he’d gotten the impression at dinner that Kate was completely gone on the girl. Daud wanted to be sure Kate was treated well.

Kate grinned easily. “Things are great with Emily,” she assured him. She nudged his shoulder with hers, a little gesture to show she appreciated him asking. “We’re talking about moving her into the house soon, actually. I just asked her at the start of the month, and I got Natasha and Yelena’s okay at lunch the next day.”

She’d had Yelena’s blessing – and sort of insistence – already secured. She’d predicted Nat wouldn’t mind either because, well, she knew her sisters. Emily had spent plenty of time at the house, so it wasn’t a surprise or a big change, really. But she’d still wanted to do it right and officially, and over a lunch at Sofia’s, where she plied them both with pasta and garlic knots, had been the best call.

It was no surprise that Natasha and Yelena would be glad to have a fourth in the house if it was someone who made Kate happy. It was good that she’d found someone she fit so well with after the heartbreak she’d been through. It reminded Daud that sometimes he missed living amongst more people. New Asgard did a nice job of mimicking the feeling of it without being too crowded, though, friendly (sometimes too friendly) community that it was.

“Good luck,” he said, which he felt covered both asking her housemates and the moving in itself. “You should bring them all around for dinner again sometime. That was…nice.”

“Thanks,” Kate nodded. She’d known him long enough to know those words were all-encompassing. Small as they may be, she knew the sentiment was sincere and it was very much appreciated. “Dinner can totally be arranged. We can pick another movie and all just hang out. Getting a little lonely out there?”

The last part was obviously teasing, her voice lilting playfully. She doubted such a thing was possible with Thor around, and New Asgard was a warm community. She missed it sometimes, but moving in with her sisters had been a good tradeoff, in her opinion.

“Thor would never let me, whether I like it or not,” Daud said dryly. He always acted like Thor was annoying, despite the man being one of the best friends he’d ever had. Daud still didn’t really know how to have friends.

This was a start, though. Inviting people to have dinner with him on purpose. Cooking for people without pretending that he just made way too much of something by accident. Watching movies voluntarily. He was learning.

“But bring your girls to dinner again anyway. We can have congrí this time.”

That’s what Kate had expected to hear, but she still chuckled anyway. Daud acted like the grumpiest of old men, and in some respects, he absolutely was. But he was a softie underneath it all. She was glad to have started talking to him and spending time with him; he had become a sort of father figure to her, alongside Tony. It made her miss Mobius a little less to know she had Daud in her corner.

“Congrí sounds amazing,” she said, “and I’m pretty sure my girls will be in.” She knew she wasn’t the only one who’d had a good time spending the afternoon and evening with Daud, and she was happy to make it a regular thing. He needed to have more people pestering him.

Grabbing hold of his shoulder, she pushed herself up to her feet. “Alright, I think I’ve recovered. Where are we bouncing off to next, boss?”

Daud stood, taking a little more time about it than Kate did. He’d gotten a break by being the Outsider for a century, but these old bones still weren’t what they used to be. His eyes were sharp as ever, though—a quick scan of the skyline, and he nodded to the roof of the Department of Outlander Affairs.

“Let’s make for that one. And be ready for the curve on the roof of that temple on the way.”