Denzil grinned, apparently pleased by that prospect. "You can tell her I'm leaving, too."
Malone sighed, but just nodded, fishing out a battered little notebook from the folds of his jacket. As he flipped through it, Evandie reappeared with a laden tray. She passed out steaming cups of tea to everyone but Malone, who received both a steaming mug of coffee and a plate piled high with leftovers from last night's supper.
Malone thanked her profusely, earning a smile, and he drank down half his coffee before she left again.
"Mervyn, would you mind coming down to the station to identify some of the instruments we've confiscated from Baldric?" Malone asked, ignoring his food in favor of his coffee for the moment. "You have more health magic than I or any of the other Investigators working this case do."
"Sure," Mervyn said, agreeing easily. "Give me a day or two and I should be able to hobble around without too much trouble."
"I'll arrange a ride for you," Malone said, making a note.
"Have you thought of looking at Janan's team for the man really behind this?" Mervyn asked, frowning pensively. "I don't think Janan would be that stupid, as he's very invested in his career at the hospital. He wouldn't do anything to endanger that, but the others on his team would have access to both Baldric and the equipment to perform such operations."
"It's on my list to check out," Malone said gravely. "I'm going to get what I can from Baldric before I go any further with that part of the investigation."
Mervyn nodded, setting aside his notebook and the book he'd been working with. He shifted his injured leg with a grimace, sitting up straighter but not letting go of Callisto's hand.
"Would you like our statements as you eat?" Mervyn asked, picking up his tea one-handed. Callisto finally let go of Mervyn's other hand, leaning forward to pick up his own tea cup. Denzil caught his eye, smirking, but Callisto just rolled his eyes, sitting back with a smile.
"Sure," Malone said, flipping a few pages of his notebook. "Mervyn, you start."
Mervyn nodded, speaking slowly as he recounted what had happened in the warehouse, for the third time. He kept to the story he'd told Denzil, which was much more accurate than the highly abridged version he'd given Evandie.
Malone took short little notes as Mervyn spoke, either noting in shorthand or marking down only the most important bits. He pointed to Callisto wordlessly when Mervyn was done, and Callisto dutifully told his part of it, starting from Mervyn telling him to run to finding Malone and Denzil to throwing tools at Baldric.
He may have faltered a little when he got to the part where Baldric threw his rotting heart at him, but Malone politely ignored it and Denzil didn't interrupt. Mervyn simply rested a hand on Callisto's thigh, and it was easier to say than he'd expected.
"I'll let you know if I have any follow-up questions," Malone said, jotting a few things down after Callisto finished. "This should be sufficient, however. Are you staying here for the foreseeable future or somewhere else in the city?"
"Here," Callisto said at the same time Mervyn did. Callisto glanced at him, cracking a smile, and Denzil snorted in amusement.
"I figured," Malone said, making a last note in his notepad before flipping it shut.
"Why?" Denzil asked, somewhat sharply. "Why did you figure? I could have set him up somewhere else."
"Not after the display they gave me and the other Investigators at Baldric's warehouse," Malone said dryly, and Callisto flushed, sinking down in his seat slightly.
"Display? Mervyn," Denzil said, rounding on their sofa and Callisto didn't miss the flash of smile that crossed Malone's face before he applied himself diligently to the remaining food on his pate. "Are you taking advantage of my brother?"
"Yes," Mervyn said dryly, scooting his hand up Callisto's thigh slightly. Callisto immediately smacked Mervyn's chest, trying to ignore the way his face heated.
"Stop that," Callisto said, and Mervyn laughed, but obligingly removed his hand. He grinned at Callisto, and Callisto smiled back, unable to not.
"Ugh," Denzil said, and Callisto turned towards him and made a face. "What? I'm not the one being disgustingly cute and sappy."
"At least I'm cute," Callisto retorted, then rolled his eyes. He was usually better at not rising to Denzil's taunts.
"I'm going to pack," Denzil decided abruptly, standing. "Tell Shalla that I'll be back in a few weeks or a few months, depending on how quickly my parents run me off. Mervyn, take good care of Callisto. I'll stab you someplace worse than a leg if you hurt him."
"Denzil," Callisto said, exasperated.
"Yes, Denzil," Mervyn said, as though Denzil hadn't just threatened him with grievous bodily harm.
"Good," Denzil said, apparently satisfied. "Callisto, write me a list of anything you want me to get while I am there."
Callisto nodded. There wasn't much, but he could tell Denzil where he'd hidden some of his art supplies. Denzil hesitated a brief moment more before turning and leaving the library.
"I think I will steal the sofa in your receiving room, if you don't mind," Malone said, setting his dirty dishes on the table before him.
"You can borrow my bed," Mervyn offered, but Malone shook his head.
"I'm only stealing a few hours," Malone said, grimacing. "A bed would tempt me to linger overlong."
"All right," Mervyn acquiesced, frowning worriedly after Malone as he headed out of the library. As soon as the door shut, however, he turned to Callisto expectantly.
"What?" Callisto asked, fighting a smile because he knew exactly what.
"Denzil knows," Mervyn said, tilting his head towards Callisto slightly. "And I've stayed off my leg for the last three days except when necessary."
"I don't know," Callisto said slowly, drawing it out. "I don't think it was necessary for you to walk past that empty chair there to sit next to me."
"Oh, it was completely necessary, I promise," Mervyn said, smiling slowly. He casually pushed a few locks of Callisto's hair from his forehead, and Callisto shifted forward, steadying himself with a light touch on Mervyn's uninjured leg. Mervyn met him halfway, sinking his hand into Callisto's hair and kissing him firmly. Callisto returned the kiss immediately, wondering why he'd even bothered to give Mervyn even a token protest, as Mervyn's kisses made his head spin and incited the most pleasant sensations.
"Dizzy," Callisto muttered against Mervyn's lips, about to take another kiss when Mervyn frowned, pulling away fractionally.
"Good dizzy or bad dizzy?" Mervyn asked, sliding a hand down Callisto's chest to where the charm resided beneath his shirt.
"Good dizzy," Callisto reassured, smiling. "Though you can keep testing it, if you like."
Mervyn laughed, replying with another kiss instead of words, and Callisto returned it wholeheartedly, happy right where he was.
Fin
About the Author
Sasha has been writing slash ever since she began writing awful fanfiction in her freshman year of college. She grew up in the boonies of Northern New York (nowhere near NYC) and then branched out for college in a different part of the boonies of NNY. She then spent a few years in Vermont before finally landing in Cincinnati, where she shares a house crazy roommates and crazier cats.
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