#but i love that. ​some tangos feel private. this one is a very public display of affection.

[dozydawn]

Marina Klimova and Sergei Ponomarenko 1988 Original Set Pattern “Tango”

Jealousy by Jacob Gade.

“She is beautiful. If Anna Karenina were to do a tango with Vronksy, this might be it.”

[ready-to-obeyme]

[OM!] Relationship Alphabet (Lucifer/Reader)

Relationship Alphabet

I feel like I went a little overboard with this (it’s 7 pages) and all the hc’s, but let’s just say this is my official love letter to Luci and leave it at that.

Lucifer

A- Activity (What is their favorite activity to do with you.)

Slow dancing with you-- in the dark, in front of the fireplace, during the rain; just a quiet moment together.

I already HC’d that he knows all types of dances, so he’ll sweep you up on your feet with waltzes and ballroom dances and make you swoon into his arms with tangos and salsas. But sometimes the best part of dancing is holding you close to his chest and just being with you. I believe with all my heart that Lucifer is a man who’s softly in love, and being able to share his favorite past time with you is one of his best ways to show you he loves you.

B- Beginnings (How do they act in the beginning of a relationship)

Considering the fact that you’re a human surrounded by demons, Lucifer would act very protective of you in the beginning of your relationship-- even more so because the last thing he would ever want is for you to get hurt. He takes full responsibility for your physical well-being, though that does get overbearing until you tell him to lay it off and assure him that you’ll take precautions. He’s gone through many hardships to protect the people he loves, and you are no different. 

He’d be more hesitant with public displays of affection, though that’s not to say he’s not affectionate towards you at all. Instead, his love is shown through lingering touches and lingering gazes-- and he makes up for any lost touches by showering you with love in private quarters. He just needs to get used to being in a relationship-- and being in love: shifting his priorities to other things besides his responsibilities for others and onto growing and finally doing something that was inherently just for himself.

C- Communication (Are they good communicators? How do they normally talk about their problems or solve issues)

Ummm HAHAHA

Communication has always been hard for Lucifer. Perhaps not as much when he was still an archangel, but it definitely started when he started going against his Father’s wishes, if anywhere. (I mean, holding in his resentment and anger is what created Satan, so…) His responsibility as the eldest brother, the one who led his brothers to their literal downfall, and his vow to serve Diavolo all contributed to Lucifer’s incapability to voice his concerns to his brothers. When you came down to Devildom, you quite literally forced him to communicate, realizing that he had his family-- and you-- who were there for him no matter what. It’s a work in progress, but Lucifer finds himself being able to confide in you for things he normally would have kept to himself, including your input in decisions, especially if those decisions involve you.

D- Drunk (What are they like when they’re drunk)

Much more relaxed than he would be sober-- which makes sense since alcohol does take away your inhibitions. As a result, he relaxes and is actually quite talkative, his words less controlled, more free and flowing. The type to whisper more “I love you’s” and other words of affection toward you when drunk, which is something he trusts you to keep a secret between you and him. Only you get to see this softer side of him!

E- Emergency (How are they in emergency situations? You get hurt, they get hurt, someone is dying etc..)

Lucifer tries to make sure that you’re okay and that everything is resolved. Calm on the outside but his mind is racing-- especially when someone he cares for is hurt. Acts very composed most of the time.

If you somehow get hurt, he's downright ruthless. How dare they lay a finger on you? They'll regret their mistake for the rest of their life if he can help it. 

He's cold and calculative if he needs to be, almost extremely so in emergency situations that are dire, but that may just be a defense mechanism because he feels so strongly about protecting those he loves and prides himself in being reliable and efficient. Reacts quickly and makes decisions without hesitation, sometimes even disregarding his own feelings in the moment.

F- Free Spot (I’ll give you any headcanon I come up with)

Giving up control is the ultimate sign that Lucifer loves you and that he trusts you. (cough sub!Lucifer)

Lovely tenor voice that should be put to use more often!! (in more ways than one 😌)

The type of person who pretends to not be ticklish, but is actually pretty ticklish. He just acts nonchalant long enough for other people to drop it (but you know better)

On the sleepy mornings you call him your morningstar, his heart does a flip and he just looks at you lovingly

G- Gifts (What kind of gifts do they give? What kind of gifts do they get?)

Lucifer gets you gifts whenever he sees something that he think you’d like or gifts that-- when you go out shopping together-- catches your eyes. It always ends up little trinkets-- you wouldn’t know how to react otherwise if he consistently bought you bigger, more expensive gifts otherwise. He’s more subtle with his gifts, preferring to learn what you like and provide you with things. Definitely has Acts of Services and Quality Time as his top love languages. 

Appreciates any gift of yours because it shows you were thinking of him in parts of your daily life. Makes him very soft tbh, knowing that he’s in your thoughts.

H- Hugs (How do they show affection/cuddle)

More of a private person for affection, but loves to cuddle when he has the chance-- or rather, when you manage to convince him to take a break. Adores being big spoon, slightly unused to being small spoon and stubbornly refuses to admit that he absolutely melts under your ministrations. The man’s not used to being adored-- idolized and respected, yes-- but the way you love him makes him feel like things will be okay.

I- Irritation (What is something that irritates them? How do they show their irritation?)

Lucifer absolutely abhors seeing unfinished work on his desk, which is why he spends countless nights trying to complete it all and also why he's so annoyed at his brothers for being loud and disruptive. He's trying to work here! (If he was a gamer, he'd definitely be a completionist. The achievement compels him.) And like in-game, has no hesitation to tell his brothers to be quiet or get tied upside down, and the threat usually works because he always follows through. 

If you make him irritated for some reason, I don't think Lucifer would hesitate to ask you to stop. He doesn't really want to be mad at you, and he trusts you to understand his plight as much as you know he'd do his best to be considerate of your feelings.

J- Jackpot (How would they spend their winnings if they won the lottery?)

FINALLY paying off Mammon’s debts… at a price that Mammon will pay for the rest of his life. (rip Mammon) 

Would also like to take you on a trip somewhere together. Depending on whether you want to go to a particular place or not, you can decide the destination. If you have no preference, he’d honestly just pick a quiet place to be, perhaps near the sea, so the both of you can relax in each others’ presence. He's the type to be okay staying in bed with you the entire week, but if you want to explore or sightsee, he'll research for places with you.

K- Kryptonite (What is their ultimate weakness?)

Online shopping--

Family has always been his kryptonite. He’s willing to give up his pride-- as an Archangel and as the right hand man of Diavolo-- for his brothers: both when he declared war on the Celestial Realm for Lilith and when he lied to Diavolo about Belphie’s dissent. Now that he considers you family, there is very little he would do to make you happy.

L- Laughter (What makes them laugh?)

I actually don't think it's hard to make him laugh. A lot of your antics with Levi and Mammon are actually really amusing-- until they affect his work. But I think the man finds amusement in a lot of his daily life, considering how spontaneous Diavolo and Barbatos are. Lucifer is always naturally soft for his brothers, so just any good times with them (without trouble) is bound to make him throw his head and laugh. He always has a good time teasing his brothers when he can and seeing you interact with them.

Also, the audacity of some lower class demons that try to challenge him or hurt you makes him laugh too. Just not in a joyous way. Definitely has the fake, sadistic laughter before he maims someone.

M- Morning ( How do they wake up in the morning? Are they a morning person or a morning grouch?)

“Good morning. *yawns* Sorry, I’m not much of a morning demon.” 

A grouch. A complete and total sleepy head. Constantly pulls all-nighters and conks out when he gets to bed and struggles really badly to get himself out of it. Lucifer has to really push himself to get out of the covers some days. And when you're in bed with him, even WORSE. Cuddles you till the last possible minute-- but he would never actually let the two of you be late for anything. It's kinda cute how not of a morning person he is. 

Make a cup of coffee for him in the morning and he'll groggily wake up and try to convince you to come back to bed with him.

N- Needy (When do they feel particularly needy? How do they show it?)

"I would like to be able to talk to you more. Is that selfish of me?"

Lucifer doesn't always request for your affection or time, but when he does it blows you out of the water every time. When he feels needy varies. Sometimes it just hits him in the middle of the day when he's doing work or when he feels like he hasn't had a lot of time to be with you lately. He doesn't make it a habit of needing you, but he becomes more explicit when he does want you, though he's not really specific on how he wants you most of the time. 

He probably calls you out of the blue sometimes just to ask you how your day was so he can hear your voice. If you're in the room with him while he's working, he might tell you to come here and you would just let him quietly hug your torso-- but please do sweep your hand through his hand during this time.

For sexual needs, on the other hand, he's pretty straightforward because at the end of the day, he's still a smooth talker when he knows what he wants. Especially if you're shy about it, he'll be even more inclined to be honest about his desire, teasing you and luring you in. 

O- Oasis (Where is their happy place? Where would they go if they didn’t have anything holding them back?)

The human realm. 

I think loving you is the most selfish thing he could do because it is one of the only things he has done just for himself. If Lucifer were to truly decide something for himself without having to think about the wellbeing of others, he would choose to live in the human realm with you.

P- Pain (How do they handle pain? How do they handle when you are in pain?)

You know those typical anime protagonists that get hurt, pretend to be okay until everyone is safe, and people only find out they're hurt when they collapse? 

Yeah, that's Lucifer. Dramatic and prideful af 

He used to handle pain on his own until he had you to confide in and convince him to talk to others for help.

When you're in pain, depending on the severity, would find the solution to your pain or try ways to alleviate it. If you had a physical injury, would lowkey fuss over you and make sure you're cared for and have everything you need. If it's something serious, Lucifer does his best to show that everything is alright, though you know he's worried beyond comfort.

Q- Quote (What’s a quote that fits them and your relationship)

“I will love you until the stars go out and the tides no longer turn.”

“Let us flip the coin and see. Head, I am yours. Tail, you are mine. So, we won’t lose.”

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride.” - Pablo Neruda

R- Reunion (How do they celebrate seeing you after a long time of being apart)

With horny juice

jk love the new chapters <333

Lucifer tries not to monopolize your time at first, because he knows how much his brothers missed you as well. But, god, he'd pine over you the entire day if he could, shooting you glances and turning back, smiling and just overall generally happy that he can see you face to face. 

He's missed you so much and he's just glad you're back with them, and he's confident in your relationship with him to know that he'll have his time eventually. It's that or he'll sweep you away from the brothers at night if they keep on hogging your attention. 

S- Stress (What stresses them out? How do deal with stress and how do they relieve it?)

Watching his brothers get into trouble is the best way to get his blood pressure rising. He usually deals with it by yelling at them even as he deals with it. (The man needs a break.)

Most of the time, Lucifer is pretty composed. He lives under a state of stress all the time considering the workload he always has, so it's not that big of a deal for him.

T- Terror (What are they afraid of?)

Lucifer's worst fear is to have you become afraid of him. The last thing he would ever want is to do is something that scares you, so he controls himself as best as he can (considering he hasn't done the best at that before). He becomes more aware of his anger and aggression when in front of you, and is keen on absolutely never showing aggression towards you again. There shouldn't be anything the two of you can't talk through anymore and he wants to keep it that way.

I don't think he can imagine anything worse than to reach out to you only to have you flinch back and cower because you're afraid he'll do something to you. It honestly would break his heart.

U- Unique (What is a quirk that is unique to them?)

As an archangel-- a seraph, Lucifer had three sets of wings, which was reduced to two, perhaps due to Satan's birth or perhaps due to his falling. Regardless, his demon form, reminiscent of his Celestial Realm days, on better days, reminds him that he is powerful-- though it pains him still. On the worst days, he hates who he has become. Not to say he regrets falling, giving up his life in the Celestial Realm for his family or fighting for what he believes in, but his demon form reminds him of what he has lost and how he has failed. 

You adore his demon form, despite it all, or perhaps you love his form regardless because it represents his love for family, his loyalty, his dedication to something-- or someone. He will never admit it, but having you run your hands through his wings or brush your hand against his horns lovingly is something that makes him fall apart in your arms, on his most vulnerable days. He may have become a demon, but your hands make him feel like that doesn't matter as much. Makes him feel personally invested to see that the three realms are united, if it means he can be with you.

In short, Lucifer is unused to body worship, especially in his demon form but you help him remember to love himself.

V- Violence (Do they fight a lot? Are they a good fighter? What is their fighting style?)

Your man's not eldest brother and Avatar of Pride for nothin', baby.

Probably hasn't fought as much since the end of the Celestial War, but he still knows how to very well. His style of fighting is lethal and quick, much like how he thinks. Fighting is just the means to an end, whether it's for something he believes in or to dish out punishment. Though, it depends on his opponent-- Lucifer can definitely toy with someone he thinks is beneath him, probably a lower class demon who thinks he's hot shit. He is, afterall, still sadistic.

W- Wow (What do you do that really surprises them? What do you do that they really like?)

Lucifer is surprised at the easy affection you provide him. It just seems to come naturally for you to lace your fingers with his on the way back to the House of Lamentation or wrap your arms around him and perch your head on his shoulders as he works. He gets an odd feeling in his chest every time you trace lines onto his back when your in bed together or when you play with his fingers like they're something to be admired. He basks in the way you love him-- like it's simple and easy. He craves your touch, even if he doesn't realize it himself.

What surprises him, and also lowkey scares him, is how surprisingly confrontational you can be when it matters. How brave you are, standing up for or against someone else, even if that someone else was him. It's something that he admires in you, though it worries him nonetheless-- so he'll be there to back you up if you ever need it in the future. His little firecracker. 

X- (Explicit headcanon. For all you degenerates) 

(///∇///) nsfw

Prefers masturbating in the shower, hand against the wall as the water cascades down his body. Cleaner that way, and if he moans, there's less chance someone will overhear him.

Loves to have and see you fall apart under his touch: Edging, overstimulation, hearing you beg and call his name (his sadistic side really showing though rn), watching you as you orgasm. Lucifer can be rough for sure but what he really wants you to do is tell him what you want so he can do it even better. Kind of smug of his skills tbh LOVES seeing you blush. 

On the other hand, a gentle and sensual lover who gives. Also enjoys receiving, burying his hand into your hair as you give him a blowjob. And maybe if you like it, he’ll pull on your hair too.

Y- Yucky (Is there something that grosses them out so badly that they can’t deal with it?)

I don't know why but I feel like Lucifer absolutely hates moldy food in the fridge. shdjskdksksk It would never happen with Beel around, but something about the texture, look, color unsettles him. There's no mess he can't clean or deal with, but he does make a face at it. Honestly, his brothers make such a mess everyday and he's seen so much bloodshed that is there really anything he's fazed by?

Z- ZZZ’s (What are their sleeping habits? Both with and without you)

Sleep is for the weak.

Can go days without sleeping the mad lad, and he often has to with his workload. When Lucifer does sleep, he sleeps like the dead. Not to say he doesn't move when he sleeps, because he does shift and use the entirety of his bed, but because very little can wake him up if he's truly tired. Belphie probably gets it from him tbh  

When you're in his life, his sleep schedule becomes more of a regular thing, mainly because it's hard for him to resist you when you ask him to come to bed to you. Falls asleep cuddling you and wakes up with you in his arms. If you manage to roll away in your sleep, he eventually finds a way to snake his arms around your waist. 

If you ever mention this to him, he might actually get embarrassed because he's not exactly in control of what he does when he's asleep-- and the fact he seeks you out when unconscious is very telling. Don't tease him too much or he'll never stop tickling you.

[bubblemoon66]

Domestic Valduggery Headcanons:

For @skulduggeryweeks and based off of these questions on deviantART. 

Who cleans the most? Contrary to that, who is the messiest?

Skulduggery does most of the cleaning, he has to do something while Valkyrie is sleeping after all. Valkyrie is definitely the messiest, partially because she's the only one using half the stuff in the house (I mean it's not like Skulduggery's going to leave mugs or bowls lying around when he doesn't use them). And partially because she comes home after a 48-hour stakeout kicks off her boots, make herself a round of toast and then tells herself she clean it up later when she's caught up on her sleep, and by that time Skulduggery's already put everything away. However, Valkyrie does get better at cleaning up after herself once she moves to Meek Ridge and adopts Xena. You can't just leave shoes lying around with a puppy around after all.

Who usually cooks?

Valkyrie. She's the only one who eats, and she'd just feel weird asking Skulduggery to make her anything more than a cup of tea or coffee. Although Skulduggery will get her food unasked when he knows she's too tried to do it herself (usually takeaway, but he's made toast and heated up cans of soup quite a few times).

Who is more inclined to be jealous or possessive? ​

Valkyrie.

Skulduggery's more or less fine with Valkyrie having romantic/sexual partners because: 1) She's a adult who can make her own decisions, 2) He wants her to be happy no matter who's it's with,  3) Her having a romantic/sexual partner in no way diminishes what they have, and 4) It won't last long.

Valkyrie, on the other hand, would get very jealous very fast if Skulduggery flirted with anyone besides her. While she's fine with his past relationships, she would not react well to a new romantic partner - she wants to be the most important person in his life, and damn anyone who comes between them.

How do they resolve their arguments?  They resolve themselves, mostly. Neither Valkyrie nor Skulduggery like to apologise, so it's easier for them to let arguments fizzle out. They're aware they've both got massive egos, so if one of them back off or changes their opinion, they accept that as a kind of apology that saves face. But if someone does apologise it's usually Skulduggery, because  while he's  aware that Valkyrie can forgive him for a lot of things, there's still this underlying fear that she will leave if he pushes too much. Valkyrie's in the position where she knows Skulduggery will forgive her for anything, no matter what she does, so she rarely apologises directly. 

Who has the most nightmares and how do they deal with them?

Valkyrie, because she's the only one who sleeps. If she wakes up from a nightmare she usually calls Skulduggery or goes downstairs (when she's staying over) for a chat, to try and distract herself from it. If she's having a nightmare and Skulduggery's around (usually because she's fallen asleep on a sofa or in the car) he'll wake her up if it's severe enough. But if it's not too severe he talks or sings to her in a gentle voice instead.

While Skulduggery doesn't have nightmares, he sometimes has flashbacks. Valkyrie usually tries to help by talking softly and reminding him where he is. If she thinks he might have a flashback, or if he's recovering from one, she might also touch him to reassure him she's there. But she tries not to touch him if he's in the middle of a flashback because it tends to agitate him even more.

Who pays for the food the most, when they go out?

Skulduggery. Valkyrie got into the habit of letting Skulduggery pay for everything when she was young, and didn’t have access to her inheritance, and she never grew out of it. It's literally never occurred to her that maybe she should offer to pay for things when they're together. Skulduggery doesn't mind though.

Do they enjoy dancing?

Yes. Skulduggery's enjoyed ballroom dancing for centuries. Valkyrie enjoyed leaning capoeira as part of her combat training (which isn’t quiet dancing, but there are a lot of similarities) and occasionally dancing at clubs. But they don't start dancing together until they 2021. Skulduggery offers to teach Valkyrie how to waltz in preparation for the Requiem Ball. And they enjoy it so much he ends up teaching her how to foxtrot, then swing, then tango, etc. They end up dancing at a lot of functions and in private after that. The tango ends up being both of their favourites because of the energy and the passion.

Do they ever trade clothes?

No*. Skulduggery is a skeleton who wears carefully tailored clothes and Valkyrie is muscular woman whose biceps would split any shirt of his she tried to put on. And Skulduggery won't be caught dead in anything that wasn't custom made for him, because he's vain AF.

*The only exceptions are the ones in canon when Skulduggery's had to drape a jacket over Valkyrie to preserve her modesty or she's wearing his hat.

What do they do when they're bored and together?

They like to talk about everything and anything. They watch movies, play games on their phones, and share music. Sometimes they'll practice magic or fighting or dancing together. And sometimes they just like to do their own thing in the same space - Valkyrie will read a book and Skulduggery will do a crossword.

What is their ideal vacation?

Valkyrie says her ideal vacation would be lazying around on a beach, but to be honest she'd get restless after a few days and want to try surfing or sightseeing. And then she'd get bored of that after a few more days and start looking for some real adventure. 

Skulduggery's ideal vacation would be taking a case in a cultured city (Paris, Rome, Prague...) that's stimulating but where he still gets to spend a lot of quality time with Valkyrie and they come away mystery solved with no injuries.

What do they do after a hard day at work?

Chances are a hard day of work for them involves some form of injury. So it's usually spent waiting for each other in a medical bay or patching each other up at home or in a hotel room. There's usually a lot of thoughtful gestures - Skulduggery will make Valkyrie hot drinks, cover her with a blanket if she falls asleep, etc. Valkyrie will hug Skulduggery, squeeze his hand, or rest her head on his chest. They're both reassure each other verbally if they needed, to make sure the other is okay and feels loved/cared for.

Do they attend any clubs or formal parties together?

I don't know if this means clubs like night clubs or clubs like rotary clubs, but either way the answer is no, unless they had to for a case. 

They regularly attend Sanctuary functions and mage parties together, however. They both grumble about that part of their job, but secretly rather enjoy spending the night dressed up on each other's arm making fun of the other guests. For Skulduggery especially, it's nice to go as a couple, because he spent so many decades attending them on his own (he could only occasionally convince Ghaslty to be his plus one, and only occasionally convince mage hosts to let Gordon be his plus one).

How do they spend time if the other is gone? 

Skulduggery tries to keep busy with work, there’s usually paperwork or unsolved files her can work though.He tries not to bother Valkyrie (unless it’s an emergency or she contacts him first) when he knows she wants to spend time with her family, but he’s mentally keeping a list of ‘things to tell Valkyrie next time we talk’. 

Valkyrie spends time with her family, takes Xena for walks, catches up on some reading, and works out when she feels up to it. She also spends a lot of time moping around her house, doing nothing in particular. Unless she’s busy with her family or in a bad mood, she’s sending Skulduggery funny texts every five minutes. 

​​Do they have a favourite video game they enjoy playing together?

The only video games they tend to play are the apps on their phone and they can play them in the Bentley while on a stakeout. Skulduggery's favourite is Words With Friends, because it's easy to understand the point of it, he can show off, and he usually wins. He also likes the ones that remind him of old card/board games like Poker and Chess.

Valkyrie's favourite is Draw Something because they get to make fun of each other's terrible drawing skills. She also likes racing games and Fruit Ninja because she's better at them then Skulduggery is.

Also I can imagine a Valkyrie thrusting an old 3DS (with some Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton games instated on it) into Skulduggery arms with a 'here I thought you might like this'. And Skulduggery's not really sure what to do with it, so it ends up in drawer in his house, sitting untouched for a while, until Valkyrie's away for a long weekend (or even in Meek Ridge). And then Skulduggery remembers it, and decides he decides to see what the fuss is about... and he likes it. Not because it's entertaining or stimulating, but because it's this happy little thing his best friend gave him because she was thinking of him.

Thoughts on PDA (Public Displays of Affection)?

They don’t kiss, or do any of this big romantic gestures in public, but there’s a lot of casual touching when they’re not thinking about it. She grabs his hand to pull him along,he guides her with a hand on the small her back, she links her arm through his, he brushes a stay strand of hair from her face... that kind of thing. The frequency of which has led to a lot of gossip in the magical community as to what the nature of their relationship actually is. 

​​Thoughts on each other's friends?

Valkyrie's liked every one of Skulduggery's friends. He's (generally) a good judge of character and his friends tend to call him out on his BS so Valkyrie instantly likes them, and they tend to like her for the same reason.

Skulduggery isn't as keen on Valkyrie's choice of friends. He'd never admit it to her, but he thinks she makes friends too easily. He'll acknowledge that some of them (Fletcher, Tanith) are good reliable people, but he needs to know someone for a long time before he can actually call them a friend. And sometimes she's make friends with dangerous people (Caelan, China, Solomon) and he worries about how much she trusts them.

Would they ever get married?​

I go back and forth on this one.

Sometimes I think Skulduggery won't be able to remarry. He spent so long thinking his sole purpose/the reason for his continued existence was to avenge the death of his wife and child, and to remarry would be an insult to that. And then there's the fear that marriage would leave him vulnerable. He (along with everybody in the magical community, tbh) is aware that Valkyrie's death would destroy him emotionally, but as long as they aren't married he can pretend he could cope with it.

But then Skulduggery's also pretty old-fashioned when it comes down to it. And I think he’d like the idea of ebing a husband again. There's this newness to him since he met Valkyrie/Serpine was killed - he accepts that he's a different person now. So if he got married again it would be a part of his new life, and have nothing to do with the old. 

I think Valkyrie would be okay whether they got married or not. She already knows that their lives revolve on each other. And she knows that they're as devoted to each other as two people can be. So whether there is a ring involved is irrelevant. She'd say yes if Skulduggery proposed (I mean, assuming they'd been romantic for a few decades) because she'd know how much it would mean to him. But overall Valkyrie's comfortable with the way things are. She wouldn't go out of her way to change things. So for that reason I don't think she would do the proposing.

If they did get married there wouldn't be a big white wedding (because that would be asking for trouble, and who would they invite anyway?). It would just be the bare minimum: a government official, two witnesses, some paperwork... they probably won't even dress up for the occasion. He'd give her a signet ring with his family crest on it - which is the only real outward change n their relationship. Valkyrie would still be addressed as Detective Cain (and occasionally Ms. Cain, but never Mrs. Pleasant). They don't ever announce their marriage to the public - rumours about a secret wedding spread, but nobody but their friends ever get a straight answer.

[As a an addendum: I think both Valkyrie and Skulduggery would be reluctant to label their relationship (beyond anything but 'partners') for a long time. They'd probably never use words like 'girlfriend' or 'boyfriend' or 'dating' or 'exclusive' even if it resembled those words, because labelling their relationship would mean acknowledging what a mess it is and neither of them want to go into that]. 

Thoughts on kids?

(I have a plan to write a fic where Skulduggery and Valkyrie discus this, but it's at the bottom of a big pile of fics to be written)

Skulduggery has long since accepted that he'll never have kids, but even if he could, the thought of being a father again fills him with dread. It would feel like a betrayal to his first child and wife. And he'd be living with the constant fear that something could happen to them at anytime. Yet at the same time, being a father was one of the best experiences of his life, and he sometimes gets a bit wistful for it.

Valkyrie hasn't really thought of having kids of her own. If someone mentions it she brushes it off with an 'I'm too young to think about that' (well into her two-hundreds). But when she is forced to really sit down and think she starts to panic. She knows having kids would be disastrous with her lifestyle. And deep down she has a fear that she would hurt them, like she hurt Alice. She loves spending time with other people's kids though, and if she ever got nieces or nephews she'd tried to emulate her Uncle Gordon and be the eccentric relative who lives in the big creepy mansion and gives expensive gifts from far away places.

I think Skulduggery's infertility would put him off starting a romantic relationship with Valkyrie. He knows she doesn't want a family, but he still feels that if they started a romantic relationship, he'd be taking away her choice to have a family. I.E. She won't have kids because they couldn't and not because she doesn't want to. Valkyrie thinks that's ridiculous, and points out there are other ways she could have a kid if she did want one.

Thoughts on each other's family? What does each other's family think about them?

Valkyrie doesn't have much of an opinion on Skulduggery family, for obvious reasons, but she's always interested in hearing about then when Skulduggery's willing to share.

Skulduggery thinks Valkyrie's (immediate) family are nice people. He appreciates that they just want their daughters to be happy and healthy. But his relationship with them is tense. Melissa loathes him - she blames him for Valkyrie's breakdown and can't forgive him for dragging them all into this mess. She's already uncomfortable with the idea of Valkyrie's friendship with Skulduggery (and her involvement with magic in general) and if their relationship went any further she'd flip out. Desmond has mixed feelings. To him Skulduggery is a symbol of magic, and magic is full of awe and wonder. So he can understand why Valkyrie wants to be a part of that (and he thinks it's pretty amazing that she is). He supports Valkyrie's lifestyle choices, including her choice to be with Skulduggery, more than Melissa. But he understand why Melissa is upset, because deep down he's worried about his daughter too.