#welcome to varlen's shitty modern AU apartment everyone <3

[thereluctantinquisitor]

But what did Dorian steal? Was it something from his parents? I just get the feeling that it was something from his parents' house. Childhood mementos? I'm dying of curiosity!

Well well! Nonny, you’re not wrong… (also @opal-bee and @kurosmind, in case you still happen to be curious)

Pavellan, approx 1200 words. Continuation of “Against All Odds” 

Varlen let the door click shut behind him, the light he hadturned on flickering a few times before finally buzzing to life on the ceiling.This day has been ridiculous, hethought, turning his key in the lock then checking the doorknob. And I am clearly out of my mind.

“This is ah… quite a place you have here.” The man who had carjackedhim, Dorian, was peering suspiciously at Varlen’s coffee table, no doubtattempting to identify if the marks on it were features of the wood or just an eclectic array of stains. Varlen turned and felt his face grow hot. They’d talked a lot more asthey’d drove around the city, and Varlen had (probably unwisely) invited him back to hisplace for a bit. Something didn’t add up about Dorian, sure, but he didn’t really strike Varlen as dangerous. It was obvious he wasn’tcarrying any weapons on him. Just that satchel and an impressive mustache.

“Yeah,” Varlen said, his voice apologetic as he moved overto the couch. He sat down on it with a rushing sigh, then winced as a piece offoam burst out from the cushion and wandered across the floor. “I um… wasn’texpecting company, so…”

Dorian turned and arched an eyebrow. “That would have madeall the difference, I suppose?”

Despite his embarrassment, Varlen couldn’t help but laugh at the truth behind the comment. “No,probably not.” He paused, then gestured to one of the chairs. “You can sitdown, if you want. They may lookdiseased, but there’s nothing living in them.” I don’t think…

“Well, consider my standards met,” Doriandrawled, but sat regardless. He leaned back, sighing. The satchel remained nestled safely inhis lap. Varlen eyed it quietly for a moment, and his curiosity got the betterof him.

“So… can I ask what’s in the bag?”

Dorian’s grey eyes flashed, flicking towards him, and for asecond Varlen thought he’d made him angry. However, the moment passed, andDorian relaxed again, sighing and sinking further into the decrepit chair. “Isuppose,” he said airily, waving a hand lethargically before letting it flop back into hislap. “It’s the least I can do, after all, given the miraculous rescue youperformed.”

“Not willingly,”Varlen pointed out, then grinned, “but hey, I’ll take it.”

With a light snort, Dorian sat quietly or a moment,fingertips toying with the clasp of the bag. Then, almost reluctantly, heopened it and pulled out its contents. Varlen tensed, not sure what to expect.

He certainly hadn’t expected a book.

“Yes, scandalous, isit not?” Dorian said, taking note of Varlen’s bemused expression. “All thattrouble… for this.”

“I mean… I…” Varlen gave up trying to justify it and justshook his head. “Why? Is it like… afirst edition or something? Is it super rare? Worth thousands?”

“Not at all.” Dorian’s gaze had fallen to the leather cover,and a soft smile drifted across his face as he gently eased it open with a satisfying creak. “Just… well,sentimental drivel, I suppose. It was given to me by a good friend. One I miss rather terribly, as I recently discovered. Hence the heist.”

“Wait,” Varlen said, raising a hand, face scrunched into adeep, bewildered expression. “So you mean to tell me you broke into someone’s house… for a book.” He pointed. “That book.”

“Yes.”

Varlen had nothing to say to that. He just raised hiseyebrows in disbelief and shook his head. “That’s… well, whoever it was from, they musthave meant a lot to you.”

“He was… a good friend. A good man, really.” Dorian spoke slowly, his voice growing distant as hebrushed his fingertips across the back of the cover. “A better one than I willever be, at least. Not that such a thing would take much, mind you.”

By the tone of Dorian’s voice alone, Varlen could tell thiswas a difficult thing for him to share. He watched as the dark-haired man swallowedtightly, pursed his lips, then blinked a few times, as if forcing somethingback. Holding something in.

“What was his name?” Varlen asked eventually. Gently. “Did he writethat?”

Dorian let out a surprisingly watery laugh. “What? This? Heaven’s no. This… was his father’swork, actually. One of his first publications. I… apprenticed under him for atime.” He smiled to himself, then gently closed the book. “Felix kept me sane,you know. He would sneak me food when I forgot to eat. Force me to go outsideand breathe the fresh air, if thereeven is such a thing. I… the first year I spent working with his father, hegave me this for my birthday. Blessed fool even signed the cover like some sort ofpseudo-celebrity. His idea of a joke, I think…”

Dorian trailed off, and Varlen said nothing, feeling asurprising pang of empathy for the man sitting in his battered old chair,curved over that leather-bound book. However, eventually, Varlen found anotherquestion begging to be asked.

“So… why did you have to steal it?”

“Well, I couldn’t just askfor it,” Dorian began blithely, then hesitated, a dark expression suddenly liningthe corners of his mouth and eyes. “My parents had it. It was sent to them,apparently. Had I requested it, they would have likely destroyed it purely to spiteme.”

Varlen cringed, leaning forward to rest his elbows on hisknees. “So you had to steal it.”

“Yes.” Dorian sighed, reaching up to rub at his eyes. “Ratherunfortunate situation, I’m afraid. They had upgraded their security measures since I last lived in that cursed house. But… I do apologise for dragging you into all of this. I imaginedriving terrified through the inner city then harbouring a criminal wasn’t quite how you planned on spendingyour evening.”

Varlen forced a chuckle, still feeling bad on behalf of hisnew houseguest. “Yeah well… it’s not so bad. I’m not murdered in a ditch, so I have that going for me.”

He glanced across to catch Dorian arching his eyebrow at him. “You… haverather low standards, Varlen. You know that, yes?”

“Yeah, well, I mean…” Varlen gestured around the crampedspace, every object in it trapped in some sorry state of disrepair. “That shouldbe pretty obvious by now.”

Dorian laughed at that, leaning back, the sound rolling easilyfrom his chest. It was the first genuinely relaxed thing he’d done that entireevening. Perhaps, tucked away in such a small, nondescript apartment, he feltsafe from the repercussions of his crime. Perhaps he was right to feel thatway. This would probably be the last place anyone thought to look for him.

With that thought in mind, Varlen suddenly spoke. “You can stay the night here, if you want.” Dorian, whose eyes had actually drifted closed for a moment, snappedopen to look at him, as though shocked. Varlen felt his cheeks grow hot and hecleared his throat. “I uh… have a spare bed. Well it’s not a bed exactly, more a blow-up mattress, but youcan use it if you’d feel better here then… at your place… y’know, if your parents suspect…”

Nailed it, Varlenthought bitterly as he trailed off, cringing and burying his face in his hands, pretending to rub his eyes. Yep. Smoothest talkerin the city right here. I should give lessons. Start a class. Write a book. Lecture at a unive—

“You… are a very kind person, Varlen.” Doriansaid suddenly, startling Varlen out of his despair. He paused, regarding Varlen with those quartz-grey eyes, then smiled,causing Varlen’s cheeks flush yet again. “I would be rather foolish to turn downsuch a generous offer, given the circumstances.”

Varlen blinked for a moment, stunned that Dorian hadactually agreed. “Wait, so… you will?Stay, I mean.”

“If you will have me, yes.”

In a rush, Varlen launched to his feet, suddenly strangelypanicked. What am I meant to do? I don’tthink anyone’s ever stayed the night at this dump of a place before! Where’s thatmattress… shit, I can’t remember… wait… maybe…

“I… ah…” Varlen paused, forcing himself to stop, then took a deep, calming breath. Significantlymore composed, he cleared his throat pointedly and turned to meet Dorian’squizzical stare. “May I offer you a beverage.”

Dorian let out a surprised laugh at the sudden formality,then relaxed into a smile as Varlen’s composure broke and he grinned back stupidly. 

“Please.”