Between Decisions (The City Between, #8)

by W.R. Gingell

And there’s no one you can call to find out what the heck is going on when the vampire declares love and outright challenges you to try not to fall in love with him in return.

Who on earth was I supposed to call about the vampire kissing me and declaring love, though?

He abandoned his book again for a moment to say, “You know the rules for irregular coffee drinking?”

JinYeong hissed with laughter and snaked out a hand to steal a round of pineapple. I let him; if you haven’t seen a vampire gleefully chowing down on a round of pineapple with both canines like an oversized fruit bat, don’t judge me.

“Because I am too beautiful,” he said. “I will not be tempted. If I wish to look at something beautiful, I shall look in the mirror.”

I was just thinking that I’d have to keep an eye on her for shoplifting or damaging property, but now that I come to think of it, she’s about the height of the kid that tried to smack me in the back of the head with a cricket bat.”

“Okay, but we weren’t told whether she wanted you alive or dead,” Ezri said, strolling over to us. “So technically it’s not my fault.”

Tuatu shot her a look that was more dislike than fear and said, “Hitting a person on the head with a cricket bat is something you have...

“What?” she said, grinning at him. “Wasn’t I useful when I was helping you pick chocolates for your girlfriend?”

Ship Name: North by Tuatu

“Yeah, me too,” he said, with more than a bit of sarcasm in his voice. “If it’s not Upper Management trying to frame me for murder or cave trolls taking a pot-shot at me, it’s a group of humans trying to hit me on the head with cricket bats.”

I love Tuatu so much…don’t tell North

I was very good at not thinking about things that I didn’t want to think about, and it was no time to break the habit of a lifetime.

It’s not that I think of him as a dad or anything: you’d have to overlook a heck of a lot to think of him as a dad. But he was my weird uncle, and I wasn’t used to seeing that he could possibly be anyone else’s weird uncle—which was probably a bit hypocritical of me, because I’d been trying to push the psychos into realising that I wasn’t a special human. That any human was worth loving and protecting.

“This little one is spikey, too,” murmured JinYeong in my ear. “I think you lost a sister.”

“Don’t worry,” she said, and there was a thread of darkness in her voice that was a deeper black than her lipstick usually was. “If someone tries to get into the house—if they try to hurt the kids—Daniel won’t need to go to the kitchen to get me something to eat.”

“What?” I said, not exactly sure if I was amused or…relieved? Perplexed? “You don’t like girls making the first move?” “Ani. I do not need that bit.” He looked at me from beneath his lashes and added provocatively, “I will like it very much when you make the first move.”

“Don’t take anyone apart in the kitchen!” I told Zero. “I’m making chilli, and if you think I want to try and differentiate between what’s blood and what’s chilli, you’re flamin’ wrong.”

“You lot know you can say thank you, right?” I said, staring around at them all. “And that it’s okay to admit that you need each other every now and then?” “It’s not all right,” said Zero, while Athelas said mildly, “I believe I must disagree, Pet.” JinYeong threw me a melting look and said, “I need you.” “That was not what I meant!” I said, flustered.

“Flamin’ heck,” I said, stopping in front of the pizza shop on the corner. “Oh well, since we’re here, we might as well get something to eat. You want pizza or bao buns?” JinYeong’s left brow winged up. “You will buy me food?” “Nope; you’re gunna buy me food. I was just giving you the chance to pick what you wanted to eat.” “I am very confused,” JinYeong said. “I haven’t got any money,” I pointed out. “Spent it all on groceries.” “That is not my meaning.” “And it’s still not a date!” “Ah. Then I will buy you food,” he said, and pulled me into the bao bun shop. “Zero and Athelas, too,” I added, just for good measure. “It’s gunna be pricey.” He just threw a look at me over his shoulder that suggested he knew I was trying to annoy him, so I settled against the wall to wait for our order, happy to be so well understood.

CUTE

“It’s mostly Athelas warning me about you two,” I informed them. “Well, and himself. And don’t go ruining his best tea again, JinYeong, or I’ll put something nasty in your kimchi.”

NOT THE KIMCHI

“I was told that one should pat a pet on the head,” Zero said, his eyes light and bright. “I’m within the rules.” “Put something in his pancakes,” said JinYeong provocatively.

WHAT DID THE FOOD EVER DO TO YOU!? LEAVE THE INNOCENT PANCAKES ALLLOOOONEEE

“It’s hard to keep people safe when they don’t like the way you do it, isn’t it?” said Zero, entirely emotionlessly.

“Look at you, being all soft and approachable!” I said in wonder. Zero looked away. “I am neither soft nor approachable, and I object to—” “Better not get too soft,” I said mischievously. “Athelas is just about to walk through the door, and he wouldn’t approve!” That got the both of them looking at the door just in time for Athelas to walk through it and for me to pinch Zero’s last remaining bao bun.

THIS ENTIRE SCENE IS JUST 😭🥰😭🥰

At any rate, he crossed one leg over the other and said in a chilly sort of voice, “I have a feeling that I shall be otherwise occupied. Far too busy to be running after a little pet.” “You do not have to run after her; I shall run after her,” JinYeong said coldly.

“That’s the whole point of getting past the Heirling Trials—no people chasing us, no people trying to kill us. I flamin’ refuse to have people chasing me when everything’s over.” “You may run after me instead,” said JinYeong graciously. He sent a small, slow smile in my direction and leaned forward very slightly. “I will run slowly.” Zero threw an empty mug at him, swift and hard, but JinYeong, his eyes alight with laughter, was swifter again. He tumbled over the back of our couch and landed lightly, then leaned against the back of it behind me, arms folded across the top and his chin just grazing the top of my head. “I will not,” he said maliciously, “make myself slow for you, Hyeong. You will have to try harder than that.”

Hehehe JinYeong the vampire troll. Admit it, he lives to troll Zero 🤣🤣🤣🤣

“Make me kimchi fried rice tomorrow,” JinYeong said at once, his fingers gently plucking at the back of my hoodie as though remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be getting so close to me but unable to stop himself in time. “Tonight will be tiresome.” “It cannot possibly be more tiresome than a vampire in love,” said Athelas, and the gleam in his eye said that it was more of a barb at me than JinYeong. “No shortbreads for you, then,” I told him, and retreated into the kitchen to make coffee and cool my cheeks.

Zero thought about it for a solid two minutes, and everyone let him do it. That’s what happens when you’ve got an air of authority and about twenty sharp objects belted to your chest, I suppose. Must be nice.

“I am the most beautiful thing on this ship and I will not allow you to be more beautiful. I will do as I please: go away!” The siren shut his mouth in shock, and swayed. He said, in a tremulous voice that carried up on the breeze, “You reject me?” “I do not need your beauty,” JinYeong said through his teeth. “I am already beautiful. You have nothing I need, and I will not come with you. My heart is already full.”

“It seems that each of us are inclined to repeat the same mistakes over and again,” said Athelas, and perhaps he sighed a little.

Maybe you can’t die of grief, but it took all the energy out of me,

Feel this in my soul 😭

I left him there and wandered away to the kitchen, wondering if I was going to feel like a ghost in my own house forever or if it was just a result of too much sleep.

Oooophhh this brings me back 😭 The grief is so well-written

Here, outside the house, it was possible to believe for just half an hour or so that things like watering the lawn in your pyjamas while yawning and picking up a weed or two and throwing them into the garden bed instead of getting rid of them properly were the real world. Real, and sleepy, and safe.

“You should not be cheerful just now,” he said. “Now, it is enough to be sad.”

😭😭😭😭 THIS is what you say to grieving people, folks. Let us be sad, and get us ice cream.