The Parts We Play

Let Me Be Your Freedom

Irene hesitated outside Douxie's door, the cool night air swirling around her, the breeze passing by Irene without the merest shiver on her behalf- despite the fact she was only sporting a plain tank top. She glanced at the darkened windows, wondering if he was already asleep... again.

"Should we really be doing this? It's so late," Victoria asked Irene, while she perched on the nearby windowsill. Irene thought long and hard, chewing her lip nervously, but the idea had taken hold of her as she walked and now she couldn't shake it.

"I was going to walk around either way, I wasn't planning on dropping by!" Irene countered, riding on a quick burst of confidence.

As she raised her hand to knock, doubts crept in. "I could've texted him," Irene muttered. Her heart raced at the thought of facing him, her hand still wavering before knocking on the door, unsure. Then she remembered the countless times Douxie had been there for her- not only in the past, but recently -even if it was just for this new threat. His eyes, even as she pictured them, seemed to gleam with an imperceptible light. Always they displayed a kindness and understanding, much like how he himself had seemed, a constant comfort.

Taking a deep breath, she rapped lightly on the door, the sound echoing in the quiet night. Seconds felt like hours as she waited, the weight of her decision pressing down on her. Finally, the door creaked open, revealing Douxie's concerned face.

"What's going on, Irene?" he asked, his voice soft with sleep but filled with concern. Irene swallowed her nerves and met his gaze, her resolve firming.

"I know it's late, but I was wondering if... if you'd like to go on a night patrol with me?" She asked, her words stumbling over each other. She braced herself for rejection, but to her relief, Douxie's expression softened, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"I'd be delighted," he said, his tone low and warm and genuine. "Let me grab a jacket, I'll be right out."

"I'll be here!" Irene said, her shoulders and eyes dropping with relief. She caught a glimpse of his bare arms before her gaze shifted away into the brisk, dark air. Why was she worried about looking at his arms- only bothering to steal a glimpse once he'd turned away, her fears gone, and him no longer studying her face, as she often did to his?

She stopped for a moment as that registered properly in her brain. Oh. Oh no. Oh dear.

He returned, with not only his usual hoodie, but what looked like a waterproof jacket over it, the hood lightly pressed up against his neck. Vicky transformed into her cat form before slipping her way into the house. Irene tilted her head, but before she could ask, Victoria answered her unspoken query. "As much as I'd positively adore taking a fly in the driving rain with you two, I'd much prefer catching up with my brother. Here. In the warm, dry, closed-up house."

"Alright, we get it," Irene chuckled. "Have fun."

She and Douxie set out into the growing drizzle, meandering down streets with no real goal in sight, talking quietly about their shared and unshared centuries and their magical discoveries.

Frankly, though, Irene found herself thinking that the most interesting discoveries were the moments she realized she'd rediscovered Douxie himself throughout the years- in disguise, undercover as he may have been so many times, but Irene always had a sense when it was him. He was so familiar it felt like finding a part of herself, almost.

She hooked her arm through his, humming quietly as they walked.

"You hungry?" Irene asked as they walked. "'Cause I can get us some food, if you'd like...?"

Douxie smiled. "That sounds lovely," he said, voice quiet and warm as he looked at her.

Irene's first instinct to try and crawl away from the warmth not only took a long moment to appear, but she found it was getting easier to ignore. She looked into his golden eyes, smiling in calm acceptance.