Characters are all copyrighted to the great Eoin Colfer, I'm just stealing them to fufil my evil girly fantasies.

This is a random fic to make you guys smile and to thank all of those who faved my last work 'Pseudonyms', you guys are awesome!

This takes place after book 6 but before book 7 if you really want a time area.

Enjoy~

The air in the study was cold as Artemis woke slowly from his dreams. The light lilac curtains fluttered calmly in the wind as it slipped in through the small open window. He watched it sleepily and rubbed the dust from his eyes, turning to glance at the clock on the desk next to him. 2:03am it read, in bright, bold red numbering. He couldn't remember falling asleep but as he looked over his shoulder and noticed the thin brown sheet over him he couldn't help but smile. She was always taking care of him when he stayed up to work.

Gently, he removed the sheet and folded it over the computer chair and glanced out at the early morning across Dublin. The manor wasn't out too far from the city, he could still make out the lights over the wall. Dublin was so alive, even still. He felt is he could just close his eyes, he could be part of that living energy too.

Moving across the room, he pulled the curtains shut and headed downstairs towards one of the manor's three kitchenettes. He opened the fridge and screwed up his nose at the bright light, reaching for anything he could find. His fingers met something cold and sticky and he pulled it out; a piece of chocolate cake on a plate, the remainders of his mother's recent baking with the twins.

He kicked the door closed behind him and laid down the plate, pouring himself a glass of pure, filtered Irish spring water from the bottle behind him. He yawned as he pulled up a seat to the table and dug his spoon into the thick, deep brown sponge. Lifting it to his mouth, he took a small bite, almost licking it from the spoon. The taste was sweet with just the tiniest hint of the bitterness of the cocoa. He smiled when he imagined the mess his mother and brothers would have made trying to get it just write and how his father would laugh and join in as they threw the flour around.

He let a soft sign escape his lips as he stared down at the cake and scooped another forkful. It was so hard to get used to this new life; he had everything he had ever wanted as a boy…but he was a man now, there were new needs, new desires, to replace those old ones. He glanced up at the photograph sitting on the sideboard next to the toaster. The mahogany frame was an expensive one, but it paled in comparison to its precious contents; Butler was there, smiling and strong, he had just started training again after his injury, was getting better, fitter, and there was his sister Juliet too, with an arm slung around Mulch as he wolfed down a greedy sandwich. And there was himself too, smiling like he was the happiest person in the world at that single moment. And of course, she was there too. Holly was next to him, shyly smiling, cuddling up in his arms, looking so beautiful, so human. She was dressed in one of his suits, not in her usual LEPrecon gear and she looked so changed, so new.

He smiled at the memories that they had shared, the good and bad didn't matter, they were all just special memories time had left him to ponder on mornings like this.

She came by all the time, constantly popping in for visits and over the years he had thought just to come out and own up but it wasn't his style. He had the world at his fingers, and he was so close to another Noble Prize but it just didn't seem to matter, unless she was there next to him, smiling and nudging him, bullying him with those glittering eyes.

He listened in the darkness and heard a soft fluttering next him. Spinning, he faced the empty air and blinked,

"I know you're there," he said to the nothingness.

The nothingness smiled and appeared,

"Was wondering who was up at this late hour," she replied as she walked slowly forward, leaning over the counter,

"I'd thought you'd gone to sleep hours ago."

"I had," he smiled, watching his fork cut into the slice of cake shyly,

"Thanks, by the way, for the blanket."

He could see he blush from the corner of his eye as she settled into the seat next to him, reaching over and taking the fork from his fingers. He could feel a spark as their digits met, and he wondered what kind of magic it was.

She dug the fork in deep and pulled out a dark piece of the centre cream, bringing it up to her lips and pulling it into her mouth. She let out a soft moan of delight and swallowed,

"You're always welcome Arty," she smiled and again dug the fork into the cake.

She lifted the piece up and her eyes met his. One brown, one blue. The eyes that they shared together.

She pressed the fork to his lips and grinned,

"Aren't you gonna eat? If you stop I'll eat the whole thing."

Blushing, he looked down and opened his mouth shyly as she fed him the piece of cake. His heart was racing at the intimacy of the action and he couldn't look away as she leant forward and brushed a hand over his lips almost so softly he could barely feel the touch.

"Crumbs," she laughed in way of explanation,

"You really are a Mudboy with your face all covered like that."

He looked away and smirked, thinking of his mother and brothers again, the flour on the floor, the mess they made in their fun, and he glanced up at her, his eyes full of childish mischief and he could sense her surprise as the first bit of chocolate cake hit her.

Laughing and taking off across the room with the plate, she threw pieces back, chocolate sponge and icing covering their clothes and fingers. He could feel such a surge of happiness within himself as he pulled out the flour from the cupboard and threw large handfuls of it over her. He ran to her and covered her hair, messing it playfully and she laughed and held him close, making sure to cover him too.

As they held each other the laughter became breathless and they panted softly, smiling until it hurt. Artemis reached up a hand and pulled something out of her hair slowly, holding it up with a smirk,

"Chocolate," he grinned and blushed as she leant forward and licked it off his sticky fingers teasingly.

Holly wrapped an arm tight around him, tilting his chin up to look at her as she brushed her thumb over his dirty face. Artemis could feel his heart pounding hard against his rib cage and it was so loud he could barely think logically.

What am I doing? She's…she's so close, but I can't move. She's looking right at me, my heart hurts and I can't breathe…I better make note of these symptoms and look them up later.

He felt his eyes closing as she leant closer and the smell of sweet chocolate overcame all of his senses. His hands were shaking as he closed them around her tiny body and she pressed her lips to his.

The shock of adrenaline seemed to restart his heart and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. It was all her; her smell, her touch, her taste. He'd read about this before, the moment of your first real, adult kiss, the first time you ever step up and give your feelings to someone else. It was more real now that anything he had ever read, more soft and sweet, more wet.

He pulled back with a low sigh and opened his eyes; she was smiling, her eyes still closed,

"Artemis Fowl," she whispered as her beautiful eyes slowly pulled open again,

"I do believe you just kissed me."

Reddening more at the thought of his sudden bravery, Artemis just let himself grin and run a hand through his dark hair,

"You weren't half bad," he commented,

"Could use a bit more practise though."

Holly arched an eyebrow and grabbed his tie, tugging him so his face was inches from hers,

"When you taste like chocolate cake, you can get all the practise you want."

Then she pulled him in and kissed him again, and the world was swirling in flour and chocolate and neither of them even gave a passing thought to what Butler would say in the morning when he saw the mess he would have to clean up.