timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ Her smart remark does startle a laugh out of him, more of the tension breaking. He lets go of her hand to tug her closer by the waist, leaning in for a proper kiss.

There's still finicky details but right now? He doesn't care. ]

Inej, my darling wife, you can take me wherever you'd like. [ his arm loops around her middle, so he can give her a brief squeeze. Later, he'll give her a better hug. ]

But home sounds great.

[ there he is. and she returns the kiss in earnest, wrinkling her nose with a laugh as he squeezes her around the waist, once the kiss ends. ]

Good.

[ warmly, to both statements, and she takes his hand, squeezing his fingers reassuringly. she would loop an arm around his waist to help him up, but best give him the chance to stand, first.

she will offer, though. ]

Come on, let me help you up so you don't follow the cayenne.

[ He plants his cane sturdily and then leans against it as he gets back to his feet. There's a bit of a wobble, his leg still stiff. But he re-balances, squaring his shoulders and handing her the bag she'd dropped. ]

So, there is more to this. [ He says, as they start heading back towards the direction of the Church of Barter. ] It's a bunch of finicky details though.

[ Kaz knows how she feels about that sometimes. The Kerch in particular make her roll her eyes–rightfully so–because of their love of paperwork and contracts. It takes the romance out of it to call getting married signing a contract, quite honestly. Even with as much as he likes that kind of thing. ]

[ oh, his leg is definitely acting up. but inej lets him stabilize himself, taking the bag as he hands it to her before inej loops her free arm through his, to give him extra stability under the guise of wanting to be close. ]

I need to sign something, right?

[ and, indeed, inej doesn’t sound enthused at that, but as they make their way off the docks toward home — ]

Is that at home already? We can sign it and submit it tomorrow.

[ if that was all it took, inej could drop it off in the morning. ]

[ She curls her arm around his and he appreciates the closeness. And maybe a little of the extra balance, though he won't say it out loud. Most of the time he doesn't need the help but he knows it's probably a good idea to have now, since his knee is complaining furiously. ]

We'll have to go to the courthouse. It's not exactly paperwork they let you take home and sign on the line for.

[ Also: ] That's after they verify the Church actually married us.

[ Sorry Inej, this is a process. ]

[ the more he describes it, the more inej’s eyes seem to glaze over. it was partially for this reason that she never really saw the need to bother with marriage. truthfully, she would have been happy with or without it.

but it matters to some people. it clearly matters to him, and inej is willing (more than, really) to tolerate some nonsense in order to make him happy. as per usual.

still, all of this is to say that they need to go to the courthouse. which they can do this week. there’s the matter of the church, but inej is fairly certain a payment or two can satisfy that stupid requirement. kruge rules everything in this bastard of a city.

at any rate, as they walk —- ]

Your people take the romance out of everything.

[ honestly, eloping and running away for a month on an island somewhere for a honeymoon is way more thrilling than listening to some ancient white man prattle on to her about the importance of marriage in a church full of a god that inej finds rather repulsive. ]

It's something of a mercher construct.

[ So of course, more business than pleasure. They had to make sure their arranged marriages or whatever were legally binding and all that nonsense.

Still, he does like the end result. Even if the initial portions are like pulling teeth. ]

You're not wooed by signing papers and promising to stick around in the eyes of Ghezen? [ Kaz grins a little as he teases, the expression leaking into his voice. ] Being swept away into marriage is the entire plot of almost every Kerch romance novel.

I had no idea you read Kerch romance novels.

[ she trades his teasing tone for a barb of her own, arching her eyebrows in his direction as they near their street. but as they walk, she leans her cheek slightly against his arm, humming to herself. ]

I think I am more "wooed" by bribing the Church into verifying that we are married and going to the courthouse tomorrow to sign their stupid paper, and then running away for a month.

It's passed the time.

[ Listen, maybe he has. ]

I'll see what I can do. [ He's certain a bribe wouldn't be all that strange. It's how the Kerch do pretty much anything. Kruge is more of a god than Ghezen has ever been. ]

At the very least, they might be able to skip the time wasting formalities and just oversee vow exchange. [ The whole song and dance is quite long. ]

Where do you have in mind to run off to?

[ ugh. even that seems like an annoyance. but inej will let it go, for now. she would figure out how to combine what she wants with the necessity of the process in time.

instead, she squeezes his arm, as they approach their home, letting go so she can move to unlock the door for him. ]

I do not care.

[ simply, tossing him a warm grin. ]

I would be with you.

[ so, really, anywhere in the world would be perfect, so long as he was there to be with her. ]

Stop stealing my lines.

[ Though he's definitely warmed by her words as he steps through the doorway after her. Just crossing the threshold has him relaxing; he's close to being able to put his leg up and not do much else for a bit. ]

Somewhere out by Novyi Zem, maybe. There's more sun. [ Which he knows she would enjoy. ] And beaches, according to Jesper.

[ Kerch does too, though he can't say they're the height of luxury. They do in a pinch, if the weather holds. And if one doesn't mind the rocks so much. ]

Sometimes, they are good lines.

[ as she closes the door behind him, locking it, before she gently ushers him toward their bedroom. she lets him keep talking, but purposefully steers him in that direction. he needs to put his leg up, and decompress. and eat something, probably. ]

Do you want me to run the shower for you, or do you want to just lay down?

[ He lets himself be nudged to the bedroom, the stress from earlier catching up now that he can relax. Or rather, now that he can stop putting a front while out in public. They both have reputations, even though they could probably get away with doing whatever they wanted at this point.

(And for the record, they do. Mostly.) ]

I need to lay down first, it's too stiff. [ He wouldn't have to stand the entire time in the shower, not with the seat that was installed in particular, but the idea of having to move around even a little bit is just not appealing. Stretching his leg out and being off of his feet completely would do similar things to being under the hot water.

Kaz strips down enough to be comfortable, tie, vest, and jacket all hung on the same hook for now. He toes his shoes off and very nearly collapses onto the bed, blowing out a long sigh. Propped up against the pillows as he is, he pats where there's a clear space for her on the coverlet. ]

Come here, I want to give you a better kiss.

[ he’s definitely in some amount of pain, and inej frowns a bit as he undresses. she’s mentally kicking herself for bickering while he was kneeling, and spending such a long time walking around . . . while he undresses, she rummages through their drawers quickly to find a set of pajamas, and she’s about to instruct him to try and stand for just a few more seconds when he asks her to come over for a better kiss. already in bed. ]

You are going to be much more comfortable in these.

[ she chides lightly, moving to his side to set the clothes on his bedside table. ]

And if you change now, you will get it over with. And you will enjoy the kiss more.

[ she’s not above using a kiss for a bargaining chip. ]

[ She sets pajamas on the side table and he groans, a bit childishly, rubbing a hand down his face. Of course, she's right. And the thought had crossed his mind. But he'd been so focused on not being upright that he'd forgone changing into something different. ]

Fine, fine. [ He doesn't really have the energy to argue right now, surprisingly. Sitting up, he untucks and unbuttons his dress shirt, pulling the t-shirt on in its stead. Then it's onto the part he's dreading–he manages to get his pants down his hips and off one leg. The other he clearly hesitates to bend, wincing when he finally does, immediately straightening it back out with a low swear.

Normally, he'd do this while standing, letting gravity take care of the rest. Right now, he's not even sure he wants to do that, because it involves moving his leg at all. Sometimes, he really just hates this. ]

Can you pull that off? [ He truly hates asking, because he's gotten this far in life with very little help. But it's also not worth attempting five times over the next hour to get it done by himself. ]

[ she purses her lips; watching him struggle is something she has always been bad at, but to her relief, kaz actually asks for help.

he must be in a good mood.

so inej immediately moves forward to finish the job, careful not to jostle his leg too much.

before he has room to move or protest, inej unfolds the pajama bottoms, carefully tugging them on for him as far as she can manage before he has to lift his hips. ]

Here, use me.

[ she murmurs, shifting to wrap an arm around his waist to help stabilize him so he can lift his hips. ]

The sooner you get it over with, the sooner you can lay back down.

[ and then she’ll happily spend the rest of the night taking care of him. ]

[ Asking for this is really the hardest part. Once the question is out there, he feels less irritated. And more just relieved that he can be in something more comfortable than dress pants.

He lifts his hips when she prompts him, leaning more of his weight on his one arm, using his other hand to tug the pajama bottoms up the rest of the way. That done, he can finally relax for real this time and he leans against the headboard with a short sigh. ]

I can't believe you agreed to forever with this. [ Not that she's ever shown annoyance with the process. Nor does she treat him like he's a total invalid, knowing he can do most things on his own. He's also gotten over feeling inadequate, aware she would've gone a long time ago if she didn't feel like it was worth it.

That still dredges up the gratefulness in his tone, as he glances up at her. ]

[ he’s likely exhausted now, but he’ll be much more comfortable this way. and inej pauses in stopping to collect the tossed aside clothes to grin a little, sitting on the edge of the bed to brush his hair out of his eyes. ]

I love you.

[ simply, as she leans over him to grab a pillow, so she can try to get it underneath his leg without causing a huge amount of fuss. but as she carefully adjusts his leg to get the pillow underneath his knee, her movements light and gentle; she continues. ]

I don’t really consider it a burden, helping the people that I love.

[ and once that is done, inej gently rests a palm on his thigh, a faint smile appearing. ]

I am going to get you a hot water bottle and another pillow before I make dinner. Do you need anything else?

[ The pillow goes underneath his leg without more fuss and while it will still be a while before the pain in his leg goes away, it does give him a little relief. He puts his hand over hers when she sits next to his hip, thumb brushing across her wrist. ]

I know, just— [ There's a lot that weighs on him with this sometimes. But might as well keep it simple: ] —thanks.

[ He isn't sure he'll ever feel super comfortable asking for help, but it's nice to know they can lean on each other. ]

Well, maybe a kiss before you go.

[ she knows it's a struggle, asking for help, and receiving it. it probably always will be. but inej often just helps him without making it exceptionally obvious, so that way he can accept the help without the sacrifice of his pride, in asking for it.

the one thing she won't do without his verbal ask is help with his leg, though. she has tried, and it has always resulted in a spat. (arguing with kaz while he's in a bad mood is always asking for trouble, but arguing with kaz while he's in a bad mood and in pain is guaranteeing a vicious row where absolutely no one wins, including kaz brekker.)

still, she does lean forward to kiss him gently, a hand cupping his cheek. ]

You are welcome.

[ before she kisses his forehead. ]

You are going to stay here, and not move, until I come back, or I will make you regret it.

[ it's said so warmly that it's hard to believe it's a threat, but it's a threat that she will make good on, thank you very much. ]

[ She kisses him and he's tempted—as usual—to tug her down and into his lap. Or just further onto the bed.

He's not really in a shape to do either at the moment, since that would mean her weight across his legs in some way. It might be along his thighs, but moving his one leg at all right now was not a good idea.

Which she knows. And threatens him over, so he doesn't try to do something stupid. ]

I think I can manage that. [ Because frankly, he's tired enough from the walk that he isn't tempted to move at all. ]

[ the next forty-five minutes is spent preparing for the rest of the evening in bed. she fills a hot water bottle first, carefully setting it up on his leg to attempt to relax the muscles, and finds additional pillows so he's comfortable. returning to the room to do so ends in distraction for a solid few minutes, but inej soon (lightly) smacks his hands from wandering so she can return to the kitchen.

then, she makes a stack of waffles and tea, setting dinner on a tray to take into the bedroom to set over his lap. the tray is big enough so that she can sit next to him and share a corner of it, and so she crosses to her side of the bed, sitting next to him cross-legged with a warm smile as she takes her plate, leaning forward to kiss his temple before resettling. ]

Hi.

[ as she takes a bite of her waffle, eyes bright.

she is in a fantastic mood. despite the sort of rough ending to their walk. ]

[ The hot water bottle she brings ends up helping him relax, soothing some of the creeping pain. And maybe he spends a few minutes giving her some more kisses, because he's needy.

Eventually, she goes back to getting dinner ready. Some of the louder sounds of her in the kitchen (mostly cabinets opening and closing) echo through the sunroom and filter into the room. He doesn't dare touch his leg just yet, so he eventually picks up one of the books on his side table that he's been working through.

At some point, he must've dozed off, because the next thing he's aware of is Inej sitting on the bed and kissing his temple. ]

Hello. [ He answers, voice scratchy from having fallen asleep. Also, he'll get to the tray in a minute. Before that, he leans down to rest his head on her shoulder briefly. A small affectionate nudge. Once he sits back up, he takes the tea first, blowing on it before sipping. ]

How fast do you think your mother will come when she hears?

Oh, within the month, and I am certain she will ask if I am pregnant, hence the reason why I am now engaged.

[ a bit dryly, as she settles in to watch him drink his tea. he looks like he's more comfortable, and he did drift off waiting for her to make dinner . . . so inej is confident he'll feel much better by tomorrow.

she lets her tea cool a bit more, instead focusing on the waffle, but before she takes another bite: ]

But I have known I wanted to spend my life with you for a long time.

[ as she cuts another piece of waffle to put on her fork, tossing him a warm smile before she takes another bite. ]

I was just waiting for you.

Oh.

[ Her latest visit had smoothed a lot of the wrinkles out of their relationship, but it's a still a tentative one. He isn't sure what to make of Asena most of the time. Especially when he knows Inej is right, the comment making a little color rise in his cheeks. ]

Does she really think I wouldn't marry you unless I knocked you up?

[ Plenty of people have done that though. From either an accident or someone wanting the other to commit to some more permanence. Neither were applicable here, but it's still a little embarrassing that her mother would think that. ]

I thought about it a lot. When we were younger. [ He cuts a piece of waffle and takes a bite, chewing thoughtfully. ] I was afraid of saying anything.

[ For a variety of reasons; he didn't want to hold her back, was maybe still scared she would decide she had enough, that maybe he was a little too intense. Sometimes he still worries, though he trusts Inej would have said something if she was unhappy. ]

I ended up talking to Jesper. [ That had been the hardest part. At that point, he'd been used to peeling his armor back for Inej. And some pieces for his friends. But that had been particularly soul baring. ]

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