timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

[ she’s about to ask how he feels when he decides morning isn’t something to celebrate. and inej is tugged back into the bed, which causes a soft laugh as she lets him make himself comfortable, fingers brushing through his hair again. ]

We have a breakfast reservation.

[ she murmurs into his hair, letting him stubbornly use her as a pillow. ]

Or should I assume that’s canceled.

[ Oh, he has to be responsible. Or something like it. Kaz sighs as he turns his head, cheek pressed to her chest. He should get up and shower. And get breakfast, because that involves coffee and not much else is more enticing.

Aside from staying exactly where he is right now. But he'd be hard pressed to name anything that was better than cuddling up to Inej. ]

Gimme a minute.

[ Yes, he's a little grouchy about it. He doesn't seem to move at first, just forcing the rest of his body to cooperate with the idea that he has to get out of bed. Eventually, he pulls himself away from her, sitting up with a frown. His leg is bothering him but that isn't news. It's usually a 50/50 chance he'll wake up to it throbbing in some manner.

The only problem is when he swings his legs over the bed and grabs his cane, he doesn't quite make it to standing. Swearing, he leans more on the cane and uses the edge of the bed to push himself up, unsteady when he does make it to his feet.

Alright, well, not a good day. Should've expected that one.

He takes a few tentative steps, free hand hovering over the bed. It feels like his leg is both too stiff and not stiff enough, wanting to give out. Suddenly the distance from here to the bathroom is...not daunting, exactly, but less than ideal. ]

[ oh, he’s grumpy. and she lets him set his own pace for movement, watching him get up . . . and fail.

she instinctively leans forward to help but stops herself as he stands . . . but inej can tell that’s not going to last, as she scoots herself across the bed and gently loops her arm around his waist. ]

Let me help.

[ gently, to help stabilize him with a quiet frown. ]

Do you want to go to the shower or lay back down?

[ This isn't really how he wanted to start his day but here he is. Standing at the corner of the bed and calculating whether he'll make it over to the bathroom without collapsing. The answer is looking like no.

With a long sigh, he lets Inej lean against him to stabilize, frustrated as usual when there's a particularly bad flare up. ]

Shower first, the heat might help. [ He can try and work out whatever muscle decided it was going to be a pain this morning. ]

[ saints, he’s found himself in a mood this morning. but inej lets him grumble and fuss with accepting help, instead helping him to the bathroom with relative ease.

the shower, at least, is walk-in. and somewhat fancy, for the country. the place they’re staying in is definitely targeted to rich people who need a break, and so the shower doubles as a small sauna. seat and all.

it works well for kaz, she thinks to herself idly. not that he’s ever going to admit he might need it. ]

Sit.

[ she says, helping him to sit — and once he does, inej dips down to kiss him, her voice soft: ]

I’ll find a set of pajamas and leave them on the counter. And find breakfast.

[ she’ll just take her shower later once he’s done. best not to suggest they share when he’s already grumpy and at a low tolerance for human communication. ]

Need anything else?

[ He'll feel guilty later, for being in such a foul mood and letting it show. For now, he's too focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Inej helps him to the bathroom with little fuss and once he's sitting– it's not a relief, exactly, but it's slightly more comfortable than standing. His leg is at the point where it simply existing is painful and there isn't much to be done about it.

When she kisses him, he does tilt his head into it. Just a fraction, because he's grateful she's willing to deal with this. While he isn't a huge fan of asking for help, he has to admit it beats trying to drag himself down three flights of stairs and trying not to sweat from the discomfort. ]

No, that's fine. [ Reaching out, he catches her hand before she goes. ] I'll try not to use up all your hot water.

[ she grins a little, as he catches her hand, and inej tugs herself back over, kissing him once more, the motion gentle and warm. ]

Use all the hot water you want.

[ warmly, pressing another kiss to his forehead before she makes her way out of the bathroom to find him a pair of pajamas. she soon reappears (this time in a loose robe) to set the clothes and a stack of towels on the seat of the toilet, closest to the shower, before disappearing again, closing the door behind her

she’ll let him call for help if he wants it. for now, though, she’ll leave him be while she figures out what to do for breakfast. ]

[ Truthfully, it's not a very long shower, even with how awkward it is to do most of it sitting down. He spends some time massaging out the muscles on his lower leg, wincing at how stiff it feels. No wonder he was having a hard time walking, it could barely unflex.

Part of him wants to stay under the hot spray a little longer, hoping it would make relaxing his muscles easier. Or faster. But his nerves are starting to hum and he's never had a great relationship with water to begin with, so he cuts it short, wanting to just lie down.

It's slow going in getting out of the shower, drying off, and pulling the pajamas on that Inej had left out. He doesn't fall on his face though, which is a silver lining. By the time he gets back to the bed, he's tired, only taking a few more moments to stick a pillow under the offending limb before he flops back to wait for Inej. ]

[ inej spends his shower pulling on some clothes and heading downstairs to find out about breakfast. it only takes a few moments to work out an alternative, and by the time inej comes back with coffee and some scones (insisting she could take that herself), Kaz has found himself back in bed. ]

Here.

[ as she sets down the coffee and small basket full of different types of scones on the bedside table next to him, lowering herself for a kiss to his forehead. feeling affectionate. and he looks like he needs it anyway. ]

Eat, I am going to shower and find pajamas of my own. It will take five minutes.

[ to head off the presumed protest that she should sit and eat too. ]

[ What he can say about the shower is that the little it managed to do helped take the edge off his frustration. So when Inej comes back in and kisses his forehead, he gives her a small, quick smile. ]

Thanks.

[ She also knows him too well, since she doesn't give him any room to argue as she walks off to the bathroom, clearly intent on cleaning off and getting comfortable. Ah well, he does take a few moments to watch her go, turning his attention to the coffee once she shuts the door.

That does quite a bit to lift some more of the crankiness, solely because he feels more awake after a few minutes of sipping his drink and picking at one of the scones. ]

[ she takes a quick shower, long enough to wash her hair. it's a quick time of drying herself off and tugging on underwear and a loose shirt, and she emerges from the bathroom toweling off her hair, a slight grin at kaz, who looks noticeably less grumpy.

the coffee, it seems, has done the trick. ]

Can I wish you a good morning, now?

[ amused, as she deposits the damp towel in the corner. she knows that a good deal of his vile mood is because he's in pain, but he's also just impossible first thing in the morning. ]

[ Lying down with his leg propped up means there's still pain but it's a workable kind. Rather, easier to ignore than it had been earlier. Whether that's because the shower did help more or breakfast has curbed his temper, he isn't sure. ]

Yeah, I won't bite. [ He says, owning up to his poor mood. That's definitely more manageable now that he's had some breakfast. ]

[ ah, he’s fine. and inej soon steps up onto the bed only to settle next to him, leaning over him to collect her own cup of coffee. ]

I see.

[ as evidenced by the half eaten scone so far. but as she settles back to sitting next to him, crossing her legs underneath her so she can sip her coffee, inej says: ]

At any rate, we can stay in bed today.

[ he won’t like it but he really should keep his leg up. ]

Edited 2020-09-03 11:40 (UTC)

[ She comes over whenever she's done drying off and dressing, settling next to him with a cup of coffee. As much as he's annoyed by having to stay in bed right now instead of being able to go downstairs and have breakfast, he does like doing this with her. Some of his favorite meals have been from takeout cartons while sitting on the roof of the Slat with Inej.

Of course, the bed is a more comfortable spot.

When she speaks up, he flexes his foot experimentally and winces, giving in to the idea that he'll be here for most if not all of the day. ]

There's worse places to be. [ Even if he hates being stuck in one place because his own body has decided to betray him. ]

There are worse places to be.

[ in agreement, as she sips her coffee, amused.

she can't really remember where the eating on the roof tradition started. she actually isn't sure if he ate up there on his own prior to inej's induction into the dregs, or if he just started to tag along with her when she invited him to join her one night. either way, it was a nice reprieve from the chaos of their respective roles.

so sometimes, it's nice just to sit by themselves without other people. like now, though he's clearly not totally happy about it. ]

Besides, it isn't as if we had anything planned.

[ she says as she reaches over to collect a scone of her own, placing a napkin over her knee, balancing the scone on it while she returns to her coffee. ]

You could go back to sleep, if you really wanted to.

[ He picks at his scone some more, trying to concentrate on that rather than the pull of nerves in his leg. Eventually, he'll mentally phase them out, like he usually does, he just doesn't have enough to occupy his attention away. ]

Well, true. [ Is that better or worse? At least they don't have to cancel plans, aside from breakfast ones. But then, it's not often they have a free day to do whatever they like, so that's a downside. He sinks back into the pillows some more, finishing the rest of his scone and sipping on his coffee. ]

Only if you are too.

[ It's very possible for him to fall back asleep on his own. But why do that when he could cuddle? ]

[ she leans backwards to set her now empty cup on her bedside table, turning her attention to her own scone once she resettles back next to him. and as she neatly breaks it into two, careful not to get crumbs on the sheets -- ]

I wouldn't just leave you here by yourself.

[ as she takes a bite of a piece of her scone, chewing thoughtfully. she would rather stay in bed with him all day than wander the town by herself, anyway. ]

Maybe we could set up a bed in the sun on the balcony. . . the warmth would help. Although you may burn more than you have already.

[ a little wryly, as she reaches out to gently run a thumb over his cheek. ]

We could find an umbrella.

[ She has a pretty good point. The sun is strong enough right now that the warmth might help soothe some of the bone deep ache. Plus, as much as he dislikes the possibility of burning and the general brightness, he honestly doesn't mind the sunlight too much. The grey skies of Ketterdam suit his mood better but he doesn't hate the sun.

He just hates that he's pale enough to burn from it. And the freckles that like to show up with too much exposure. They take away from the severity of his face, he thinks.

(Yes, he is a little vain). ]

As long as my face in the shade, it shouldn't be too bad. Maybe I should've brought a hat.

[ The brim would've done just the trick. With her hand on his cheek, he tilts his face towards the touch, ignoring the way the skin feels a bit too sensitive from yesterday's carelessness. ]

[ she grins a little, at the mention of the hat, and the protection of his precious face. what a priss.

she finishes her scone easily before cleaning up, careful not to drop crumbs. and once she’s done with that, she settles herself next to him, tugging him gently. ]

Come here.

[ so he can use her for a pillow. like the infant he is. and as she runs her fingers through his hair, she adds: ]

You are very cute, with red cheeks.

[ said half in seriousness and half because inej knows he’ll be irritated. ]

[ He follows the tugging without any resistance, though he's careful about how he sets his leg when he lies down. Because of course he actually does, cheek pressed to her chest like he did earlier. His arm loops loosely around her middle and he closes his eyes for a few moments when she runs her fingers through his hair.

It's just. Nice. ]

Don't wanna be cute. [ At least he isn't cranky about it. More petulant than anything else. ] It makes me look like I'm twelve.

[ That isn't very threatening. ]

[ she rolls her eyes at his complaint, threading her fingers through his hair as he makes himself comfortable. what a baby. ]

There is nothing wrong with being cute.

[ though she does try to envision what he looked like, at twelve. probably the same, with rounder cheeks. the same stubborn scowl. a thirty year old stuffed into a small thin body. at least, the twelve year old he should have been before ketterdam. ]

But I imagine some people still find you terrifying.

[ she never has, but some people still do. ]

[ Even if he can't see her face he can tell she's having none of this. It does make him smile a little bit. ]

Just some people?

[ He sounds incredulous. Because he's well aware that Inej herself isn't really afraid of him. That isn't what their relationship was built on. And he's always treated her a bit differently than the rest of the Dregs.

Or even the rest of the Barrel. ]

Cute's for small animals and kids. I guess.

You have never been terrifying to me. Or remotely scary.

[ a bit dryly, continuing to play with his hair as he continues to pout. ]

You have been cute, though.

[ when he first wakes up in the morning (before he talks), or when he only wants to hold her, or when he puts his hand at her back when someone gets too close to them while waiting in line for dinner.

adorable, really. ]

I've noticed.

[ That should rankle more than it does. But they have such a specific history; it's no wonder she sees him very differently than the rest do.

Not to mention—even if some days it's aggravating—he does like having someone willing to tell him exactly how things are. A straightforward opinion without the nervous glances as if he'll shiv them on the spot for daring to speak to him. ]

Yeah? [ He tilts his head up a little, getting a brief look at her face. ] I suppose that's alright, coming from you.

[ She is the one with his head on her chest, after all. Though he hasn't been particularly cute this morning, if at all. ]

You're cute all the time. [ Well, more like extraordinary, but the sentiment is similar. ]

Am I?

[ a bit knowingly, as she glances down at him, grinning a little before she dips down to press her lips against his forehead. he must be feeling better if he's doling out compliments so easily. what a charmer. ]

I don't think I can remember a time where you have ever called me cute.

[ ( she definitely can. at least one. but, whatever. ) ]

OPEN POST 2020.

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