wraithes: (010.)
unarmored. ([personal profile] wraithes) wrote in [community profile] timewasting2020-09-27 05:30 pm

modern au kanej.

a cute gif will go here eventually.
ketterdamn: (huddle)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-07 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She runs her thumbs over his cheeks and he tilts his head towards one of her palms, eyes shutting briefly at the warmth. He'd been hesitant the first few times she'd done this but he's adjusted. Mostly. There's still a vague discomfort under his skin but he finds he can ignore it more easily. ]

Yes. If that's too much, I can find a hotel.

[ The kiss to the corner of his mouth is reassuring but the nerves are starting to show. So much he should've planned and asked before coming here. Anika and Jes and even Nina had reassured him it would be fine and that he was over thinking it.

But what if he wasn't? ]


As long as my work is turned in, they don't care. The higher ups have been considering courting a firm over here to partner with, sounds like.

[ He'll be a test run on how the timezones affect everything. Even without that though, his boss had been enormously enthusiastic. Moreso than he thought he'd be.

Somehow, he has a feeling Anika must've said something. ]
ketterdamn: (lighting)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ He lets himself be pulled into the apartment, getting out the doorway so she can get Lizabeta in. The little bird's cage is placed on the kitchen table, door open so she can stretch out. Well, whenever she's awake again. It's been a very long day for her so far. She rouses very briefly, small eye cracking open before it drifts shut and she tries to bury her face more in her wing.

He tucks his luggage off to the side for now. Before reaching over to tug Inej into another hug. ]


Can't say I'd want another spill. [ What a disaster that would be. ]

Hi. [ He tilts his head, pressing his cheek to her hair. ] ...I missed you.

ketterdamn: (triumph)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
Felt longer.

[ Time had seriously dragged by. Not only from the fretting about getting everything squared away but also– he'd spent so much of it keenly missing her presence. He doesn't know why he thought it would be easier than it had been the first time. Because it seriously hadn't been. If anything, it had been worse.

So he's eagerly soaking up her touches now, the jumble of anxiety he'd been holding onto really starting to dissipate. ]


We can go for groceries, when you want. I brought what was left for Lizabeta, just in case. [ If they'd gotten stuck at the airport or something, that would not have gone over well for the little bird.

Who is steadfastly ignoring all of this to sleep, still.

Tilting his head down, he presses a careful kiss to her hairline, the gladness of being here starting to truly settle in. ]


I should probably let you finish what you were doing.
ketterdamn: (lain)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 01:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's still getting used to the casual affection. It's not just the vague, squirming discomfort from the occasional skin to skin contact that startles him. No, it's just that he's gone so long without anything like it. Even the hugs—he'd forgone them for years, always too worried it would make him ill.

But he can't say he really minds the change. The kiss she brushes onto his cheek is...warming. ]


Alright. [ No argument here, because he does feel wrung out. Not only from a night spent tossing and turning but from an entire day gone to going through the airport. And then anxiously staying awake on the plane itself.

Washing away the weird and stale plane stickiness sounds immensely appealing. As does the imminent nap after. Maybe he'll get some actual rest with Inej being nearby.

He does lean in for one more soft kiss before he lets her go to head off towards the bathroom. Showering is a quick and spaced out affair, the hot water doing wonders on the stiffness in his shoulders. Soon enough, he's dried off, changed, and crashed out on her bed, extremely ready to embrace sleep for once.

At some point, he thinks he hears her rinse off as well, but he's too tired to keep track. ]
ketterdamn: (rare)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Consciousness completely blacked out, he doesn't come to until he feels the bed dip with added weight. It's a familiar shift and he knows it's Inej. She's taken a shower and has carried the smell of her shampoo with her into the room. The pull of sleep isn't strong enough to ignore her light touch though, and he sighs, carefully turning so he can face her.

Dimming sunlight is streaming in through the gaps on either side of her curtains, partially illuminating her face. It's catching right near her eyes, making the color of them go from a warm brown to golden. Radiant. In the complete opposite, he's certain he looks a mess. He'd laid down with damp hair and with the heaviness of sleep, he can feel the imprint of a pillow crease on his cheek. ]


You could come closer. [ His voice is tougher than usual, coming out of sleep. Gentle though, as it normally is with her. ]
ketterdamn: (think about it)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There's another sigh, this one slow as she pushes her fingers through his hair. It feels incredibly good. Comforting, even. ]

Never been lost in my life.

[ His eye for detail and good memory usually meant he was fine with directions. Still, she has a good point: learning Ravkan certainly wouldn't be a bad thing. Especially if he's looking at staying for a longer period of time. If the three months really works out with work and otherwise, he could be committing to an even longer period. Inej's entire run of school, maybe.

Speaking of Inej, he moves to curl his arms around her middle, head pillowed on her lap. Another shift a moment later and he settles one hand on her thigh, finally settling. ]


Missed this. [ Two weeks and he's been an actual mess. ]
ketterdamn: (lighting)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-08 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Never.

[ Well, maybe a few times? None of those moments particularly stick out in his mind though.

He has been lost, however, on a more metaphorical sense. Losing his dad and Jordie basically back to back had not been easy. If Tomassen hadn't stepped in to take his case, he's not sure where he would've ended up. ]


Easier to sleep with you around. [ Which had surprised him entirely. He's always liked his space. Even before everything with Jordie, he hadn't been an overly touchy child.

But after he'd spent that week and some change sharing her bed here, that had certainly shifted. It'd been difficult to readjust. Her staying for as long as she did over the holiday had only made it worse.

Or better? He isn't sure.

Because as soon as she'd left, he'd spent that night tossing and turning. Eventually he ended up in the middle of the bed as a way to trick himself—he couldn't feel the absence of weight on the other side nearly as well. He'd also gone back to his usual sleeping pattern. Which meant a lot of going to bed late or waking up at odd hours and staring at his clock. ]


Think your parents will mind? [ Jardani perhaps not. Her mother, Asena, though. She might lay some judgment at his feet. Normally he would fret about it but he's currently fighting the pull of sleep too much to give it thought. ]
ketterdamn: (leather)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-09 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Honestly, he never thought he'd be into so much affection. He's always kept himself apart from other people—whether on purpose or accident. His personality, he knows, can be a difficult one. He's polite, civil, but that can hardly be termed as nice. And it isn't as though he has a fun sense of humor to take the edge off.

So he's had very few friends and even fewer prospects of a partner. Not that he'd really been looking. Jes had told him he was a cold person a lot of the time. And he figured that sort of thing would carry over into a relationship.

But, here he is with his head in Inej's lap, content to let her comb her fingers through his hair. If he weren't so tired, he'd like to sit up next to her, pressed close while they read. Or as they've done a few times in Kerch: her pulled into his lap.

There's been the occasional and underlying desire to do more than that, of course. It's hard to ignore—another surprise on his part, really. But he is more than content with this, just spending time being close to each other. ]


Is it dinner or a banquet? [ Last time, Asena had remarked he didn't eat enough. And had apparently made enough for a family of eight rather than the four of them. Kaz is fairly sure he's never seen so much food in one spot. ]

When does she want us over?

[ While her mother certainly unnerves him a bit, it's no use trying to wiggle out of a visit. Besides, he does like Jardani. Despite the odd knowing look he seemed to have on his face the first time Kaz had met him. ]
ketterdamn: (think about it)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-09 11:23 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Her mother certainly does like to see them fed. Even the times he'd had dinner with Jesper's family he doesn't remember ever seeing so much. Though he wonders if Asena has always been that way or if it's a way for her to try and make up for years lost. Possibly both.

He is grateful though, that she's at least willing to let him recover his senses after flying. Asena seems demanding sometimes but perhaps not as much as he imagined.

It's silent for a few beats and he can feel himself starting to drift again, her touch soothing. When she speaks up, he rouses enough to respond, though he doesn't open his eyes. ]


I'm glad I came. And that Anika told me she'd lock me out of the office if I didn't.

[ He hadn't needed too much nudging but that really had been a final straw.

Slowly, he does pull himself away from where he'd curled around her, giving her some space to lie down with him. Of course, that space doesn't last terribly long. He ends up close to her again. Both because he wants to be and because her bed honestly isn't very wide. ]


Never thought this would happen.

[ Just generally. But with Inej as well, despite them sharing her bed when he visited last time. It's a decidedly different feeling now. ]
ketterdamn: (Default)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-10 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's absolutely no resistance when she pulls his arm over her middle. She runs her fingers along his forearm and a pleasant shiver runs through him. A small part of him inwardly squirms at it but it's easily ignored in favor of how nice it feels to be near her.

He settles in, ruminating on how fast and slow this has gone. It's been about a year since he got that first text. If someone had told him this where he'd be, he would've thought they were crazy. And yet, here they are.

She moves again, forehead resting against his chest and he curls his arm tighter around her middle. Tilting his head down, he presses a kiss to the top of her hair, thinking about how he was glad that Jes had dragged him to that bar. And that his friend had managed to get Inej's number to pass on. ]


I am too. [ He lets out a little sigh and settles again, content with how close they are. ] Comfortable?
ketterdamn: (huddle)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-10 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He'd never considered himself someone who was protective. Loyal, yes, because as much as he gives Jesper shit, he wouldn't just leave him hanging. But for the most part, he let his friends pick their battles.

With Inej it's decidedly different. There's always a swell of anger when a man decides to whistle at her while they're walking. He knows Inej can handle herself but ultimately, he's more than willing to throw a punch if it would do any good. Or at least shut the person up.

It's discouraging bad behavior, isn't it?

He feels a similar aggravation at her comment. All those men who'd treated her so poorly, they deserved the worst. He gives her a reassuring squeeze, resting his chin on her head so his words aren't muffled. ]


I do too. [ Even six months prior. Six months less time for her to deal with all the shit Heleen put her through. ] Though, I wasn't a very pleasant person, early on.

[ And if they'd somehow met when he was still going through the trial, he doubts he could've done anything at all. He wasn't even remotely stable then, in more ways than one. ]
ketterdamn: (leather)

[personal profile] ketterdamn 2020-11-11 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
Maybe. Would've told me off more. [ Way more. The end of the trial had given him some stability. And with it, his temper leveled out some. He'd gone from vicious to generally grouchy. Though both, he suspects, stem from his awful nerves. With maybe a bit of a predisposition to being annoyed easily.

None of that is cropping up now. Especially not when she brushes a small kiss to his jawline, causing his mouth to quirk up. There's a small fluttery feeling in his chest that follows, brief and pleasant. ]


Tomassen said he should have a date lined up soon. Everything slowed at the turn of the year.

[ They were creeping ever forward to bringing Heleen down. Well, not just her but her entire operation. And probably more than a few of her higher profile clients. Kerch didn't need their government officials lacking even more morals. ]

(no subject)

[personal profile] ketterdamn - 2020-11-11 16:11 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ketterdamn - 2020-11-12 00:41 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ketterdamn - 2020-11-12 13:56 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

[personal profile] ketterdamn - 2020-11-12 16:51 (UTC) - Expand