[She leans against him, hand resting against his arm. The urge to tell him that she can take care of herself is strong, since it's always her instant retort for anything that anyone feels they have to do for her. She's so used to having to be independent to survive and prove herself, that the knowledge she doesn't have to always take care of herself leaves her feeling somehow more tired.
They can take care of each other now. Much like she's picking up they're going to have to do tonight.]
What did you and Matt talk about?
[She's not stupid, she knows exactly who made him this worn down.]
[ he was already rolling around the words to spit them out, so when she asks the phrase comes far too quick, right on the back of her question mark. ]
He asked if I was at peace.
[ the gravity blinks out as the elevator jumps, longer than his usual trips as it travels from deck 2 all the way to 6. he keeps her close, fingers pressing into her hip protectively as her body tries to float away. there's no resistance, he doesn't have to hold her that tightly, but he does long after her heels hit the ground again and the door slides open. ]
[Her fingers dig into his arm a little more firmly, and she doesn't think twice about the fact he'll take it without complaint. He holds her like he has something to lose, and that alone is enough to convince her that she needs to always wear the boots from here on out.
Even after her feet touch ground again, she's leaning and pressed against him, clinging hold of him to keep him close.]
[ there's a residual crackle every time she presses at him, his body remembering how much it hurt. but he doesn't flinch anymore. he doesn't even really notice, tugging her out into the hall when max goes on ahead of them. he's reluctant to let her go still, but they can't walk like this so tentatively... he takes her hand. it makes his heart beat in triple time, fingers loosely circling her wrist as they walk towards his room. ]
I don't know. [ it's an answer in two parts. he doesn't really know what he said to matt in the heat of the moment and he doesn't know if he's at peace. ] What does that even really mean anyway?
[ a grumble as he finally lets go of her and hits the door lock on his device to let them all inside. ]
Knowing Matt? He wants to know if you can live with yourself after everything you've done.
[Karen leads the way inside, Max almost trampling her in the process to get in first. It makes her stumble a little and she catches herself on the doorframe, huffing out a sigh at how tired she is. She drops her things as soon as she's through the door and kicks off her heels, promptly going to fall into his bed. She's so tired, her everything hurts.]
[ it's a bitterness he's too tired to shield her from. if he hadn't done what he'd done, he just would've jumped off the nearest bridge instead. so yeah, he lives with it. there's no other choice now that he's fought that hard to keep his own.
frank nudges max out of the way as the door closes and locks behind the crew and he works on the dogs boots before slipping off his own, casting a sympathetic look at karen's back as she crashes onto his bed. he goes to sit against the wall at the head of the narrow bed, touching at her shoulder to get her attention. ]
Turn around and give me your feet.
[ a quiet ask but one that brooks no arguments, holding out his hands expectantly. ]
[Her nose wrinkles up as she laughs in near disbelief. Is he going to rub her feet or something? She's...never had a man offer to do that for her. It's almost so surreal to her that someone would bother that she's a little slow rolling over so she can lightly shove her feet at his lap.]
Matt's an asshole, Frank. Don't let him or his self-righteous questions get to you. All you can do is get through each day one at a time. Fuck anyone else that says otherwise.
[ a tease as he catches her ankles, one calloused finger running the length of her sole from heel to toes in a tickle, a smile flickering briefly when her foot jumps involuntarily. he keeps his hold, setting her other foot on his shin as he crosses his legs to wait its turn. then his face creases in determination as he sets to work, digging his thumbs in deep to release the tension she's been holding onto - and those heels don't help with the pain either. but she already agreed to wear the boots, something he can't help but be pleased about. ]
He didn't... get to me. [ convincing, huh? he grinds in deeper when her muscles start to relax, determined to rid her of all her pain. ] He is an asshole though.
[This is far more intimate than she expects it to be. It makes her heart race, the sound of it thundering in her ears. It's all she can concentrate on at first. Eventually there's a little tingle in her foot that steals her attention, and her breath hitches as he manages to successfully get her to relax. She almost melts back against the bed, a soft sound close to a sigh signaling that he's on the right track.]
Okay, neither of us are allowed to think or talk about him for the rest of the night. We need a break.
[A break after...one day of having him here. His thumbs dig in to an incredibly sensitive area right at that moment and she gasps, foot jumping in his hold. Her toes curl inward and she bites at her lip as she focuses on not jerking her foot right out of his hand.]
[ that sigh drifts in and he redoubles his efforts to help her let go of some tension, but then her foot jerks and he frowns, rubbing his hands more gently where he'd gone too hard in apology. ] Did I hurt you? [ he asks, hunching over to press a kiss against her foot without thinking overly about the gesture. kiss it better. ]
...You're right, as usual. Make any progress today?
[She's just about to answer him when he kisses her foot, and a shiver courses through her. He either has no idea what he's doing and is just incredibly smooth without trying, or he's secretly knows exactly what he's doing and is intentionally trying to get her to react. She can't decide which one, and her brain momentarily short circuits.]
No, it didn't hurt. [She distractedly answers, breath shaky.] It was just a sensitive spot. It tickled.
[Wait...are they still talking about her feet, or did he ask her something about her work?]
This is the most progress I've made in days.
[He's doing a good job of getting her to relax and be tense at the same time.]
[ he nods in understanding, more careful this time as he works over the spot in question, going deeper so it doesn't tickle and pressing the heel of his hand against the worst of it to get it to straighten out. the truth is he has no idea how this is affecting her, he just wants to do something nice and also put himself to task to try and put his day out of his mind. after another moment, frank gently sets her foot aside and starts on the other, repeating the same exact process. ]
That's great, Karen.
[ there isn't anything dismissive about it, it's deeply sincere. he's so glad people are finally getting over their shit and working together, and of course he couldn't be more supportive of seeing her at the helm. ]
[She laughs, because she was vague and she hadn't been referring to actual work at all.]
I meant that this is the most progress I've made. You getting me to relax. I'll probably be able to get more done tomorrow.
[But hearing the sincerity in his voice and knowing that he's proud of her makes her happy. He always says that she gives him strength, but she isn't sure he knows how much he gives to her in return.]
[She halfway sits up, hand reaching to press against the top of his head. It slides down until she's touching his cheek. Her eyes just meet his for a few quiet seconds, and she smiles in a way that's rare for her. Unguarded and at ease, he's done a damn good job of making things better.]
You really shouldn't have let me know you were so good with your hands. I could get used to this.
[ the way she smiles at him then, it's almost too much for him to take. but he does, meeting her eyes gamely and leaning his face into her hand even when bruises protest. ]
I'm not worried, I've still got a few secrets left.
[Her thumb runs along his cheek, careful to mind his bruises. She's so used to him being covered in them that she doesn't really take notice of when she should be more gentle or not touch him at all.]
Well, I'd be disappointed if I learned all your secrets right away.
[Her hand taps his cheek before sliding down to his jumpsuit, giving it a tug so he'll join her in laying down.]
[ he should really get out of his jumpsuit, maybe brush his teeth, but he's comfortable, ridiculously so. he knows he'll only sleep for a few hours, but it's worth it to be at her side. so he lets her wrestle him down under the covers, the top of his head brushing her collarbone. ]
So I should expect you to leave me for some enigmatic stranger then. [ his eyes are already closed, he's drifting, but still yapping away apparently. it's funny how stoic he can be during waking hours, but now that he's too tired to keep his eyes open he's babbling. ]
[She laughs, head turning so her nose bumps and presses against his temple.]
I didn't know there was anyone more enigmatic out there than you.
[The effort it takes to keep her eyes open any longer is intense. They haven't gotten undressed, having done any of the nightly routines they easily fall into. It might be something they regret the next morning, but they can just learn from their mistakes. As she starts to drift off, she finds just enough energy to mentally blame Matt for this exhaustion.]
I'm an open book, Karen. [ he protests, already mostly asleep. one hand palms her hip as his breathing evens out and he finally gives into the rest his body sorely needs. ]
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They can take care of each other now. Much like she's picking up they're going to have to do tonight.]
What did you and Matt talk about?
[She's not stupid, she knows exactly who made him this worn down.]
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He asked if I was at peace.
[ the gravity blinks out as the elevator jumps, longer than his usual trips as it travels from deck 2 all the way to 6. he keeps her close, fingers pressing into her hip protectively as her body tries to float away. there's no resistance, he doesn't have to hold her that tightly, but he does long after her heels hit the ground again and the door slides open. ]
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Even after her feet touch ground again, she's leaning and pressed against him, clinging hold of him to keep him close.]
What did you tell him?
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I don't know. [ it's an answer in two parts. he doesn't really know what he said to matt in the heat of the moment and he doesn't know if he's at peace. ] What does that even really mean anyway?
[ a grumble as he finally lets go of her and hits the door lock on his device to let them all inside. ]
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[Karen leads the way inside, Max almost trampling her in the process to get in first. It makes her stumble a little and she catches herself on the doorframe, huffing out a sigh at how tired she is. She drops her things as soon as she's through the door and kicks off her heels, promptly going to fall into his bed. She's so tired, her everything hurts.]
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[ it's a bitterness he's too tired to shield her from. if he hadn't done what he'd done, he just would've jumped off the nearest bridge instead. so yeah, he lives with it. there's no other choice now that he's fought that hard to keep his own.
frank nudges max out of the way as the door closes and locks behind the crew and he works on the dogs boots before slipping off his own, casting a sympathetic look at karen's back as she crashes onto his bed. he goes to sit against the wall at the head of the narrow bed, touching at her shoulder to get her attention. ]
Turn around and give me your feet.
[ a quiet ask but one that brooks no arguments, holding out his hands expectantly. ]
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[Her nose wrinkles up as she laughs in near disbelief. Is he going to rub her feet or something? She's...never had a man offer to do that for her. It's almost so surreal to her that someone would bother that she's a little slow rolling over so she can lightly shove her feet at his lap.]
Matt's an asshole, Frank. Don't let him or his self-righteous questions get to you. All you can do is get through each day one at a time. Fuck anyone else that says otherwise.
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[ a tease as he catches her ankles, one calloused finger running the length of her sole from heel to toes in a tickle, a smile flickering briefly when her foot jumps involuntarily. he keeps his hold, setting her other foot on his shin as he crosses his legs to wait its turn. then his face creases in determination as he sets to work, digging his thumbs in deep to release the tension she's been holding onto - and those heels don't help with the pain either. but she already agreed to wear the boots, something he can't help but be pleased about. ]
He didn't... get to me. [ convincing, huh? he grinds in deeper when her muscles start to relax, determined to rid her of all her pain. ] He is an asshole though.
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Okay, neither of us are allowed to think or talk about him for the rest of the night. We need a break.
[A break after...one day of having him here. His thumbs dig in to an incredibly sensitive area right at that moment and she gasps, foot jumping in his hold. Her toes curl inward and she bites at her lip as she focuses on not jerking her foot right out of his hand.]
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...You're right, as usual. Make any progress today?
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No, it didn't hurt. [She distractedly answers, breath shaky.] It was just a sensitive spot. It tickled.
[Wait...are they still talking about her feet, or did he ask her something about her work?]
This is the most progress I've made in days.
[He's doing a good job of getting her to relax and be tense at the same time.]
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That's great, Karen.
[ there isn't anything dismissive about it, it's deeply sincere. he's so glad people are finally getting over their shit and working together, and of course he couldn't be more supportive of seeing her at the helm. ]
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I meant that this is the most progress I've made. You getting me to relax. I'll probably be able to get more done tomorrow.
[But hearing the sincerity in his voice and knowing that he's proud of her makes her happy. He always says that she gives him strength, but she isn't sure he knows how much he gives to her in return.]
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[ she always does. he looks up at her when he's done, like a dog begging for praise. ]
It's better?
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[She halfway sits up, hand reaching to press against the top of his head. It slides down until she's touching his cheek. Her eyes just meet his for a few quiet seconds, and she smiles in a way that's rare for her. Unguarded and at ease, he's done a damn good job of making things better.]
You really shouldn't have let me know you were so good with your hands. I could get used to this.
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I'm not worried, I've still got a few secrets left.
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Well, I'd be disappointed if I learned all your secrets right away.
[Her hand taps his cheek before sliding down to his jumpsuit, giving it a tug so he'll join her in laying down.]
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I thought that much was obvious, Frank.
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So I should expect you to leave me for some enigmatic stranger then. [ his eyes are already closed, he's drifting, but still yapping away apparently. it's funny how stoic he can be during waking hours, but now that he's too tired to keep his eyes open he's babbling. ]
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I didn't know there was anyone more enigmatic out there than you.
[The effort it takes to keep her eyes open any longer is intense. They haven't gotten undressed, having done any of the nightly routines they easily fall into. It might be something they regret the next morning, but they can just learn from their mistakes. As she starts to drift off, she finds just enough energy to mentally blame Matt for this exhaustion.]
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