[ Unused to sleeping next to another person after all this time living alone — not that Benedict ever slept in the same bed as anyone since he was a very small child, but his time at the Temple and his military service had included barracks-style living, which meant sleeping a stone's throw away from others — it takes Benedict a while to fall asleep, but he forces himself to stop focusing on the girl only a few feet away from him with some determined meditation, and it doesn't take that much longer for him to drift off as well.
Only to be woken not by whatever noise spooked Kate, but by Kate herself, scooting closer across the sheets and grabbing at his shoulder.
With his instincts and combat training both ingrained deep into him, one would think Benedict would react to being shaken awake with violence. Instead, all he does is rumble sleepily, letting Kate tug at his shoulder until he's flat on his back, peering at her through half-lidded eyes. ]
[ a ghost, she almost says, but fortunately stops herself before it actually slips out. how embarrassing. he's half-awake right now but she's pretty sure he'd jolt right out of it just to laugh at her.
she grits her teeth, unconsciously curling her hand into a little fist around the fabric at his shoulder. ]
—not sure... But I definitely heard something outside.
[ she's close enough he'd be able to see it (though not like he needs the help, given his nightvision), how big and imploring her eyes get. they say, without saying anything, aren't you going to go check it out? ]
[ He might not have woken up fully just to laugh at her, but he equally might have just woken up fully so he could raise his eyebrows incredulously at her, so which is worse?
The way she's yanking at his pajamas makes him reach out and clumsily pat at her, his hand landing on her bare thigh, warm from being cocooned beneath the covers. ]
'S probably just the foxes, [ he assures her, like listening to foxes do anything isn't absolutely blood-curdling.
Still, the longer he stays awake trying to comfort her, the more awake he feels, and he'd probably be able to tell how spooked she is even without his superior senses. Suppressing a sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad even though he's pretty sure she's being totally ridiculous, he shifts enough so he can roll onto his other side to face her, letting go of her leg so he can wrap both hands around hers. ]
Do you want me to go make sure? [ Gods, he's a sucker. ]
[ at his touch, she shifts closer still, as if it were some unspoken permission. she's got both hands gripping his shirt now, body tense underneath the thick covers resting over them. benedict has always run a little hotter than most; turns out sharing a blanket with him is like having your own little space heater. even still, she shivers from the touch. ]
[ What Benedict really wants to do is to roll back over and go back to sleep. If the noise wasn't enough to wake him, someone who grew up in this house and therefore is familiar with what is and isn't a noise that's supposed to happen, then it's not worth worrying over.
But Kate is clearly worried. Maybe irrationally, but that's not for him to decide.
Yawning, showing off his teeth, he shifts back and sits up with a grunt. ]
[ seeing that flash of teeth so clearly, even in the dark, has a strangely calming effect on kate. somehow she feels that much more comforted, that much safer. she still wants to get up and check out that noise for her own peace of mind, sure, but somehow it isn't quite so daunting a task.
she slips out of bed the moment he sits up, turning back around to urge him on faster, but falls silent when she notices that somewhere along the way in his sleep, a few of the buttons of his pajama top have come undone. she's quiet, taking far too long to decide if she should say something about it, before finally gesturing to her own chest. ]
[ Idly scratching his chest between the plackets of his shirt — how did those buttons come undone? — as he swings his legs off the side of the bed and stands up, bare toes curling in the plush carpet underfoot. ]
Hm? [ He's distracted, reaching for one of the drawers in the bedside table, rummaging around until he finds a small, unobtrusive flashlight that he hands out to her.
Just because he can see in the dark doesn't mean she can. ]
Oh. [ He looks down at himself before humming and shifting to do them back up. Strange, how that happened. ] There. All better.
[ kate hums in response, carefully noncommittal as she drops her eyes to the flashlight in her hand — but only after he'd gone and finished buttoning up. in this case, "better" is definitely subjective. ]
You'd tell me, right? [ she pushes some of her hair out of her face, whatever had come loose from her bun in her sleep. ] If someone once died in this house. It wasn't built over some ancestral burying ground or anything?
[ Why else would she bring his attention to it if she didn't want him to rectify the situation? It hardly makes sense, otherwise. No matter.
Satisfied that she's got the flashlight and can therefore illuminate her path, Benedict steps around her, absently reaching down to curl his hand around hers. That's what you do in the dark when you're scared, right? Hold hands? ]
Of course people died in this house, [ he says, like that's comforting at all. ] It's been in the family for centuries. No burial grounds that I know of, though.
[ said hand flexes in concern at his all-too-casual answer, but fortunately he's too busy leading them out to see the sudden grimace on her face. she sticks close, closer even when she'd been pretending to be his paramour earlier that evening, flicking the flashlight on. ]
That you know of, [ she repeats gravely, as if his words had just sealed their fate. ]
I'm fairly certain there's no burial grounds under the house.
[ Is that better?
He very kindly doesn't point out that ghosts aren't real, or that if she did hear a noise it was probably either another guest battling their own jet-lag or one of the staff moving about the corridors, or, worst case scenario, a mouse.
Still, irrational or not, your fears are your fears, and having someone step in and tell you you're being stupid doesn't help. What does, he hopes, is stepping out into the corridor and looking left and right. ]
[ Aliens, gods, and mutants are totally different. Benedict is a mutant, basically, but that doesn't mean a thing in the face of the fact that ghosts aren't real.
She's a warm little limpet pressing up along his spine, and he's still sleepy enough to not overthink why that's such a comfortable feeling, just quietly lets himself enjoy it while he scans the darkened hallway. Truthfully, the flashlight doesn't help all that much, but he does still peer carefully each direction to see what might be there. ]
[ okay non-believer, don't come crying to kate when one decides to haunt you for your arrogance!
anyway. ]
Are you sure?
[ oh good now she's stage-whispering. she presses the flat of her hand against his spine, right on his lower back, coaxing him out. clearly they have to investigate further. ]
[ Still, he lets her push him into the hallway, his steps soundless against the thick carpet underfoot, and he holds out his hand to her again so they can go look down the corridor even more if that's what she wants.
Everything is where it should be, where it was the last time he was home. He's not worried. ]
[ they get a few steps down the corridor, hand in hand, kate's light sweeping left and right, up down. they get all the way to the end before it forks, and kate's bare feet pause on the carpet, a frown on her face. ]
I guess you're right...
[ what's this, is she actually admitting— ]
Whatever it was is probably long gone.
[ —ah.
she gives his hand a squeeze, turning to walk them back to the room. ]
[ For a moment, he debates turning around to stare at her incredulously, but then she corrects herself and he finds himself huffing a quiet laugh through his nose instead.
Maybe she's right. Maybe there was some noise or other that spooked her, or maybe it's just the stress of the situation coupled with trying to sleep in an unfamiliar location that's making her hyper-aware of her surroundings. If something breaks into their room to try and kill them in their sleep, she can say I told you so to him, but until then, he's going to turn and gently herd her back towards their bedroom. ]
Let's just go back to bed, hm? I'll give you a proper tour of the estate in the morning.
[ So she won't worry so much about things that go bump in the night. ]
[ it's quite intimate, that phrase. let's just go back to bed. how it flows from his mouth so naturally too. ]
You're just trying to avoid letting me drive your fancy car.
[ as her mind quickly switches up from being too wired to suddenly reminded of its grogginess. she yawns loudly, rubbing at her eyes. she lets benedict pull her back along, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. she doesn't even open her eyes again until they're back in their room and she's climbing back into the plush bed.
once her head hits the pillow again her body feels like lead, definitely ready for sleep again. ]
Mm, yes that's exactly it, [ he agrees affably, squeezing her hand warmly as he guides her back into their powder-blue room.
Watching her clamber back into the bed they're sharing is weirdly more intimate than it was earlier in the night, perhaps because she's so obviously tired and so is he.
He shuts the door behind them carefully, making sure the latch takes, and then climbs into bed after her, only barely resisting the urge to tuck her in like he's putting her to bed and not just going back to sleep himself. ]
[ his voice helps draw her back from the sleep quickly claiming her, just enough that she becomes vaguely aware of a new source of heat in the bed. she hums, rolls over until she's facing him. her eyes are already shut and her hair is all but spilled out of that bun by now but there is a warm, sleepy smile on her lips. ]
'Night...
[ she doesn't realize in her rolling over, she'd crossed that invisible line that splits the bed up evenly between them. it'd be a shame, though, to wake her now, wouldn't it? ]
[ Don't think about how pretty she looks, Benedict. Now is not the time for that.
Especially not when she starts to roll herself closer, inching across the bed towards him like she's searching for the warm spot. Scooting back out of her way would be weirder than staying put, wouldn't it? Probably.
Resolutely closing his eyes, he decides not to think about it. ]
[ if it helps, kate falls asleep and still not too long after. it's a testament to how tired she actually is, as sleep often eludes her even in the comfort of her own bed and home.
unfortunately, she doesn't remain still for long. sometime in the night, that desire for seeking out the source of that warmth takes over, inching and inching until she has become that little limpet again, this time against his side. after that, it's just all too easy for her arm and leg to wrap themselves around him, fitting her body snug. there she remains even well after dawn breaks, when sunlight filters in but still finds her fast asleep. ]
[ Waking up to being pinned down by a small, wiry octopus is not a sensation Benedict has often had in his life. Thankfully, all the other details of their situation are enough to keep him at ease — the angle of the light coming in through the window, the smell of the detergent on the sheets, the muffled sound of people bustling about a floor or two below them — so all he does is blink himself awake slowly and let awareness filter in piece by piece.
Kate's hair is caught in his mouth.
Trying to untangle the dark strands from his teeth is an experience he never thought he'd have, but thankfully it's not exactly a difficult task. He just hopes he didn't leave it too damp, otherwise he'll have to explain just what the hell happened.
Although, looking down at her head pillowed on his chest, he wonders if maybe he should make her be the one to explain, because he's not entirely sure how they wound up here. Like this. ]
[ your guess is as good as hers, benedict. she's no more aware of their new compromising position than she is of her own name right now, still sleeping so soundly there's not a peep out of her save for the heavy breathing indicative of someone experiencing what is perhaps the best sleep they've had in weeks.
she stirs finally, but only to burrow her face deeper into his chest, to curl even closer around his side. at this point, will even a fallen meteor wake her? ]
[ This has never happened to him before. Even the twins, who love him the way all younger siblings love their older sibling when there's a large age gap between them — that is, they love him, but they aren't close with him, and they haven't really turned to him for comfort for a very long time — have never fallen asleep with their heads on his chest and clung tighter to him when he shifts beneath them. He's certainly never had a girl he wasn't related to do it.
He's not sure if he should try to wake her, or just let her be.
His bladder makes the decision for him, in the end. Loath as he is to disturb her, some things simply must be attended to, and so after a few minutes of bemusedly staring at the rumpled mess of her hair spread across his chest, he starts to carefully extricate himself so he can steal away to the bathroom and take care of important business.
By that point, he's fully awake so there's no point in trying to go back to bed. So, after washing his hands and brushing his teeth and giving himself a very confused look in the mirror, Benedict creeps back out into the room and out onto the balcony, trying his best to avoid letting too much light splash across the bed, so that he can start on the stretching routine that was engrained into him during his time at the Temple. ]
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2021-10-21 08:35 pm (UTC)Only to be woken not by whatever noise spooked Kate, but by Kate herself, scooting closer across the sheets and grabbing at his shoulder.
With his instincts and combat training both ingrained deep into him, one would think Benedict would react to being shaken awake with violence. Instead, all he does is rumble sleepily, letting Kate tug at his shoulder until he's flat on his back, peering at her through half-lidded eyes. ]
Was'sit?
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Date: 2021-10-23 08:41 pm (UTC)[ a ghost, she almost says, but fortunately stops herself before it actually slips out. how embarrassing. he's half-awake right now but she's pretty sure he'd jolt right out of it just to laugh at her.
she grits her teeth, unconsciously curling her hand into a little fist around the fabric at his shoulder. ]
—not sure... But I definitely heard something outside.
[ she's close enough he'd be able to see it (though not like he needs the help, given his nightvision), how big and imploring her eyes get. they say, without saying anything, aren't you going to go check it out? ]
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Date: 2021-10-24 01:30 am (UTC)The way she's yanking at his pajamas makes him reach out and clumsily pat at her, his hand landing on her bare thigh, warm from being cocooned beneath the covers. ]
'S probably just the foxes, [ he assures her, like listening to foxes do anything isn't absolutely blood-curdling.
Still, the longer he stays awake trying to comfort her, the more awake he feels, and he'd probably be able to tell how spooked she is even without his superior senses. Suppressing a sigh, not wanting to make her feel bad even though he's pretty sure she's being totally ridiculous, he shifts enough so he can roll onto his other side to face her, letting go of her leg so he can wrap both hands around hers. ]
Do you want me to go make sure? [ Gods, he's a sucker. ]
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Date: 2021-10-24 04:44 am (UTC)If you want. [ yes, please. ]
I'll come with you. [ let's do it now. ]
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Date: 2021-10-24 01:29 pm (UTC)But Kate is clearly worried. Maybe irrationally, but that's not for him to decide.
Yawning, showing off his teeth, he shifts back and sits up with a grunt. ]
Alright. Come on, then.
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Date: 2021-10-24 01:42 pm (UTC)she slips out of bed the moment he sits up, turning back around to urge him on faster, but falls silent when she notices that somewhere along the way in his sleep, a few of the buttons of his pajama top have come undone. she's quiet, taking far too long to decide if she should say something about it, before finally gesturing to her own chest. ]
Your shirt — um.
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Date: 2021-10-24 01:48 pm (UTC)Hm? [ He's distracted, reaching for one of the drawers in the bedside table, rummaging around until he finds a small, unobtrusive flashlight that he hands out to her.
Just because he can see in the dark doesn't mean she can. ]
Oh. [ He looks down at himself before humming and shifting to do them back up. Strange, how that happened. ] There. All better.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 02:19 pm (UTC)You'd tell me, right? [ she pushes some of her hair out of her face, whatever had come loose from her bun in her sleep. ] If someone once died in this house. It wasn't built over some ancestral burying ground or anything?
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Date: 2021-10-24 08:53 pm (UTC)Satisfied that she's got the flashlight and can therefore illuminate her path, Benedict steps around her, absently reaching down to curl his hand around hers. That's what you do in the dark when you're scared, right? Hold hands? ]
Of course people died in this house, [ he says, like that's comforting at all. ] It's been in the family for centuries. No burial grounds that I know of, though.
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Date: 2021-10-24 09:41 pm (UTC)That you know of, [ she repeats gravely, as if his words had just sealed their fate. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 09:53 pm (UTC)[ Is that better?
He very kindly doesn't point out that ghosts aren't real, or that if she did hear a noise it was probably either another guest battling their own jet-lag or one of the staff moving about the corridors, or, worst case scenario, a mouse.
Still, irrational or not, your fears are your fears, and having someone step in and tell you you're being stupid doesn't help. What does, he hopes, is stepping out into the corridor and looking left and right. ]
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Date: 2021-10-24 10:09 pm (UTC)she presses up against his back, trying and failing to look over his shoulder. she helpfully (?) flashes the light down the hall for him. ]
Well? What do you see?
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Date: 2021-10-24 10:19 pm (UTC)She's a warm little limpet pressing up along his spine, and he's still sleepy enough to not overthink why that's such a comfortable feeling, just quietly lets himself enjoy it while he scans the darkened hallway. Truthfully, the flashlight doesn't help all that much, but he does still peer carefully each direction to see what might be there. ]
Nothing.
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Date: 2021-10-24 10:30 pm (UTC)anyway. ]
Are you sure?
[ oh good now she's stage-whispering. she presses the flat of her hand against his spine, right on his lower back, coaxing him out. clearly they have to investigate further. ]
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Date: 2021-10-24 10:39 pm (UTC)There's nothing there, Katie.
[ Still, he lets her push him into the hallway, his steps soundless against the thick carpet underfoot, and he holds out his hand to her again so they can go look down the corridor even more if that's what she wants.
Everything is where it should be, where it was the last time he was home. He's not worried. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 10:51 pm (UTC)I guess you're right...
[ what's this, is she actually admitting— ]
Whatever it was is probably long gone.
[ —ah.
she gives his hand a squeeze, turning to walk them back to the room. ]
Sorry I interrupted your beauty sleep.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 11:02 pm (UTC)Maybe she's right. Maybe there was some noise or other that spooked her, or maybe it's just the stress of the situation coupled with trying to sleep in an unfamiliar location that's making her hyper-aware of her surroundings. If something breaks into their room to try and kill them in their sleep, she can say I told you so to him, but until then, he's going to turn and gently herd her back towards their bedroom. ]
Let's just go back to bed, hm? I'll give you a proper tour of the estate in the morning.
[ So she won't worry so much about things that go bump in the night. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-24 11:51 pm (UTC)You're just trying to avoid letting me drive your fancy car.
[ as her mind quickly switches up from being too wired to suddenly reminded of its grogginess. she yawns loudly, rubbing at her eyes. she lets benedict pull her back along, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. she doesn't even open her eyes again until they're back in their room and she's climbing back into the plush bed.
once her head hits the pillow again her body feels like lead, definitely ready for sleep again. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 12:12 am (UTC)Watching her clamber back into the bed they're sharing is weirdly more intimate than it was earlier in the night, perhaps because she's so obviously tired and so is he.
He shuts the door behind them carefully, making sure the latch takes, and then climbs into bed after her, only barely resisting the urge to tuck her in like he's putting her to bed and not just going back to sleep himself. ]
'Night, then.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 12:16 am (UTC)'Night...
[ she doesn't realize in her rolling over, she'd crossed that invisible line that splits the bed up evenly between them. it'd be a shame, though, to wake her now, wouldn't it? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 12:30 am (UTC)Especially not when she starts to roll herself closer, inching across the bed towards him like she's searching for the warm spot. Scooting back out of her way would be weirder than staying put, wouldn't it? Probably.
Resolutely closing his eyes, he decides not to think about it. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 12:45 am (UTC)unfortunately, she doesn't remain still for long. sometime in the night, that desire for seeking out the source of that warmth takes over, inching and inching until she has become that little limpet again, this time against his side. after that, it's just all too easy for her arm and leg to wrap themselves around him, fitting her body snug. there she remains even well after dawn breaks, when sunlight filters in but still finds her fast asleep. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 01:13 am (UTC)Kate's hair is caught in his mouth.
Trying to untangle the dark strands from his teeth is an experience he never thought he'd have, but thankfully it's not exactly a difficult task. He just hopes he didn't leave it too damp, otherwise he'll have to explain just what the hell happened.
Although, looking down at her head pillowed on his chest, he wonders if maybe he should make her be the one to explain, because he's not entirely sure how they wound up here. Like this. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 01:12 pm (UTC)she stirs finally, but only to burrow her face deeper into his chest, to curl even closer around his side. at this point, will even a fallen meteor wake her? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 01:23 pm (UTC)He's not sure if he should try to wake her, or just let her be.
His bladder makes the decision for him, in the end. Loath as he is to disturb her, some things simply must be attended to, and so after a few minutes of bemusedly staring at the rumpled mess of her hair spread across his chest, he starts to carefully extricate himself so he can steal away to the bathroom and take care of important business.
By that point, he's fully awake so there's no point in trying to go back to bed. So, after washing his hands and brushing his teeth and giving himself a very confused look in the mirror, Benedict creeps back out into the room and out onto the balcony, trying his best to avoid letting too much light splash across the bed, so that he can start on the stretching routine that was engrained into him during his time at the Temple. ]
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