[ 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. ]
[ kate can, apparently, sleep like the dead when she allows herself too. benedict is able to remove himself and go about his morning business with hardly a peep from his bedmate, who doesn't even stir until he gets well and full settled into his exercises.
even then her movements are slow, sluggish. like she's forcing herself to do it instead of any actual desire to, feet dragging as she blinks past a curtain of hair to watch his muscles move and stretch in the morning sun.
idly, she licks her lips.
it's only when he notices her back that she greets him. and by "greet him" i mean she croaks out a single word: ]
[ Starting his morning with the slow, measured forms he'd been taught at the Temple is a form of meditation for Benedict, one of the ways he manages to stay calm and grounded even when the world around him is proving to be...difficult. Not that he really cares all that much about what his reputation says, but many people who know him would consider Benedict laid-back and affable, but that doesn't mean he doesn't get stressed and upset the same as anyone else.
Focusing on his breathing and the slow, methodical stretching Brother Vincent had drilled into him helps him get out of his head.
It certainly helps him not think about how nice it felt to wake up to Kate warm and trusting against his side, or how easy it would have been to wrap his arm around her and curl up around her in turn, to tuck his head down against hers and go back to sleep.
Straightening when she makes her one-word request, he can't quite stop himself from huffing a charmed little laugh at her as he steps back into the room. ]
Would you prefer it be brought to the room? [ He's pretty sure that answer is yet. ] You don't quite look ready to brave the outside world just yet.
[ stepping back into the room means stepping back into kate's space. she'd been close enough to the balcony that benedict could walk right into her if he wished. having him this close, sleepy as she still is, kate seems to sway in her spot and nearly tip on over into him. like she'd been pulled into his orbit somehow. fortunately (?) she remains where she is, swaying back upright and lifting a hand to try and rub the sleep out of her eyes. ]
Please.
[ her voice isn't quite nearly so rough now, but it's clear she is only half-alive at this point. ]
[ She sways towards him, her eyes almost closed, and Benedict can't help the way his hands lift to cup her elbows like he's steadying her as she gets herself back upright. He's seen her in the mornings before, but never the moment right after she wakes, and this is a most illuminating experience for him.
It's terribly endearing. ]
Alright, give me a few minutes, I'll go fetch you some.
[ He could probably call to have some member of staff deliver it to their rooms like they're in a hotel or something, but Benedict knows where the kitchens are, and he also knows that all the staff currently on duty are probably busy doing other things and don't need to be called away to get him something he can just as easily get himself. ]
[ a bobbing nod is all benedict gets in response before kate pivots and tumbles back into bed. by the time he returns she will have found her way back under the covers, nothing more than a lump of comforter with only the steady rise and fall of her breathing. she hasn’t fallen back into too deep a sleep though, rousing as soon as she hears benedict walk back into the room.
she peeks her head out from under the covers, blinking blearily at him before her eyes fall down to the things he’s brought along with him. like some kind of bloodhound, her head tips towards him, the smell of coffee wafting into the room. ]
I wasn’t sleeping, [ she announces unconvincingly. slowly she crawls back out from under the comforter, patting her hair back down from the unruly mess its become. she crawls towards the edge of the bed, tucking her legs beneath her. ]
[ It doesn't take him too long to head down to the kitchens, to spend a few minutes talking with the staff and allowing himself to catch up with them while the coffee brews, and soon enough he's retracing his steps back to the blue bedroom with a tray in hand, a small carafe of coffee and a little pitcher of milk joined by the sugar bowl and a plate with some cut-up fruit balanced between two cups just in case she's feeling a tad peckish as well as desperately in need for caffeine.
Benedict may or may not have snagged a sausage roll while he was in the kitchens. Nobody'll be any the wiser, he was careful to wipe away all crumbs of evidence.
Kate is a bleary lump in the bed when he returns, a sight that has him chuckling quietly as he circles the bed and sets the tray down on the bedside table. ]
Of course you weren't, [ he agrees affably, nudging her over for a moment so he can fish through the pillows to locate her hair-tie that worked its way out of her hair in the night. ] Here you go.
[ it takes kate a moment to process that the scrunchie in benedict's hand is, indeed, her scrunchie. that he had somehow remembered she'd had one, when kate herself had been more than content to carry on like the thing never existed. it shouldn't surprise her — he's always been so good at paying attention to details — but for some reason it's sticking with her now.
she must be more in need of caffeine than she thought. ]
Thanks.
[ for the scrunchie, the coffee. the former is set back in her hair, pulling the thick strands out of her face, and the latter she quickly gets to work on downing. she squints around the room, looking for a clock. ]
It's not too late is it? I hope I didn't sleep in...
[ Benedict, occupying himself by peeling a satsuma, just shakes his head when she indirectly asks him for the time. ]
It's only just gone eight. And we're recovering from a transatlantic flight, I wouldn't worry about being tardy today of all days.
[ Setting the little segments of orange back on the tray within her reach, he then sets himself to making himself a cup of coffee. Most days he prefers tea, but first thing in the morning seems a decent enough time for coffee, and he knows the quality of the brew that his aunt keeps stocked in the kitchens is worth straying a little bit outside of his comfort zone. ]
[ kate helps herself to a few pieces of the fruit, but doesn't take more than half so he still has plenty for himself. it's an odd combination, citrus and coffee, but she guzzles them both down like her life very well depends on it. ]
Less worried about being tardy and more worried about making sure we still have time to do something fun before we have to stuff ourselves in our evening wear.
[ she glances past benedict to the closet where she knows the staff have hung the dress she'd brought along for the event. she has no real qualms about it, having chosen it herself, but it hits a little too close to memories of all the formal events she'd been made to attend when she was younger. and had a better relationship with her family.
ah well. recharged now, she starts to look a little bit more alive. ]
I'll be ready to go after I freshen up a bit. We're still driving around, right?
We'll have nearly twelve full hours before the party, I think we'll be able to fit in some sight-seeing.
[ If he had come on his own, Benedict would probably have spent today hiding in the library, or perhaps wandering the hedge maze (like he doesn't have its layout memorized after all these years). He might have convinced himself to visit the Temple at some point, but it's a bit of a drive to get there, and he would have been just as likely to come up with reasons why he couldn't.
Brother Vincent was good to him, and his memories of his time there are mostly rosy, but there's still that niggling sense of shame that comes over him whenever he confronts his failures. It would be one more stressor added onto an already stressful day.
Less stressful now that he's not alone to face it, though. ]
Yes, we'll take a car. I'll even let you drive it at some point. [ Probably. ]
Uh huh, [ comes kate's dry response, because as far as she's concerned her driving is already a given and he's just kidding himself if he thinks he has any say in it.
she finishes up her cup of coffee before slipping off the bed and ducking into the bathroom. by the time she's finished up, dressed and ready, she looks far more presentable than the rumpled mess he'd woken up to. after one last look over herself in the large vanity mirror, she turns back to benedict and holds out her hand, grinning. ]
[ The rumpled mess he woke up to is charming in and of itself, but Benedict will admit that Kate cleans herself up very nicely when the spirit moves her. She'll still very uniquely American in her style, but he can't tell if that's a purposeful affectation for this trip or if she doesn't realize she's doing it.
No matter.
After his own trip through the bathroom to trim his beard and make sure he also looks presentable, he waits for her to finish her last touches to her outfit before taking her hand when she offers it to him. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
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. ]
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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.
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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. ]
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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. ]
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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? ]
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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. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-25 09:36 pm (UTC)even then her movements are slow, sluggish. like she's forcing herself to do it instead of any actual desire to, feet dragging as she blinks past a curtain of hair to watch his muscles move and stretch in the morning sun.
idly, she licks her lips.
it's only when he notices her back that she greets him. and by "greet him" i mean she croaks out a single word: ]
Coffee.
[ kate is also not a morning person. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-26 02:02 am (UTC)Focusing on his breathing and the slow, methodical stretching Brother Vincent had drilled into him helps him get out of his head.
It certainly helps him not think about how nice it felt to wake up to Kate warm and trusting against his side, or how easy it would have been to wrap his arm around her and curl up around her in turn, to tuck his head down against hers and go back to sleep.
Straightening when she makes her one-word request, he can't quite stop himself from huffing a charmed little laugh at her as he steps back into the room. ]
Would you prefer it be brought to the room? [ He's pretty sure that answer is yet. ] You don't quite look ready to brave the outside world just yet.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-26 11:55 am (UTC)Please.
[ her voice isn't quite nearly so rough now, but it's clear she is only half-alive at this point. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-27 01:52 am (UTC)It's terribly endearing. ]
Alright, give me a few minutes, I'll go fetch you some.
[ He could probably call to have some member of staff deliver it to their rooms like they're in a hotel or something, but Benedict knows where the kitchens are, and he also knows that all the staff currently on duty are probably busy doing other things and don't need to be called away to get him something he can just as easily get himself. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-27 10:21 pm (UTC)she peeks her head out from under the covers, blinking blearily at him before her eyes fall down to the things he’s brought along with him. like some kind of bloodhound, her head tips towards him, the smell of coffee wafting into the room. ]
I wasn’t sleeping, [ she announces unconvincingly. slowly she crawls back out from under the comforter, patting her hair back down from the unruly mess its become. she crawls towards the edge of the bed, tucking her legs beneath her. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-28 12:48 am (UTC)Benedict may or may not have snagged a sausage roll while he was in the kitchens. Nobody'll be any the wiser, he was careful to wipe away all crumbs of evidence.
Kate is a bleary lump in the bed when he returns, a sight that has him chuckling quietly as he circles the bed and sets the tray down on the bedside table. ]
Of course you weren't, [ he agrees affably, nudging her over for a moment so he can fish through the pillows to locate her hair-tie that worked its way out of her hair in the night. ] Here you go.
no subject
Date: 2021-10-28 09:30 pm (UTC)she must be more in need of caffeine than she thought. ]
Thanks.
[ for the scrunchie, the coffee. the former is set back in her hair, pulling the thick strands out of her face, and the latter she quickly gets to work on downing. she squints around the room, looking for a clock. ]
It's not too late is it? I hope I didn't sleep in...
no subject
Date: 2021-10-28 09:39 pm (UTC)It's only just gone eight. And we're recovering from a transatlantic flight, I wouldn't worry about being tardy today of all days.
[ Setting the little segments of orange back on the tray within her reach, he then sets himself to making himself a cup of coffee. Most days he prefers tea, but first thing in the morning seems a decent enough time for coffee, and he knows the quality of the brew that his aunt keeps stocked in the kitchens is worth straying a little bit outside of his comfort zone. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 12:09 am (UTC)Less worried about being tardy and more worried about making sure we still have time to do something fun before we have to stuff ourselves in our evening wear.
[ she glances past benedict to the closet where she knows the staff have hung the dress she'd brought along for the event. she has no real qualms about it, having chosen it herself, but it hits a little too close to memories of all the formal events she'd been made to attend when she was younger. and had a better relationship with her family.
ah well. recharged now, she starts to look a little bit more alive. ]
I'll be ready to go after I freshen up a bit. We're still driving around, right?
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 02:20 am (UTC)[ If he had come on his own, Benedict would probably have spent today hiding in the library, or perhaps wandering the hedge maze (like he doesn't have its layout memorized after all these years). He might have convinced himself to visit the Temple at some point, but it's a bit of a drive to get there, and he would have been just as likely to come up with reasons why he couldn't.
Brother Vincent was good to him, and his memories of his time there are mostly rosy, but there's still that niggling sense of shame that comes over him whenever he confronts his failures. It would be one more stressor added onto an already stressful day.
Less stressful now that he's not alone to face it, though. ]
Yes, we'll take a car. I'll even let you drive it at some point. [ Probably. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-10-29 09:35 am (UTC)she finishes up her cup of coffee before slipping off the bed and ducking into the bathroom. by the time she's finished up, dressed and ready, she looks far more presentable than the rumpled mess he'd woken up to. after one last look over herself in the large vanity mirror, she turns back to benedict and holds out her hand, grinning. ]
Alright, showtime. Ready, dear?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-06 01:40 pm (UTC)No matter.
After his own trip through the bathroom to trim his beard and make sure he also looks presentable, he waits for her to finish her last touches to her outfit before taking her hand when she offers it to him. ]
After you, sweetheart.
[ Two can play at this game, Katie. ]
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