All Hail the Shifter King
Title: Lords of Kensington, Part 9.5
Word Count: 746
Notes: A little aside piece between Parts 9 and 10 with some slice of life fluff, written entirely for Jennie and Asha. <3
Her mother had been kind enough to pick up some groceries - including a huge bag of dog kibble, which Thaddeus and Crispin actually had the nerve to seem reluctant to eat until Katrina told them it was all they were getting right now - and while it wasn't anything spectacular it was enough for her to make a pair of salads. She sat at the breakfast bar and munched on hers as she waited for Ryder to get out of the shower, leafing through the pages of one of the journals she subscribed to, checking for familiar names on the bylines. She was just getting into a particularly interesting article about corn genetics when Ryder dropped onto the stool across the bar from her.
"You seem very engrossed," he mentioned - she could just see him smiling at her in her peripheral vision.
"Had to do something to pass the time," she said, her attention still on the article as she picked up the untouched bowl of salad beside her and dropped it in front of him. "Eat," she ordered.
"The hell is this white stuff?"
"Goat cheese."
"That's... interesting."
"I can't even remember the last time you ingested something that wasn't coffee," she said, and dropped a fork into the bowl. "So eat it."
She finished the article while he ate and glanced up at him, watching how he paged through another of her journals, his hair drying in loose waves over his forehead. He was shirtless, as usual, and his shoulder no longer looked as dreadful as it had when she last saw it on the side of the highway. Not clean by any means - his skin was black and deep violet with bruising and the two punctures were deep, ugly craters - but not bleeding, at least. She reached across the counter and ran her fingers across the edge of the bruising, making him flinch.
"That looks painful," she said quietly.
"It's not that bad."
"I didn't think being away would affect your healing that badly."
"Mmm." He turned a page in the journal, tapping his fork thoughtfully against the rim of the bowl. "Didn't think that through, I guess."
"It'll be okay, though, right?"
"Eventually." She watched him until he finally looked up, sensing her gaze. "What?" he asked.
"Don't you think it's a little crazy to go hunting this Kaius fellow if you're..." Fractured, her mind suggested, dredging up the word Anya had used in the diner. "Not one hundred percent?" she finished.
"Ouch," he said, smirking.
"You know what I mean."
"I'm not comfortable with sitting back and waiting for him to find us." He dropped his fork into the empty bowl and flipped the magazine closed. "But I'll have to see what..." He trailed off and stared hard at her, narrowing his eyes. "Have you been crying?" he asked suddenly.
"No," she replied quickly, her face heating.
"Kat..."
"I'm just tired," she said, and took their bowls to the dishwasher, turning her back on him. "I called my parents, told them we'd be over tomorrow for brunch. I figured it would be nice to call it a night early."
"Early as in now?" he quipped, yawning for emphasis.
"You go ahead." She walked around the breakfast bar and scruffed his hair as she passed him. "I need a shower."
She was so exhausted that she rushed through her shower as quickly as possible, pausing only to enjoy the familiar scent of her body wash and the comfort of her huge, squishy towels. After refilling the food bowl for the keesin, she unfolded the futon in her office and piled some spare blankets on it for them, and managed to drag them from their food long enough to show it to them and remind them they were expected to sleep there, and not on the bed with her.
To her shock, Ryder was asleep when she walked into the bedroom, and it struck her as she laid down beside him just how small her queen bed was with another person in it. Turning onto her side and snuggling into her thick blanket, she curled her arm under her head and watched him sleep, the slow rise and fall of his chest and the faint patterns of scars across his tanned skin. Reaching out, she gently pushed his bangs away from his face and trailed her fingertips across his cheek.
"Please don't do anything stupid," she whispered. "I could get used to this."
Word Count: 746
Notes: A little aside piece between Parts 9 and 10 with some slice of life fluff, written entirely for Jennie and Asha. <3
Her mother had been kind enough to pick up some groceries - including a huge bag of dog kibble, which Thaddeus and Crispin actually had the nerve to seem reluctant to eat until Katrina told them it was all they were getting right now - and while it wasn't anything spectacular it was enough for her to make a pair of salads. She sat at the breakfast bar and munched on hers as she waited for Ryder to get out of the shower, leafing through the pages of one of the journals she subscribed to, checking for familiar names on the bylines. She was just getting into a particularly interesting article about corn genetics when Ryder dropped onto the stool across the bar from her.
"You seem very engrossed," he mentioned - she could just see him smiling at her in her peripheral vision.
"Had to do something to pass the time," she said, her attention still on the article as she picked up the untouched bowl of salad beside her and dropped it in front of him. "Eat," she ordered.
"The hell is this white stuff?"
"Goat cheese."
"That's... interesting."
"I can't even remember the last time you ingested something that wasn't coffee," she said, and dropped a fork into the bowl. "So eat it."
She finished the article while he ate and glanced up at him, watching how he paged through another of her journals, his hair drying in loose waves over his forehead. He was shirtless, as usual, and his shoulder no longer looked as dreadful as it had when she last saw it on the side of the highway. Not clean by any means - his skin was black and deep violet with bruising and the two punctures were deep, ugly craters - but not bleeding, at least. She reached across the counter and ran her fingers across the edge of the bruising, making him flinch.
"That looks painful," she said quietly.
"It's not that bad."
"I didn't think being away would affect your healing that badly."
"Mmm." He turned a page in the journal, tapping his fork thoughtfully against the rim of the bowl. "Didn't think that through, I guess."
"It'll be okay, though, right?"
"Eventually." She watched him until he finally looked up, sensing her gaze. "What?" he asked.
"Don't you think it's a little crazy to go hunting this Kaius fellow if you're..." Fractured, her mind suggested, dredging up the word Anya had used in the diner. "Not one hundred percent?" she finished.
"Ouch," he said, smirking.
"You know what I mean."
"I'm not comfortable with sitting back and waiting for him to find us." He dropped his fork into the empty bowl and flipped the magazine closed. "But I'll have to see what..." He trailed off and stared hard at her, narrowing his eyes. "Have you been crying?" he asked suddenly.
"No," she replied quickly, her face heating.
"Kat..."
"I'm just tired," she said, and took their bowls to the dishwasher, turning her back on him. "I called my parents, told them we'd be over tomorrow for brunch. I figured it would be nice to call it a night early."
"Early as in now?" he quipped, yawning for emphasis.
"You go ahead." She walked around the breakfast bar and scruffed his hair as she passed him. "I need a shower."
She was so exhausted that she rushed through her shower as quickly as possible, pausing only to enjoy the familiar scent of her body wash and the comfort of her huge, squishy towels. After refilling the food bowl for the keesin, she unfolded the futon in her office and piled some spare blankets on it for them, and managed to drag them from their food long enough to show it to them and remind them they were expected to sleep there, and not on the bed with her.
To her shock, Ryder was asleep when she walked into the bedroom, and it struck her as she laid down beside him just how small her queen bed was with another person in it. Turning onto her side and snuggling into her thick blanket, she curled her arm under her head and watched him sleep, the slow rise and fall of his chest and the faint patterns of scars across his tanned skin. Reaching out, she gently pushed his bangs away from his face and trailed her fingertips across his cheek.
"Please don't do anything stupid," she whispered. "I could get used to this."