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"I'm a little embarrassed…"
Adol had said that, but Karja knew her brother damn well enough by now to know: there wasn't a drop of blood in his body that hadn't eaten up Dogi's affectionate words and begged for more. In that moment between the two, for just a second, Karja might as well have not ever existed. All that had seemed to matter at the time was Adol, Dogi, and the promise of adventure as infinite and expansive as the sky and sea.
Karja lies atop her bed whilst Adol changes his clothes behind the folding screen, going over her plans for the next few days in her head. The Sea King's Throne awaits them still, after all, and after today, honestly, Karja may have to put in some extra legwork to make certain Adol doesn't wish for a wedding ring instead of a broken curse.
"I'm coming back," Adol calls out.
Karja rolls her eyes. "Don't get lost."
Adol bumbles happily around the screen, folding it back flat against the wall as he does so. On his walk to bed, he trips over himself as he finds sudden inner-conflict over his next course of action.
He looks to Karja. "Should I put out the lamp?"
Karja shrugs, not bothering to meet his eye. "Go for it," she says, shifting backwards in bed in order to pull her blankets up over herself properly. "Is it getting colder recently, or is that just me?"
"I haven't noticed anything." Adol reaches along the wall to dim the fire-lit ceiling lights. "I was thinking it was feeling a bit warm, honestly…"
"Uh-huh," Karja snaps upright. "And I'm sure that has nothing to do with the blush that hasn't left your face since this afternoon."
"Um-" Adol quickly looks away, tugging the hood of his jacket up over his head. "I don't know what youre talking about."
"Ugh, whatever." Karja flops back onto her pillow, full-dramatics. "You make my head hurt."
Adol had somehow popped up at Karja's bedside in the time she'd taken to look away. "Is it still bothering you? I'm sorry."
But seeing his expression muddled so quickly, his face suddenly telling of all the concern he'd ever felt for her, Karja quickly makes a show of dissuading Adol's worries.
"You mean Rolo? No, no." Karja waves her hand as if to disregard the thought itself. "I was joking. I feel fine right now, really."
Relief shows itself lightly in Adol's demeanor, even if his smile is crooked and his eyebrows still crease as if his disbelief causes him pain.
"You should go to sleep soon," Adol urges her, climbing into bed himself. "I'll be right here."
"You're not going to bed?"
"Uh… not yet. I still need to write in my journal, so…"
Karja eyes Adol's journal, sitting flat on the table in front of the couch.
"Uh-huh."
Karja hears Adol shift in his bed. "What?"
"Nothing." Karja flips on her side to face the wall, her back towards Adol. Good night."
"Good night," Adol bids her, and the room is silent.
A little unsurprisingly, sleep does not come easy to Karja, although… tonight, it is not the usual anxieties and night terrors that keep her awake. No, tonight, Karja has something to prove to herself.
She has to prove that she's right. After today, she will know for a fact that all of the signs between Adol and Dogi were real. The too-long glances towards each other, the high-fives that lingered just a little too long to be considered a quick touch… (hell, on that note, Karja could have sworn she'd seen their fingers intertwine once or twice.) Karja had been present for each of their conversations during their time together, and each time she could feel the tension that her very presence created.
Tonight, she's going to find out for sure… and it all starts with a knock on her and Adol's door.
Adol's voice calls out, soft and kind: "Come in…"
The door creaks only slightly as their visitor opens it carefully. Karja makes an effort not to move in a way that draws attention to herself… outside of her usual nightly movements, that is.
She hears a voice she's been around to hear all too many times to not recognize.
"Is she asleep?" Dogi rasps, and Karja feels a bit of the awkward tension ease from he and Adol both as Adol answers, whispering:
"She kicked her pillow onto the floor ten minutes ago. She's asleep… I hope."
Dogi snickers as he takes a seat on Adol's bed, but from the sound of his feet on the floor, Karja assumes he sits on the edge. Adol shuffles around, and Karja hears him swing his legs over the side of his bed to match Dogi.
Dogi asks Adol: "What's the matter? You look worried."
When silence ensues, Karja decides she can't take it anymore. She makes a sloppy effort to flip herself over, tugging her covers up until they're just underneath her eyes.
Thankfully, Adol and Dogi are sitting and facing the doorway, instead of Karja's bed. The two are sitting close enough for Dogi's frame to half-conceal Adol's from Karja's view.
Dogi pries, "Hey, come on…"
Karja sees Adol shake his head. "It's just…"
Karja's stomach drops as Adol quickly glances in her direction, but it doesn't stick around nearly long enough for him to have seen her face properly.
Adol cannot find his words, so Dogi speaks again: "She's feelin' pretty bad?"
Karja sees Adol nod. She is unsure of how to feel, as the topic of conversation.
She sees Dogi's hand run along Adol's back, soothing him. "You're doing all you can. Just gotta keep moving, right?"
"Mhm," Adol hums. He sighs, letting his anxieties fall away at Dogi's touch. "How is everything on the ship?"
"Oh, just fine," Dogi answers quickly. "Everyone that isn't on duty right now is in bed. Nights are getting colder, so not many people wanna stay up walking around the ship after the sun goes down."
"Hm…" Adol seems to consider something for a moment. "If we could walk around together like this all the time, neither one of us would be cold at night."
"You think so?" Dogi chuckles, covering his mouth to muffle the noise. "I couldn't drag our poor captain along with us out into the cold, though."
"Oh, yeah…"
"What," Dogi asks, "did you forget?"
"...Maybe…"
"Well," Dogi moves his arm from Adol's back to wrap it around his body, tugging him closer, gently. "We'll just have to settle for this right now, huh, Adol?"
Adol hums, "Mhm," relaxing into Dogi's broad frame. His head lies between Dogi's neck and shoulder, his body fully supported against his partner. "It's nice."
"Good," Dogi's smile conveys itself in his tone. "I'm glad."
After a moment of enjoying each other's presence, Adol speaks up, a rare timidity softening his words so harshly that Dogi positions his head to hear him better.
"Can we stay like this for a while?"
"Of course. Relax, I've got you."
In the silence that follows, Karja stifles a yawn as her mind drifts to Adol and Dogi's conversation from before:
"I will follow you wherever you go," huh…
Karja certainly doesn't disapprove of Dogi… he's a formidable ally, and a dependable one at that, but she had never thought of him as any more than just that: somebody willing to fight under her command. She had never needed to consider more, but now…
She had no idea how well Dogi would be able to care for Adol, both in his physical health and emotional well-being. She has no doubts towards Dogi's character, but… he can be a little rough around the edges, maybe, emotionally.
But, looking at them now… to put it simply, Karja is satisfied with her findings.
Adol deserves someone who will follow him. He deserves comfort, and something stable in his travels… something he doesn't have to be so afraid of losing.
Karja can only hope the gods wouldn't be so cruel as to steal Adol away from Dogi again.
As her satisfaction grows, Karja lets her guard down, not realizing she'd been drifting off until Dogi's quiet voice gives her a jolt awake.
"Hey, Adol…"
Karja blearily opens her eyes, blinking, to watch as Dogi idly smooths some of Adol's hair down while he awaits an answer.
He calls again, jostling Adol by the shoulder just the slightest bit. "Adol…?"
Karja watches as Dogi makes a decision, moving to gently lay a limp Adol down onto the bed; starting by lowering his head and his body, then standing to tug Adol's covers away before he picks up and moves his legs back onto the bedtop. Adol stirs just slightly as Dogi begins to tug the covers back up, smoothing them over Adol's delicate form with gentle hands.
"Mm," Adol groans softly. "Dogi…"
"Shh. What is it, Adol?"
Adol's eyes open halfway, his hands reaching out clumsily to find Dogi's face and tug him down, carefully.
Adol places a sleepy kiss onto Dogi's cheek, giggling all the while. Dogi continues to ask that he be quiet, holding onto Adol's hands from where he stands beside Adol's bed.
Dogi gently runs his thumbs across the backs of Adol's hands, quietly lulling him back to sleep before placing a final, delicate kiss onto Adol's forehead.
"Sleep well, partner," Dogi bids, his lament over having to release Adol for the night evident in his voice. "If I could follow you into your dreams, I would."
The door opens again, and it closes again. Adol does not stir, his body falling completely still in the way that still freaks Karja out night after night… but, he rests peacefully. That's all that matters to her.
Tonight, Adol's expression is content; peaceful. Watching him rest, Karja herself drifts off, slowly.