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All Ben wanted to do as he limped into the house was sleep.
Limping up to his apartment door, wincing at the pull of sore muscles and stitched wounds, Ben took a slow breath. Fumbled with his key. The landlady’s going to think I’m drunk or something, he thought miserably, looking at the scratches now painting the brass of the lock. If she didn’t think so already. Sighing through his nose, he finally managed to get the door open. Shouldered it past the little bump in his front carpet that it always caught on. Really need to move that rug.
His stomach growled, but he really didn’t have the energy to make his own food. Probably would just have to order in as per usual. Not like he didn’t burn plenty of calories (probably far too many) fighting and changing form all the time. He joked that it was his metabolism at family reunions, cracked about working out and just growing, but honestly? Sometimes being a one-man alien force sucked. Case in point as he shucked off his jacket and beanie, shoving his keys and random candy wrappers and his Plumber badge in the hat before dropping them down on the table right beside his couch.
When he rounded the couch, he was literally about to plop down. Just flop over to let his wounded, sore, battered self knock out for a good twelve hours before waking up, grabbing a shower and brushing his teeth and doing basic hygiene before dragging himself to Mr. Smoothie and getting a to-go bag and doing the same thing all over again.
Of course, when he found Kai nestled on the couch, he paused.
She was definitely asleep. Eyes closed, hair down and falling around her shoulders with its usual tie looped loosely around a small braid in one section that was probably Rook’s doing, she had her head pillowed on her arms as she leaned against the couch arm. Her legs were tucked up on the couch beside her, like she was trying to sleep in a way that left her able to get up while still being comfortable. Now, she didn’t look entirely dignified—actually, Ben was pretty sure she might be drooling on a throw pillow that probably should have been trashed a while back but he didn’t have the executive function to do so. She had changed into the clothes she had left at his apartment the last time she had to patch him up, citing that she might as well.
Or, really, she was wearing the lower half, the black sweatpants with the fuzzy insides and the weird ankle bands that meant she could slip some fluffy socks on and keep them from sliding down accordingly. As for her top, that was definitely the sweater Ben had been wearing a day or two ago.
Looking at her, Ben leaned to the side slightly. Excalibur was leaning on the couch arm, easily within arm’s reach. Sighing softly, he looked at her. At least that sweater doesn’t have blood on it. It was one of his preferred sweaters, he wore it rarely but only on really bad days. The fabric was fluffy on the inside, his usual sort of jewel-toned green. She looked good in it.
Kicking off his shoes, Ben turned and walked over to the recliner chair he had found at a thrift store for about five bucks. After a relentless week of cleaning and pinched fingers, he had gotten it looking better and working better. There was a blanket thrown over the back, one he had gotten from some nice ladies the last time he was helping with an alien case in the Navajo reservation by Gallup, New Mexico.
Picking it up, he walked back over to Kai. Gently laid the blanket over her, holding his breath when she stirred slightly. She went back to sleep within a moment, and he gently slipped the blanket edge behind her. Then, he turned to Excalibur.
Yes, he would freely admit that he had a bit of a struggle moving Excalibur just enough that Kai wouldn’t accidentally hurt herself if she woke up suddenly.
The sword just hated him. There were at least three separate occasions where the thing had hurt him. The first time he had stepped on it and needed stitches across the bottom of his foot. Another time, he had thankfully been in Diamondhead form because he swore Excalibur had tried to impale him through the chest. Kai was clearly horrified and it was completely accidental, he was fine except for a couple broken ribs (but he’d had plenty of those, anyways, it wasn’t the worst injury in the world and he was fine going back to work the next day Rook) . The third and latest time, he landed on the sword while it was lying flat on the ground. It was lying flat . Flatter than some idiot insulting a girl’s cup size and then getting shoved into the road and getting run over by a truck. Despite that, Excalibur still managed to cut him. He had that scar amongst the many others.
Actually, that event was when Kai started leaving that outfit at her place. Well, technically, it was a set of outfits. Something formal, something casual (well, her casual, which was utilitarian black cargo pants, an armored shirt in her signature dark reddish crimson she looked so good in, and black combat boots), and the sleep outfit she was currently wearing part of. Right before she starting leaving the outfit, right after he’d been slashed, Ben had managed to get himself home and collapsed on his old couch, then passed out from blood loss. He woke up to Kevin holding him down by the shoulders and Gwen holding his hand as Kai desperately tried to stop the bleeding from the slash, which stretched from his right shoulder down to his left hip in a jagged line that was horrible to deal with stitching up.
Still, he moved Excalibur and then delicately settled himself down on the couch. Both because of his injuries and because of Kai. Pulling his knees to his chest, ignoring the strain as his newly-relocated hip protested the movement, Ben braced his chin on his palm and leaned into the other side of the couch. Closed his eyes and inhaled slowly.
He would only be out for a minute.
+
When he stirred, there were soft blankets and a mattress under him, he was lying on his back, and there was someone lying on him.
Tipping his head to the side, Ben glanced at the surrounding area. He was in his room, in his apartment. The streetlight outside beamed down in between the gaps in his curtains, which meant it was way after sunset and the stars were probably out. Glancing down, he found Kai sprawled on top of him.
The door was cracked open. There were bandages under his clothes. He could feel them when he breathed, rubbing ever so slightly against his clothes and skin. His hair was still damp, which was probably from washing blood out of it and maybe some dirt as well. Looking at where pale gold light streamed in from the kitchen, Ben narrowed his eyes. Wrinkled his nose slightly.
He caught a glimpse of Rook pacing by. “Yes, Mrs. Tennyson. He is alright. I found him where you thought he would be…” He paced away, just out of earshot. Turning, Ben looked down at Kai. Yeah, she was definitely drooling on his chest, probably because of the way her jaw was pressed open by her face resting against his sternum. Huffing weakly, Ben wrapped an arm over her back, let his head lay back.
He would make fun of her for being a couch surfer in the morning.