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you kind of want to break the medical robot in half.
not in a mean way, mind you. if it even has a middle. it's just malfunctioning in every which way you can think of but, ah, it's technically one that eva bought for you, so you won't hurt it one bit. every piece of it came from eva's pockets (that got stuffed to infinity by politicians...) so it's safe from your wrath.
you're just feeling very annoyed.
you sigh. kick the table to push your chair backwards and stand up. you can deal with that frustration tomorrow. and the day after. and the one after that one, too. and so on. you realise it's technically already tomorrow when you read the clock, but that part's not important.
you take a moment to stretch both of your arms, breathing deeply. the long moment calms your nerves. would the bar still be open past midnight? it's on the way to your room, so you should check, at the very least. you turn, and—
aw, there's eva, you smile. she's sitting on a chair with her eyes closed, and a book open on her lap. you quietly walk up to her. there's no scoffs or frowns, so you know she's asleep. how cute. you notice your usual guard is gone, too.
she's leaning her head on the windowsill, hair covering half of her face. her bag is laying next to the chair. it, and all of the pockets, are zipped closed. you take the chance to admire eva. she's always so guarded around you, but now, she couldn't be more vulnerable. more perfect.
you slide the book out of her hands slowly. it's an overview of various wars, you notice. reading the summary on the back, it seems like they're all connected through the famines that were the results of and caused them.
hm, okay. that makes sense to read, considering what's going to happen in ten or so years. you sit down next to her bag and open it up, setting the book down. you're not a thief by any means, but you'd just like to see if eva's changed a lot in the years you spent apart. you sift through the bag carefully, noting the new medications and wallet, and a newer version of her usual phone. nothing else sticks out to you, right now.
you open up a small space and slide the book in. it sits between her tablet and charger nicely. when you push on her tablet a bit to check that it's not squishing the book, you notice a small pocket that she'd left open. you look up, and yes, she's still fast asleep.
you find a familiar handkerchief inside.
you think for only about two seconds before dropping it be into a pocket of your own. you look at the clock again and remind yourself that this has been enough of snooping through her things.
it takes just a bit of energy that you're not sure you have, but you close the bag and stand upright. your eyes land on eva again. she just looks so... peaceful. so at ease, and unburdened by the weight of the world on only her shoulders. you wish she looked like that more often.
her bag doesn't weigh much, thankfully. you sling it over your shoulder, and slide an arm underneath eva's legs and behind her back. you lift her up with a light grunt, trying your best not to make any sudden movements, slowly shifting her body around. her head is laying on your shoulder now.
you go at a steady pace and head towards her room. somewhere along the way, she makes a soft noise, and you feel the lightest curl of her fingers around your clothing. she doesn't say a word, just acts like she hasn't woken up at all. like she isn't letting you get any closer than normal.
you think you both know it's an act.
there's minutes of silence between you, but no space at all. you reach her room, and take a hairpin from the front of her bag. you open and fiddle with it for maybe five seconds, before you hear that satisfying click of the lock. it takes a bit of effort to keep her up at the same time, but you manage.
you drop her bag onto a table and carefully approach her bed. she still doesn't say a word.
you gently lower her, head beneath her head, and lay her down beneath you. her coat comes off easily. you desperately want to admire her up close for years longer and sit yourself down next to her, but she'll probably call this little performance off if you do.
you'll settle for a daring, soft kiss on the cheek.
she takes a few seconds to release her breath. you don't test your luck further, and return to her bag, folding her coat next to it.
you find her phone and smoothly tap in the code. it unlocks without a hitch. you find her messaging app and her assistant's—a subject of particular jealousy—contact. you shoot a quick text and close the app before it can deliver; move all of my meetings to take place after lunch.
you don't feel bad for the stress it'll cause them in the slightest. they'll wake up an hour before she usually does, and do as you've asked. usually is the keyword, because you find your way to her daily alarms.
today, 06:05 — enabled
today, 06:07 — enabled
today, 06:10 — enabled
so she'll get, what, two and a half hours of sleep?
you disable them one by one, and add a new one.
today, 09:10 “eva” — enabled
it's not like you don't trust her, but... well, when it comes to her own health, you don't. you slip her phone into the same pocket as her handkerchief, and fish through her closet for a clean set of clothes. those get folded on her nightstand, and you close the curtains in front of the window fully. the walk to her door is short and bittersweet.
you take one last look at her, begin closing the door, and whisper. “you're so pretty like this.”
the walk to your room is satisfying.
—
for once in her life, eva stratt wakes up well rested to the sound of knocking on her door. she almost answers, before she smells tea nearby. she looks over. there's a breakfast platter waiting for her, and her phone lays next to it with a sticky note on top.
she peels it off and reads it suspiciously.
you haven't changed at all ♡
she looks up at the door again. “yes?”
no answer.
she checks her phone. it's half past nine. she almost groans until she sees her messages.
yes ma'am. — 05:03
okay, all done. they've been moved to 4.25, 5.10, and 9 PM respectively. is that alright? — 05:41
she scrolls up. so, you'd meddled with her routine again... she just rolls her eyes and backs out of the conversation. she knew you were up to something last night, but felt too tired to really care. she almost taps the back button again, but sees that you've pinned yourself to the top of her contacts.
the smell of tea is quite nice. it'd do her some good to indulge today, she supposes.