I N B O X.

[catholicisms]

"You missed me, I'll get back to you. If you're leaving a message, I'd prefer voice to text. Thanks."

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[ultraviolents]

[ elektra chuckles slightly, smiling a little more as he seems to brighten upon smelling the tea. she knows it's probably only a temporary relief, but something is better than nothing. ]

You hiding a sewing kit somewhere around here? [ it wouldn't be that unusual in spite of her teasing tone, he's spent more than enough time stitching up wounds, both on himself and on her. she swears the scar on her neck burns at the memory of his hands on her skin, careful and precise.

she stands, maybe a little too quickly, when he pushes himself into a seated position and she notices him swaying. her ribs flare in protest at the sudden movement but she ignores the pain, reaching to take the tea from him. ]

Stay there, I can make it. [ she doesn't want him faceplanting onto his floor. ]

[catholicisms]

Maybe I've had a lot of socks to darn.

( they both know Matt doesn't keep a needle and thread around because of his mending skills. he's had no reason to sew up any injuries since arriving in Beacon. that said, of course he's prepared for the potential need. he spends too much time stitching his own wounds back together not to predict he might need it around at some point.

he's feeling plenty sick, there's plenty assaulting his senses to distract. unfortunately for Elektra, his ears are working just fine; he hears the way her heartbeat picks up a little faster. it'd be easy to excuse the reaction by her nerves to see him moving, yet the slight hint of a flush to her skin hints at something else. she's already stalking past him with proclamations of making the tea for him, so the shadow of a smirk on his face is more or less lost on her.

Matt doesn't call her out on it, which is maybe a small mercy. that doesn't mean he doesn't notice. of all things to be aroused by, stitches, really? )

I'm not an invalid. I can make tea. ( he doesn't present a promising case for not being an invalid when he is so slow to creak to his feet, but he does manage it. ) I can make a tea, and you could borrow my shower. ( on the surface, that might seem rude. but the implication is he's hoping she stay a little while, and both of them will be happier if washed some of the smell from her skin. )

[ultraviolents]

[ it's less the stitches themselves and more the person who'd performed them, the memory of that night and how they'd opened up to each other for the first time in years. there's a slight pang as she reminds herself that he doesn't remember that night, that even if he believes everything else she's told him, the nuances and and details are lost on him because he hadn't experienced them himself. speaking of details being lost, the smirk goes unnoticed and she heads past him into the kitchen none the wiser, although it occurs to her that he should be able to tell what's just happened.

(and really, would it surprise him that much?)

in any case, if it was noticed, it wasn't called out and she heads to the kitchen none the wiser before he fully stands, an eyebrow raising as he brings up the idea of her using his shower. ]

I didn't realize a couple hours outside had had that much effect. [ yes she did, actually, and she doesn't sound offended, just curious. and grateful. she really does feel unclean, in spite of having showered earlier. ]

[catholicisms]

( she's not the only one that feels the gaps of what he doesn't remember. Matt has pressed Elektra for as many details as he can think of, and she's answered all of them. so why does it still feel like there's things he doesn't know — things she's not saying? rationally, he knows it's because having it explained will never be the same as living and breathing those moments together. there's more there that he's never going to really understand, and he hates it.

Matt doesn't venture too close to her when he joins her in the paltry kitchenette, though he does take the box of tea from her. )

You smell about as good as I look. ( she's not going to miss his expression this time, because even sick and miserable, he's a little too proud of himself for that one. and really, turnabout is fair play, right? she started it. teasing her back is only fair, and there's something notably unguarded about it. Matt has been careful around Elektra since she surprised him at the edge of the woods. the last thing he remembers of her demands caution, that she'll leave him again if she gets half a chance, she's already done it before.

teasing her without hiding it behind something else, wanting her to stay even when he's clearly weak and showing it... the caution is failing, and it's not even subtle anymore. )

[ultraviolents]

[ she hasn't held anything back, but there's only so much recounting events can convey. he can pick up on her physical and emotional reactions and guess at what happened in the moment and how it felt for her, but he doesn't know it firsthand, which makes it feel like there's something missing.

he snatches the tea box back from her and jokes about how she smells, and she laughs, exuberantly and unexpectedly, her face lighting up with a smile. they've made steps since their arrival in this place, but there are times where she doubts their connection and then times like this where it's as easy as it was in their first days, when they'd both felt like they'd found someone who got them. ]

Brat. [ she looks him over again, watching for any wavering or shakiness in his movements. ] You sure you'll be okay?

[catholicisms]

( he hasn't heard her laugh like that since she's been here. he's made her laugh before, that genuine spark of laughter. it's all years behind him, though, a distant memory of a different time — waned and twisted by loss, distance, and pain. her laugh is delightful, warm and raspy and fiery, much like its owner. Matt didn't realize how much he missed hearing it until he hears it, and the warmth of it still sparks a fire of pride.

it softens his smug smirk to a smile of his own, leaning against the counter and just enjoying the moment for half a breath before he answers. ) If I fall into the teapot, I'll holler for you, ( he promises mildly. he's dazed but not utterly incapable; he'll be fine. )

[ultraviolents]

[ it felt good, to laugh like that. she hasn't done that and felt like she meant it in a very long time. her smile softens a little as she watches his own form from the playful smirk it's replacing, and she looks him over again as he leans against the counter. he doesn't seem too dizzy, just moving a bit slower than normal, and he's not swaying or leaning too heavily on the counter for support. after a moment or two, she relents, nodding and backing towards the bathroom, still keeping an eye on him as she retreats, up until she reaches the door. ]

I'll try not to use up all the water. You could use one, too.

[catholicisms]

( honestly, she's probably not wrong. he's kept himself as clean as he can, and he's certainly showered since his first foray into the corpse flower stench. that said, between losing whatever he eats shortly after he puts it down and the cold sweat of just feeling ill, he probably could benefit from another. )

First I look terrible, now I smell terrible. You're doing wonders for my confidence. ( he doesn't sound genuinely offended, though... the point is entirely valid.

Matt focuses first on putting the tea on to boil. he does a whole pot an entire box, figuring he'll sew the rest of the teabags into the bandana to make a fragrant mask for himself later. then he trudges upstairs to find her something to change into. even without a sense of smell as sharp as his, she's like to notice the stench in the fabric of her own things once she goes to put them on.

the water is running by the time he gets back — she's right, he is moving slower at the moment. he knocks and tells her through the door, ) I found something less corpse-y, if you want it. ( something of his, though it'd be far from the first time Elektra wore something that was his once. )

[ultraviolents]

[ it's a little strange, showering in his place with this new context and their new relationship to each other. it's hard not to think of the times when she'd done it at her place or he'd done it at hers, but she knows that letting her mind wander to those memories when he can still hear her in spite of the running water and closed door is a bad idea. so she just focuses on getting clean, tells herself that the sudden rushes of warmth are from the water and not the scent of his products on her skin.

he approaches the door just as she's turning the water off, and she's surprised to hear his offer of fresh clothing. she wouldn't have minded going back out in her old clothes, she'd kind of accepted it as necessary, but the offer of fresh ones, of his, no less, leaves her feeling touched.

she reaches for a towel, securing it around herself before she opens the door. the thought that she should accept them with some sort of joke, just to keep things feeling as close to normal as they have been, is there, but when she opens the door and sees him with the clothing in hand, the attempt dies on her tongue. ]

I appreciate that. Thank you.

[catholicisms]

( it's strange for the both of them. Matt values his self control, but it's difficult not to be very aware that she's naked, and not too far from him. if he focused enough, he could probably hear her peeling off her clothes, the drum of water on her skin... he gets her a change of clothes as loud as he possibly can, just for the distraction of the sounds. he really doesn't need to focus on the fact she's using his shower. they can both handle this, they're adults, right?

she answers the door in a towel (for the best, for both of them) and doesn't have anything coy to say about his offer, or the fact she's scantily clad. it's a surprising amount of restraint, considering it's Elektra, but if she's not affected by all of this than Neither Is He. through sheer willower. )

Sure. ( apparently he has nothing clever to say either. just take the clothes so he can retreat back to the kitchen, Elektra... his pajamas are not going to fit her particularly well, but it will be better than nothing. )

[ultraviolents]

[ she's only not affected because she is trying very, very hard not to be, knowing all too well that he'll be able to tell if she is. and they've been working so hard at being able to be around each other again, at trusting each other, and however she still feels about him, she doesn't want to jeopardize that. still, she can't help the skip in her heartbeat or the fluttering in the pit of her stomach as she takes the pajamas from him, smiling slightly before shutting the door and pulling them on.

they hang loose on her, the pants slung low on her hips and the shirt hanging halfway down her thighs. the scent is indeed much more pleasant than the clothing she'd worn outside and she tries not to think about the memories they stoke in her mind, breathing in deeply before opening the door.

oh. right. the corpse flowers. that's enough to snap her back into reality. she gags a little before opening the door and stepping out, grateful for the more pleasant scent of the tea. ]

[catholicisms]

( they're both careful around each other, but for different reasons. she doesn't want to jeopardize anything, and Matt just can't spare that much trust. for her, for himself, hard to say who. maybe a combination of both. he hears the distinct trill of her heartbeat, somewhere in the back of his head, he knows what it means. he knows the little things she does, the fact she's even here looking after him in the first place... he knows it means something.

it's just easier to look the other way when he's been convinced by all of these things before, and in the end, it hadn't stopped her from leaving.

he's made his way to the stovetop — the smell is best by the boiling tea, the smell of heat, even the smell of burned dust around the element smells better than the blooming just outside. he can hear her joining him, and not just because she chokes on the reminder of the corpse flower scent on the air. ) It smells better over here, ( he tells her, turning her direction. it takes him a minute of companionable silence before he says what he probably should have said sooner. ) Thank you. For bringing all this.

( he's careful around her, yes, but he isn't incapable of gratitude. she's done him a fairly big favor, here, and he appreciates it. )

[ultraviolents]

[ she'd done it for him. she's told him as much, but it's up to him to believe her or not, regardless of what she's told him and the fact that she's incapable of lying to him. she understands the reluctance to trust her, if only for the fact that she'd left him, to say nothing of how she'd been working with stick. it doesn't mean she enjoys it or that it doesn't hurt at times, but she knows she'd hurt him worse.

her hand is drawn underneath her nose as she steps out, the scent of the tea mixing with what she can still smell of the corpse flowers still not altogether pleasant until she steps closer, where the tea is the strongest. it eases the clenching in her stomach enough for her to lower her hand and she looks at him when he turns back to her, a soft upturn curving her mouth as she nods. ]

You're welcome. [ it's not much compared to what she'd really like to do, which is raze the entire village of these blasted things, but if it helps she's glad to have done it. ] Thanks for letting me use your shower.

[catholicisms]

( as much as he'd appreciate her taking a torch to every offending plant in town, Matt has to guess it wouldn't be very productive. he can hardly get out the door without puking, or maybe he'd have seen if there was any way to move the damned things away from the inhabited parts of Beacon. considering the lack of fire, burning the damned things probably wouldn't go that well... though she doesn't mention that plan, so he's blissfully unaware.

(if he knew, though, he'd just tell her to be careful. he knows Elektra well enough to know if she's set her mind to it, she'll do it.)

as for the shower, he shrugs. ) Anytime. ( even though when he's feeling less bodily ill, the fact she's naked in his space is bound to be more distracting... and it was fairly distracting this time. apparently Matt can't let the moment go completely with them acting like reasonable, mature adults and adds, ) You really needed it.

( this time when he grins at her, she'll definitely see it. )

[ultraviolents]

[ spoiler alert: it's super ineffective!

it's not even the first time this week she's used his shower (or is it? time is hard to keep track of when it's eternally night), but even the offer means a lot. both were due to extreme circumstances, needing to get warm and smelling like death, but it's still miles ahead of where they've been. and he's even offering her clothes this time!

apparently he can't be too nice, though. she laughs again, shaking her head at him and pushing a damp lock of hair back. ]

You're one to talk. [ her senses aren't nearly as delicate as his, but they are still functioning. ]

[catholicisms]

( the only way Matt can keep track of the days is by the calendar function on his tablet. he could tell night from day back home, from the changes in sounds and voices and even the smells changing between night and day. now it's just eternal blackness — there's no obvious changes to their surroundings based on the hour. it's frustrating and a bit disorienting.

no, he can't be too nice. if anything, that he's got the mood in him to tease her is a sign he's not on deaths door, just miserable. the air is sticky and wet standing next to a boiling pot of tea, though it's still better than anywhere else in the a-frame right about now. )

Until these flowers clear up, I'm not bound to smell much better. ( he's had more than a few showers, but it's an impossible battle to fight the cold sweat and the sour smell of consistently losing what little he has left in his stomach. he nods toward the tea, which smells better than it has any right to considering the rotten hellscape pressing in at the windows. ) You should have some of this, you're the only one that could keep it down.

[ultraviolents]

You might feel better. [ she knows she does and she hasn't even been suffering to the same degree he has. just being clean has improved things immensely, like a snake shedding its old skin. but she won't push the matter.

the fact that he's capable of joking at her expense is something of a comfort, especially given how he'd looked when she'd first gotten to his place. though she is a little concerned that nothing's staying down, not even tea. not that she's been able to stomach much, either. ]

That's about the only thing I've been able to keep down. [ some attempts at eating have gone better than others, but she still doesn't have much of an appetite in general. ] Drinking seems to go better than eating, if you feel up to giving it a try.

[catholicisms]

( would he feel better after his third shower of the day? maybe, until the smell sneaks up on him again, and then he'll be right back where he started. Matt might be more inclined to shower if Elektra wasn't present, but seeing as she is... he's more interested in spending time with her than another useless shower. he might not admit it, but it's the truth. even feeling sick and disgusting, he'd rather put his attention into her.

he'll worry about a shower when she's gone.

Matt isn't honestly interested in eating, or drinking. that said, he knows how it goes, when you're worried about someone. it's hard to just sit back and watch, it was natural inclination to want to do something about it. getting him to drink something probably isn't going to help him much, though he's more than aware it'd give her a bit of peace of mind. so he'll do it without much argument, even if he probably would avoid anything flavored if he were on his own. even if it ends up like everything else he's put in his stomach, Matt is willing if it will reassure her any. )

I'll drink something if you eat some of those crackers you bought. ( after she mentioned not keeping anything down herself, she had to see that one coming. )

[ultraviolents]

[ she is concerned, and he probably would feel better. but she doesn't push it, not only because she doesn't want to push her boundaries with him (anymore), but because in spite of the circumstances, this is time spent together when neither are in (dire) peril and don't have the excuse of sparring to keep them in the same place, talking companionably. it's unexpected. it's nice. even with the awkwardness.

elektra's nose wrinkles in spite of it currently being less assaulted by the carrion scent. truth be told, the idea of trying to eat sounds about as appealing as the idea of making the trek back to her room at the inn, but the counter offer is more appealing. it's only been a couple of days and he's already looking fairly gaunt. ]

Deal. [ she roots around for the package of crackers and pulls them out, watching him as she waits for him to pour. ]

[catholicisms]

( even for a supposedly smart man, Matt doesn't seem to grasp how ridiculous it is to bribe Elektra to eat crackers with promises of taking care of himself. he also doesn't think much about the fact that it's not much of a win to convince her to eat a few crackers, and that he has no reason to be so pleased with himself, like he's convinced her when it really took no effort at all.

but safe to say, he is pleased, and it seems like an easy bribe. choking down some tea on a revolting stomach is far from the most horrible thing he's ever done, and Matt gets what he wants out of it. so why wouldn't he?

Elektra is probably the only person in Beacon that wouldn't pour the tea for him on principle. it's fine, Matt does not need her to pour it, he's more than capable. he finds two mugs (it's remarkable he has that many, the place is rather geared for him and him alone) and gives them both a helping. ) At least it's not black. ( he doesn't elaborate because apparently she knows — Stick favored black tea, so Matt disliked it almost on principle. the smell of black tea is laced to plenty of memories he doesn't care to think about, and that's not even counting one he doesn't remember. making the old man tea with Elektra's blood staining his hands.

it's hot, so he can't be expected to chug the tea on the spot. so instead he prompts, ) You first.

[ultraviolents]

[ she knows that he's capable and that while hiding his capabilities to the public for the time being is important to him, it's also frustrating to restrain himself and let people do things for him all the time. and while she'd come here to help look after him and take care of him if he needed it, he seems to be doing so much better even just doing simple tasks around his house.

it is a little ridiculous that both of them are so pleased about successfully bribing each other to ingest something potentially nourishing. she laughs at the assessment of the tea as she opens the box, then the package of crackers. ]

I think that would be a good way to make us both vomit. [ she pulls a saltine free, sniffing at it experimentally - it fortunately doesn't seem to have any of the flower's scent absorbed into it - and gingerly takes a bite.

it goes down easily enough and her stomach doesn't even protest once she's swallowed it down, but whether it stays down once the smell of the tea fades and she needs to go back outside is another matter. for now, she's feeling confident enough to eat another. ]

[catholicisms]

( he laughs, a tired and weary guff but a laugh all the same. that's a very colorful way of putting it, though fair at the same time. Matt is still sort of making sense of the fact they both had the same destructive old man in their lives, her even moreso than him. it's... difficult, to try and wrap his mind around Stick trying to have her killed, though not exactly because Matt doubts the man had it in him. he knows that he does, he's seen Stick kill, and easily.

it's more a matter of wishing better of the man, even if Matt has literally never been given much reason to believe better of him. it's just something he seems unable to stop. it's just his nature to hope for better from the people he cares about, and as much as he'd like to Matt can't quite keep himself from caring about Stick. )

Two crackers? Getting bold, are you? ( Matt gingerly blows on his tea, a surprisingly adorable gesture for a grown man that likely knows that blowing won't get him very far, but the placebo effect is enough for him to try it. it doesn't exactly go down easily, between the heat and the taste... but he swallows it. seems like he functions more or less normally except for his stomach battling desperately with anything he has the audacity to swallow. he does put it down with a bit of a green at the gills look on his face. he's probably going to have to work himself up to having another sip, though the longer the first stays down the easier the second will be. )

[ultraviolents]

[ he not only tried to have her killed, he tried to do it himself when that had ended up failing. matthew had been the one who had interfered, both with his intentions and the hand's intentions. he'd been the only one to tell her she had a choice, that no one had the right to tell her what she was.

the memory turns into a pang of sadness in her gut that quickly dissolves back into nausea when the scent works its way past the tea, and she grimaces, setting the half-finished cracker down. ]

Maybe a little too bold. How's the tea staying down?

[catholicisms]

( he can sense some sort of change, some shift that sours her stomach at least as much as the smell lingering in the small space. he can still read her remarkably well, even with all the years of distance. he knows it's something. he isn't sure what. he's curious, though Matt wants to retain the feeling between them as much as Elektra does. asking what's bothering her seems crossing a line they've both been careful to uphold.

all in all he's a coward, because he doesn't ask. he frowns, but he doesn't ask. )

Believe it or not, better than anything else I've tried lately. ( it's still in him at the moment, for starters. he's lucky that staying hydrated is less of a concern here, otherwise he'd likely feel even more sick from dehydration. )

[ultraviolents]

[ even if she knew he could sense her reaction, she wouldn't expect him to question her about it. it's hardly an uncommon one for either of them right now. ]

I believe it. [ considering she just had trouble getting another half a cracker down. she reaches for her own tea, her hands curving around the mug as she brings it underneath her nose to help ease the nausea a little. it helps, at least a little bit, but getting it down is a different story. ] You don't have any honey, do you?

[ in addition to making it taste a little better, it's possible that getting their blood sugar up might help them feel a little less ill. ]