The digital clock on the bedside table highlighted that it was three in the morning already… not exactly the best hour to wake up at, but at least it meant he got somewhere around seven to eight hours of sleep already. A short groan escaped him as he moved to cover his eyes for a moment, pinching the empty space between them as he debated on going back to sleep or dragging himself out of bed. Within five or more minutes though, he'd be wide awake anyways… if he could succeed in getting up without injuring himself on some piece of hidden furniture, then he'd catch up on taking that shower he wanted to before.
Come to think of it now…
Glancing briefly over to one side, he quickly noticed the purple haired woman who still remained at his side; at this point though, she had somewhat snuggled herself underneath the covers and made herself more than comfortable enough- probably more than he was. As reluctant as he was to admit it… there was still something appealing in the subtle expression that marked her soft features; that open sense of vulnerability that she was all the more willing to share. A few years ago, this would've been past impossible to witness, but in the given time frame like this… he didn't care. If he could convince himself to just let it all go, then moments like this wouldn't seem so frightening and calm at the same time.
Pushing himself up as quietly as he could, hoping not to wake her in the process of it, he managed to roll himself off the edge of the bed and catch himself in a reasonable manner. Fingers fumbled slightly to figure out where he had pushed his glasses off to before he managed to find the thin frames somewhat stuffed beneath his pillow. A low groan left the woman as she shifted slightly before she somehow managed to roll into the empty space he left behind, fingers curling lightly over the loose folds of the same pillows… Yeah he was glad to have timed that like he did because he wouldn't have been able to move her out of the way. Moving into the adjacent bathroom, he fitted one hand against the back of his neck as he rolled it slightly and heard a somewhat satisfying pop result from the movement. That was the last time he slept like that… he really needed to stop just collapsing in bed and sleeping wherever he landed; then again, that would mean he'd have to stop working too.
Always that ever rolling cycle.
Fingers moved to twist the shower faucets and he listened to the subtle clanging of the water pipes before a rush of water sprayed out of the showerhead. He wasn't really worried for the water being able to wake the woman in the next room, she seemed to be a heavy sleeper regardless and even if it did wake her, she'd probably be too comfortable to want to pull herself out of bed.
Hands helped to peel off the clothing from the day before, allowing for the once pressed material to land in a crumbling heap in one corner of the bathroom.
The lukewarm water helped to relax his slightly cramped muscles and wash away the events of the previous day; a few more satisfying pops followed as he worked out the tension in his shoulders and gradually moved down the wrecked stiffness in his back. How did his body feel like it was completely out of shape? Then again, the constant working schedule of back to back shifts and the lack of proper sleep in the past month or two probably had something to do with it. But hey, he couldn't really help that, as long as people kept getting injured or running into medical crisis, then he would have to be on call twenty-four hours… Come to think of it, he should really check his phone to see if anyone called him.
He would be up for the rest of the morning anyways, so if anyone wanted to call him then, he'd be able to answer almost immediately. Not that he was looking forward to it though… as much as he liked to help people and do what he could to solve their medical problems, it could lead to a very close breaking point. Studies reported that doctors had some of the highest suicide rates and after returning from that conference two or three years ago and seeing how some of the other medical officers acted… he'd believe it. Personally, he had witnessed far too much in the last few years to even bother himself with those kind of thoughts- although the sudden appearance of the Arrancar female made him almost reconsider that.
He lingered for a few more minutes just to relax his still stiff muscles before he moved to cut the shower knobs off. Giving into a few stilling moments to let as much water run off his body before he stepped out; hands pulled loose the towel that had been hung on the rack outside a few hours ago and moved to wrap it around his waist. Stifling a short yawn, he pushed his black locks from his face and took the smaller towel that had been left on the counter; slinging it across the back of his neck.
She was still in the same position from before, well maybe a little more refined as one arm was tucked underneath the pillow instead while her body was twisted slightly to the other side. This was the reason why he was thinking of investing in a larger bed… because she liked to take up all the available space and take it for herself. Still, it was a little humorous to witness and he spared a light chuckle at her expense as he moved towards the closet on the other side of the room. Technically he didn't have to get dressed for another four hours, but lounging around in just a towel wasn't exactly the best option- especially not with the woman in the same house. That in itself was a bad idea unless he wanted to be taken advantage of.
Slipping into a loose-fitting shirt and faded jeans, he tried to leave the bedroom as quietly as he could, pulling the door closed behind him before he headed back down the short hallway.
His phone didn't show any missed calls or messages, so that was good… that probably meant he'd be able take the rest of the early morning off until his shift started. It was always a little humorous that even with this amount of time between each shift with no calls so far, he still couldn't make himself enjoy the free moment; he always had to get up within four or more hours before his shift, depending on how exhausted he felt, and just busy himself with something. He guessed that was just how he kept himself leveled out.
Sitting himself into the leather chair in the front room, he switched on the single lamp close by and reached down into the small holding bin at the side; fingers coming into contact with the soft material that had been pushed into the bottom of it. He had been in the process of sewing a ripped seam in one of his shirts… he had started it almost a month ago and just never went back to finish the job. With this little extra spot of time though, he could probably finish it finally.
His fingers were a little shaky with the needle as he worked it carefully through the thin material, trying to remember to keep the pattern straight or risk having an awkward pulling seam. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he had done something like that by accident. The lack of time given to sewing though proved to be a bit fatal as he found himself pricking his fingertips from time to time and having to pull out a few stitches that ruined his pattern. It was either his lack of continuous practice, lack of focus and concentration… or he just wasn't in the mood for it. It was relaxing though, there was always that to admit.
"I can't tell if this is the sexiest thing I've ever seen or not."
The remark caught his attention but he was determined to get that last stitch in before his concentration was knocked aside.
The tip of his middle finger pushed up on his glasses for a moment as he pulled the needle through the last few times before he held the pattern at a distance to examine the work done; eventually, his dark eyes lifted to see where the woman was casually standing in the opening of the nearby corridor. The shadows masked most of her form but also seemed to highlight where her thin clothing folded along the curves of her body.
"You must not get out as much as I thought you did."
She chuckled lightly and gradually pushed herself off from the wall. Slowly making her way over to where he was still overlooking whatever it was that he had fixed, dragging her fingertips over the back of the couch in the process of it, she took note of his lingering absence of attention. Either he was just really concentrated on what was in front of him… or he was faking concentration and doing a terrible job at it. Fingers reached forward and took the soft material he was holding, pulling it out from his grasp and tossing it aside. "Well, it's not that I know all too many men who can sew… not clothing at least."
He didn't bother to try and stop her and only watched as she set her hands on the chair arms, eventually sliding herself into his open lap. There was that sense of almost dead weight as she buried her head into one of his shoulders and tucked her hands underneath his arms. "It's kind of weird to think that I can fix a shirt whenever I want to… and sew up someone's stomach if I have to. Two different forms of media but essentially the same ordeal, right?"
His hands moved to cradle the curve of her back as he pulled her in towards him.
"Eww… I hope you keep that mental image in your head."
"It never really leaves."
A soft hum left her lips as she glanced up briefly over his shoulder and towards the window just behind him; there was a faint drizzle of water on the glass… she didn't hear it start raining earlier, then again she was asleep and it wasn't loud enough to wake her up. It was a nice little setting though, at least for this early in the morning. Why did she get up this early anyways?
"You know you don't start working for another four hours or so." she remarked.
"Yeah, but I couldn't go back to sleep so I figured I might as well do something with my time." he replied as he moved to tuck her messy locks away from her face. "And then you came along and interrupted me."
Chuckling to herself, she moved to push away from him for a moment; fingers moving to tangle lightly in the loose collar of his shirt. "Well, if you want, I could think of a better alternative, something a little more exciting than sewing in the dark."
This was the precise reason he talked himself into getting dressed earlier.
Because he knew the moment he took his eyes off of her, she was going to figure out some way to get under his clothing… although the four given hours were a little tempting to misuse.
"You're insatiable, you know that."
"You're welcome, Quincy."
