This is ridiculous.
Sabine feels her brow twitch, an interesting mix of both annoyance and fond exasperation settling in her chest as she sighs. “Klara.”
Klara looks up from the device she’d been playing on. A Switch, was it? The audio stops as she pauses her game. “Yes, babe?”
Sabine sighs again, even more annoyed that the ridiculous, juvenile pet name already ebbs some of her irritation. “I am certain that to carry out this incessant coddling you and Sage are insisting on does not require you to be doing this.”
The woman only tilts her head, “what do you mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“This feels pretty necessary to me,” Klara shrugs, “got to make sure you get your rest. Strictly doctor’s orders.”
“You and I hold more PhDs individually than Sage. And I’m actually a doctor and I say there is absolutely no need for you to be sitting on my lap all day.” She sighs again, laying a hand on Klara’s knee and she tries to push her off, but the woman only makes herself heavier. Set on being a deadweight on top of her. “Klara.”
“Sabine,” she only says back in that singsong voice she knows makes her eye twitch when Sabine’s not in the mood for her being a little shit.
“I will not ask twice. Get off me this instant or I’m shoving you to the floor.”
Klara mock gasps, “you wouldn’t, you love me too much– woah, hey!” Klara’s hastens to hold on to her shoulders, barely managing not to stumble off into an embarrassing heap on the floor. She stares at her in surprise, her mouth open in slight offense, “were you actually going to shove me off?”
Sabine can’t help the slight smirk on her lips, “I did warn you. Now up.”
Klara pouts, trying again, “but don’t you like it when I’m on top of you?”
“Not when I’m trying to get work done,” with one last nudge, Klara relents with a melodramatic sigh she’s certain is only for show and gets off her lap. She stays pressed against Sabine’s side, however, her head resting on her shoulder as she opens her Switch and continues her game. “You’re awful.”
“I’m being reasonable.” Finally, Sabine is able to pick up the laptop on the coffee table and put it on her lap so she can continue working on the latest batches of reports Brimstone has sent her to look over. Just because Sage has essentially ordered her to be on bedrest doesn’t mean she can’t continue contributing on making sure the Protocol doesn’t fall apart. Everyone knows Brimstone and Sage can only do so much to manage the place now that more than half of their agent roster is composed of young adults acting like children. One of which is currently pretending to be annoyed at her even though they both know there’s not a single true mean bone in Klara’s body. That’s more of a quality under Sabine’s purview.
She hears Klara huff when she sees her working but says nothing, continuing with her game. The silence persists and eventually, Sabine relents with a sigh, “what is it this time?”
Klara doesn’t look up from where she’s still playing her game, a petulant frown on her face as she continues to sulk. It annoys her to no end how she can’t seem to find it to be vexing whenever Klara does it. Only some sort of fond endearment she would never admit out loud. “You’re not supposed to be working, you know.”
“I would hardly consider typing on my laptop as strenuous. My stomach won’t rip open just because I’m choosing to read the documents our commander sent me.”
Klara mutters something under her breath that sounds suspiciously of her planning to talk to Brimstone later about giving her something to do, as if Sabine’s words don’t hold a lot of sway over her pseudo guardian’s decision as a commander. Sabine is convinced this entire protocol might collapse on itself if she takes so much as one day off. With all due respect to Brimstone and Sage’s capabilities, but Valorant wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for her unquenchable thirst for vengeance. Brimstone had needed that to jumpstart everything. They both know it.
Just as they know that Sabine’s more capable at administration work than he is – he’s too soft on the younger agents most times, often being swept along by their whims. Sage’s doing excellent work but she’s more preoccupied with her primary duties of bringing people from the brink of death or yanking them straight off from her cold clutches.
Nevertheless, Klara relents and doesn’t say anything more about Sabine opening her laptop with a satisfied hum and finally start on the paperwork that has piled up in the hours she’d been forced to leave them alone. Still, Klara unceremoniously drapes her legs over Sabine’s lap, and she merely rolls her eyes before settling the device on top of them. Together, they do their tasks in companiable silence only broken by the sounds of her keyboard and Klara’s muttered curses as she plays her game.
Before Sabine realizes it, hours have passed, and she only notices it because her eyes have begun to hurt after staring at the screen for so long. She blearily blinks down at the time at the bottom left before she sighs, removing her reading glasses to rub at her eyes.
Of course, Klara is quick to notice and perks up from her game, “tired?”
“A little,” it never fails to surprise her just how easy it is to admit these kinds of things to Klara without any hesitation. She doesn’t bother either with hiding the twitch to her brow at the dull ache in her abdomen when she tries to sit up straight. “Although, I’m not even halfway done reviewing everything Liam has sent.”
Klara frowns and sits up as well, but her legs still remain draped across her lap, “I should really tell him off and cut you some slack.”
“This is, quite literally, my job. It’s only natural.”
Klara huffs, “no it’s not, you work too hard you workaholic. I’d know ‘cos I’m one – just less intense about it.” She reaches out and runs her fingers through the strands of her bangs and Sabine lets her, finding the touch warm. “Come on, it’s about time you get a shut eye.”
Sabine raises a brow, “it’s four in the afternoon. I wasn’t aware I was scheduled for a nap like some child.”
“When you’re recovering from a gunshot you are. Now, come on. I’ll even join you!” Klara grins, “look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t want to cuddle.”
Sabine looks away and doesn’t dignify that with a response which only makes Klara laugh. She leans over and gives her a quick kiss. Klara pulls away faster than Sabine could truly process the affection, but it still sends a pleasant tingle to her skin afterwards. And then she’s standing up, stretching her arms above her just enough to let her hoodie hike up and expose her midriff speckled with freckles and Sabine doesn’t cover the fact that her eyes stray to it.
Besides, there’s a strong likelihood that Klara did that exactly on purpose.
Klara holds out her hand expectantly and, with a sigh, Sabine relinquishes her laptop and allows herself to be led to the bedroom like a toddler being herded to her bedtime. Though a little frustrating to be coddled like this, Sabine is more amused than anything especially when Klara immediately shoos her away to lie down on the bed while she puts away her things and raid her closet for an extra shirt she could slip on. Sabine sits on the bed instead, ignoring the still-present ache in her stomach in favor of watching Klara flutter around her room with such ease and surety in her steps. It’s as if she has also claimed ownership to the spaces Sabine had only previously held for herself to occupy.
When Klara has successfully shed her hoodie and put on an old sweater Sabine does not remember owning, she quirks a brow at Sabine staring at her. “What’s up? Something wrong?”
Sabine only tilts her head and beckons her to step closer. As expected, Klara immediately follows, eyes shining with curiosity as she steps in between Sabine’s open legs. Always so eager, always so quick to please. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why Sabine had started to pay attention to her.
When Klara is close enough, she grabs her wrist and pulls until Klara gets the hint with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. She settles on Sabine’s lap, thighs bracketing her waist and arms coming up to settle over her shoulders. Sabine feels fingers playing with the ends of her hair and she can’t help the contented hum that escapes her at the sensation. She buries her face in the crook of Klara’s neck which earns her a chuckle.
“Someone’s weirdly clingy,” Klara muses, the smile evident in her voice, “is this a side effect from being shot or something?”
“Something,” Sabine says, taking in that ever-present scent of motor oil underneath the perfume Klara wears. “Soak it up while it lasts. This won’t be happening again.”
“You say but you’re actually a real softie,” Klara says in a sing-song voice.
Sabine feels her brow twitch, “keep that up and I’m kicking you out of the room.”
She can’t see her, but she knows Klara’s opening her mouth to retort and it turns into a laugh instead when Sabine starts to pull away. Klara tightens her hold around her neck and kisses the side of her head. “Okay, okay! Please don’t, this is really nice.”
Sabine only hums back, satisfied.
She doesn’t know how long they’ve stayed like that as she allows herself to get lost counting every breath that passes by her ear or the jumps of Klara’s pulse when her lips brush over it. Sabine is slightly taken aback by how much she loses herself of just… existing in that moment. Though perhaps she shouldn’t be anymore – it’s always like this when she allows herself to love the woman in front of her.
Klara’s fingers continue to rake through her hair, murmuring things that are a little incoherent that she doesn’t fully register them in her mind but it’s enough to put her in this state of comfort that it’s hard to deny the hands pushing gently against her shoulders and urging her to lie down on the mattress. Sabine huffs but Klara only snorts before kissing her again, this time allowing Sabine to return it as Klara settles on top of her.
“Sleep, meine leibe,” Klara murmurs and presses one last kiss to her lips that are always seeking to get a taste of her, “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
And Sabine does because she knows Klara would never be far away from sight.