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Sage hummed softly in response to her comment, just shrugging and giving her a grin. "Ah, but you love my smugness," he teased her lightly, nudging her gently with his elbow. "I'd be too boring otherwise," he added, a twinkle in his eyes despite being tired for the mornings work. Of course, at her next comment he just chuckled, resting his head on her shoulder lightly. "If I pass out here just leave me there," he noted, lips twitching upwards into a sort of smile. "I'm not sure we're making it off this couch anyway," he noted with a small yawn, amusement lacing through his voice. There were things to get done, yes, but he had promised Jora he'd slow down and...well...he was rather comfortable here with her like this. He didn't see much reason to get up. They'd just had lunch, and the house was out back together ...the baby was napping...really it was all quite nice and relaxing.
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Jora let out a soft snort, giving his side a half-hearted poke. “You’re already too much to handle, don’t go adding smugness to the list.” But she didn’t move away when he leaned into her—quite the opposite, really. She shifted just enough to let him settle more comfortably against her, her fingers still loosely twined with his. His weight against her shoulder was warm, familiar, and grounding in a way that almost made her chest ache. After everything, the chaos and worry and long nights and uncertainty… this felt like something solid. Something earned. “You say that like I wouldn’t drag you to bed by the ankle just to make a point,” she murmured, tone dry but soft around the edges. And still, she made no move to get up either. He was right. The house was quiet, the baby was asleep, Selene had stepped out of the house. There’d be more to do tomorrow—but not right now. She turned her head slightly and pressed a small kiss into his hair. “Five minutes,” she lied easily, her voice already quieter, “then we get up.” They both knew they weren’t moving.
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Sage sort of wriggled away from her poke, but soon enough latched back onto her, chuckling softly. "Oh, given the data I'd say you can handle me just fine," he teased lightly, letting her shift into a cozier position as she pleased. He honestly didn't care what she was doing, as long as he got his cuddles. He'd never admit it, of course, but he did need his creature comforts, and he did enjoy just laying around with her for as long as possible too. He'd want to get up and do something after a while, sure, but he'd always come back to rest in her arms, and to hold her in his. Her next comment pulled a laugh from him, and he gave her a grin. "Oh you definitely would do that," he mused, voice laced with amusement. "And I have to say, I'd be sad if I were passed out and unable to witness it," he added with a snicker, really just amused at the thought of her dragging him around like that. When she settled on five minutes, he snorted but didn't say anything. They both knew it would be much longer than any five minutes ....but they could say that all they wanted. Of course, if the baby were to wake in the next five minutes they'd have to get up, but that was very unlikely as she'd just been put down about fifteen minutes ago. No, they'd be there until they needed to move. And he was quite content with that.
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Jora huffed a soft laugh under her breath, shaking her head as Sage wriggled and nestled back in like a very smug, very warm barnacle. “Given the data,” she muttered, mimicking his tone with a faint smirk tugging at her lips. “What are you, a scholar now?” Her fingers absently brushed through the ends of his hair, not even thinking about it anymore. Just... existing in the rhythm of him. Of them. She rolled her eyes when he kept going, but there was no real bite to it. “You’d probably wake up halfway just to make some snide comment and then go right back under,” she mused. “It’d serve you right if I left you on the rug with your legs sticking out like a corpse.” But she didn’t move. Didn’t even shift. She just leaned her cheek against the top of his head and let her eyes drift shut. His breath was steady, and warm, and every now and then she could feel the slight pull of his chest against her arm. Everything was quiet. The house didn’t creak. The air didn’t buzz with tension. It was just them, folded into each other, with nowhere else they had to be.
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Sage hummed as if in thought before shrugging. "I dunno, I might be," he mused. "I think I'd look rather dashing in a mustache and eyepiece, don't you," he added, clearly joking because he knew for a fact it would look absolutely rediculous. Of course, her next comment pulled a grin onto his face and he shrugged. "You never know," he chirped lightly, clearly messing around. If he was passed out he likely wouldn't be waking up just for that. But he supposed it wasn't impossible. "Maybe, but you wouldn't," he noted next, giving her a wink. "You're too stubborn to give up halfway," he added. "You'd either leave me on the couch or tuck me in nice and snug in the bed." His eyes fluttered as he regarded her happily, still curled in. When she rested her head against him, he just moved to wrap his arm around her, squeezing her gently as the silence grew. It wasn't uncomfortable....it was quite the opposite actually, since they were both very happy to recline there with the other one.
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Jora scoffed softly, rolling her eyes—but the corners of her mouth twitched upward regardless. “You? With a mustache and an eyepiece?” she muttered, the mental image alone enough to make her snort under her breath. “You’d look like a washed-up professor who lectures about sea cucumbers and forgets what day it is.” She tilted her head just enough to glance down at him. “But sure. Dashing.” Still, her voice was warm. Teasing, but soft. Comfortable. She raised a brow at his wink, not that he could see it with her face half-tucked against his. “You’re right. I wouldn’t leave you halfway,” she murmured. “Because halfway would mean I had to put up with you whining the next morning about how your back hurt from sleeping wrong on the couch.” She poked his side lightly, just for good measure. “And you’d act all pitiful and make those stupid eyes at me until I let you do whatever you wanted anyway.” But then she was quiet again, arm loose around his shoulders as his settled around her. His warmth seeped into her bones. She didn’t even realize how much she’d missed this—missed him—until they were tangled together on the couch, no pressure, no looming chores or plans or responsibilities tugging them away. Just them, in the quiet. Her thumb rubbed idly along his sleeve. “I’m glad we’re home again,” she said softly, barely more than a breath. “Really home. Feels like it’s been a while.” She didn’t mean just physically. And she figured he’d know that.
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Sage couldn't help the amused snort that forced it's way out of his nose when she described what he'd look like if he did that. "What? Sea cucumbers are cool creatures," he noted lightly. "Not everything can expel all their organs and poison the rest of the area around them," he pointed out with a shrug. Then he wrinkled his nose. "Of course, what day it is doesn't really matter out here anyway," he pointed out. That was something he never did keep very good track of. He felt an amused smile drift across his face as she kept talking, nodding along. "My back would hurt something awful," he mused with a sort of thoughtful pout, though she likely couldn't see that. "And I probably would guilty trip you into giving me a back run," he admitted, voice laced with amusement. She never could argue with those eyes.....he'd figured that out long ago. He let out a soft breath at her comment about being home, nodding with a hum of agreement as he pressed a kiss to her hair. "Me too. I've missed it. Missed you," he noted quietly. Then, "I'm just glad you chose me." She could have walked away, multiple times. Hell, when they'd first met again she could have killed him, or let him be killed by her men. She could have left him for dead on numerous occasions, and she had the right to. He wasn't sure he'd have stayed if he was in her shoes. But she had...she'd picked him, over and over again, and he couldn't be more grateful for it.
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