“Those are both oddly specific examples that I’m going to pretend are random and are absolutely not things that have happened to you.” Tarin said as he dropped the bags of peas on the table and set about wrapping a base layer around Lee’s left arm and shoulder, then behind her back.

Next came the veggies, “I use peas because they form to whatever it is you’re trying to ice. The regular ice packs get super stiff and it’s hard to get good surface area.” He explained as he gently draped the first bag over Lee’s shoulder and back, then wrapped the bandage around it before doing the same on the other side. His hands were gentle, but sure as he wrapped and tucked the ends in then stood back to admire his work.

“You stay here, drink that water, and just relax.” He said, [/db “I’m gonna go clean up in the kitchen and see about some more eggs.” [/font]

Around the corner Tarin went, back into the kitchenette. When he was sure Lee couldn’t see him, he braced his hands on the counter and let his head drop for a minute. He’d never forget those bruises, or the fact that he’d just sat by while the other presence in his mind had done that to Lee. The same Lee who had, only minutes before, flown into a murderous rage in defense of a child who hadn’t existed for a very long time. Never again, he decided as he picked up the sponge and went to work on the pan he would need to cook the eggs.

Never again.

”That…might be a good idea,” Lee said when she heard Tarin deciding he was going to pretend those injuries hadn’t happened to her.

But then he was explaining why he used bags of peas and that really did make sense. She would have to make sure to have more on hand if her sparring partners ever started taking her seriously. Well, more seriously than simply allowing her in the ring with them.

By that point, Tarin had started wrapping the bandage around her, and while his hands were gentle, surprisingly so, the pressure against the bruises still hurt. So while he worked, Lee sat there with her eyes closed, biting the inside of her cheek.

It really didn’t take long for him to finish wrapping both bags of peas securely against her shoulders. ”Thanks,” she said, her voice a whisper but genuine. Then she chuckled when she heard him speak.

”Have you not learned anything about me yet?” she teased as she grabbed her water. But after taking a sip, she laid her arms against the top of the chair back and rested her forehead against them.

Tarin figured by this point he had learned a lot about Lee. Maybe more than she’d wanted him to learn he decided as he set about making more eggs in the pan that he’d just cleaned. As he did so Tarin cataloged just what he knew.

Tarin knew that Lee was selfless to a fault…more than that, she was selfless to the point of self-destruction.

Tarin knew that Lee was tough and not afraid to get her hands dirty if the need arose.

Tarin knew that Lee was stubborn and tenacious, and fierce and independent and…hot…and…

Tarin sighed as he stirred the eggs in the pan and went to work on some toast.

This was bad. This was really bad. She was just being nice, she was just being who she was.

He was just fixating because Lee was going out of her way to help him, and had offered him her spare room, and had gone jogging with him.

The eggs were ready. So was the toast.

Similarly to the previous morning, Tarin plated up the food and made his way back out to the table where Lee was leaning against the back of the chair.

“About 5 more minutes and we’ll want to take those off.” He said, gesturing at the peas with his fork as he sat.

Lee just continued to sit, head resting against her arms on the back of the chair as Tarin first cleaned up then made more eggs. It…actually felt pretty good, the cold on her shoulders, now that she had gotten used to the pressure on the bruises. Plus, after the run, with so few people actually out because it had still been quite early, Lee was actually getting tired.

She may have started dozing as she sat there, leaned over, in the chair.

But as she felt energy growing closer to her, Lee’s brain started paying more attention and what dozing there may have been, ended. Sitting up before she would have been able to see him, Lee turned to look over her shoulder at Tarin as he approached. ”Thanks again,” she said with a smile as he set the plates down. Then nodded when he said to take the ice off in about five minutes. That worked, they’d have time to eat at least a bit before needing to do that.

Taking another sip of her water, Lee stood and moved the chair around so she was facing the table properly. ”Since we’re here,” she said as she picked her fork up. ”Did you want to take anything back to the apartment with us? Or just do it later?”

“It’s literally the least I could do…” Tarin said, since he’d been the one responsible for the bruises in the first place. He didn’t say it out loud though, Lee tended to react strongly when Tarin tried to take the blame for things that had happened during the merge.

The earlier lightheartedness of the day had faded, but Tarin honestly felt pretty good as he ate his way through the eggs that he had made and snatched a piece of toast from the little stack he had made.

Lee asked if there were things he wanted to take back to her place and Tarin nodded his head, “I figured I’d take a shower and start packing my stuff up. I don’t have a ton of stuff so it shouldn’t take very long.”

Tarin thought through the other things he needed to do, there really wasn’t a lot since they’d rescheduled his appointments for later in the week. Speaking of which, the spirits had been far less obnoxious today than they’d been the day before. It seemed boundaries were back in place. Good.

“It is Monday,” Tarin said, “Is there anything you need to do?”

Other than get those ice packs off… ”Want some help getting those ice packs off?”

It wasn't the last that he could do. The least would have been to let her continue to pretend that she was fine.

But the ice that Tarin had wrapped onto her shoulders did feel good, even if it was starting to get quite chilly at this point.

As she listened to Tarin, Lee continued eating. Yes, a shower was a definite after that run, though she'd have to wait to get home which was fine. It really wouldn't take long for Tarin to pack things up here.

“Right, it is Monday, isn't it?” Lee questioned. It wasn't always easy for her to keep track of the day when she hadn't been sleeping. “I'll need to stop by the bar at some point. But there's stuff I need to take that's at home, so that'll have to wait. There's no set time I need to be there, so there's no rush.”

As she finished speaking, Lee dropped her eyes back to her plate as she stifled a yawn. More energy would be good, too, but she could solve that problem on the way home.

”Want some help getting those ice packs off?”

Lee had just put another bite of egg in her mouth, so she simply nodded. Finally she swallowed and was able to speak again. “Please. I'm sure it'll be much easier than trying to do it myself…”

Lee was starting to struggle the tiniest bit, Tarin noticed as he continued to work his way through his eggs. Her body apparently didn’t need sleep to function, but Tarin wondered if it did things to her mind when she’d been awake for long periods of time. It was more a curiosity than a true concern, but…

“Maybe you should take a nap if you don’t have a whole lot to do until later?” he said, “I’m fully capable of entertaining myself for a few hours…” Eventually Lee would have to leave him alone, even if it was just so she could sleep.

Lee agreed to his help removing the ice packs and Tarin dropped his plate off in the sink before making his way back over to where she was seated at the table. Unwrapping took about the same amount of time as wrapping it had, and as Tarin removed the ice packs and bandage he winced again at the sight of the bruises. Ice would help with the swelling and pain, but there was nothing that would decrease the mottled colors besides time.

“Anything beyond this should really be heat…It’s been almost 48 hours. Heat will help break everything up and will keep your muscles from getting tight as everything heals.” he said. “You’re sure your head is okay?” He asked again, even though it had been long enough that anything serious would have already manifested. Tarin stood there for another moment, just shaking his head and then sighed and moved away. “You done?” he said, nodding to Lee’s plate.

Not that a nap would be needed if she were to get outside around people so she could get more energy, but Tarin had a point. With Kevin not home and what little she absolutely had to do for the bar today, she could take a nap this morning. Not that she was anywhere close to crashing point, but it would be best to nip that in the bud now.

”That’s probably a smart idea. I’m not used to actually being tired like this after…” Lee trailed off in thought for a moment. ”Actually, I’m not sure I’ve ever taken a run that was that short before.”

It really didn’t take long for Tarin to get the bandage with the ice packs off her shoulders, though it was far less painful this time compared to putting the weight from the peas on her bruises.

”Yeah, I think I’m about finished,” Lee told Tarin before she stood up and slipped her hoodie back on. ”We’ll stop and get a key cut on the way back, then. Because if I do end up sleeping, there’s no guarantee that my phone will wake me up.”

Finishing off her bottle of water, Lee followed Tarin into the kitchenette. ”Want some help with the dishes this time?”

“I’ll try not to let that hurt my ego too badly…” Tarin said “Because I felt like that was a great run.”

Lee confirmed that she was finished eating and proposed a plan of action.

“Sounds good…” Tarin said, as he gathered the rest of the plates from the table and carried them to the sink for washing. As long as he didn’t end up at the apartment when Lee’s kid and sister showed back up. Things were going to be awkward enough as it was, he did not want to be present for that conversation.

Lee offered to help with the dishes and Tarin shook his head as she approached, “Besides the fact that I don’t think there’s room for two in here, there isn’t much to wash.” In fact, it only took a few minutes to get everything scrubbed clean and into the little drying rack to the right of the sink.

“Is there a leasing office we need to get in touch with? I know some places are picky about that…also, what’s my cut of the rent, when is rent due?” Tarin was sure there was more, but with his inexperience with the whole roommates thing…some of this would have to get handled as they went.

“Want to wait around while I shower, or do you just want to get the key thing handled.”

“Well, we can’t let your ego get too big, can we?” Lee teased. “But no, it was a great run. I’ve just…never gone for a run when it was really just me, without having tons of excess energy.

Tarin declined her offer to help with dishes. She knew for a fact that there wasn’t room in that kitchenette for two people to be moving around like that. She’d really meant for her to do the dishes while he took care of something else he needed to do.

But apparently that wasn’t going to happen because Tarin had already started washing.

Then Tarin was asking a question that she hadn’t even thought of. Multiple questions she hadn’t thought about. “Right. I can always stop by the leasing office tomorrow after getting Kevin off to school. Find out what all is needed for that. And rent…”

That was a tough one to answer. Lee didn’t need help to cover the rent. The reason she’d shared the apartment with Rachel for 5 years was so that Rachel could afford to live in New York while getting her boutique off the ground.

But Lee also knew that Tarin wouldn’t accept that answer. “How much do you think you could afford?” She ended up turning the question back around. “I know a big reason for living behind the shop is it saves money.

“And I can hang around. It’s not like I’m in a rush to get home today.”

“Uh…” Tarin said when Lee asked what he could afford for rent. “Hopefully one third of whatever you’re currently paying for rent?” That’s how things like this usually worked, wasn’t it?

“I could have gotten my own place a while back, I just haven’t because I don’t really need any more space.”

What was Lee getting at?

Regardless, Lee said she’d be willing to wait while he got ready. Tarin nodded, “Make yourself at home.” he said while he quickly gathered the things he’d need and proceeded to take that shower.

Lee nodded. She’d have to figure out if Tarin was going to see the actual amount for rent before she gave him an amount. It wasn’t as though she was going to say a number ridiculously less, but it also didn’t have to be exactly one third, either.

Then Tarin invited her to make herself at home as he got ready for a shower. Which is when it did sort of feel uncomfortable. From the moment she had first stepped foot back in the shop the other night, it had felt normal even with the amount of time that had passed. Was she supposed to have felt uncomfortable here before this? Like she wasn’t supposed to be there?

But by this time, Tarin was in the bathroom and Lee heard the shower turn on. It wouldn’t take him long, Lee knew, but long enough she’d get bored sitting there doing absolutely nothing. So she turned the TV on once again, sitting down on the bed as that was and always had been the best angle to watch it from.

Stifling another yawn, Lee decided that a little rest here wouldn’t be the worst thing while she waited. While the run had been great, it had definitely burned off a lot of what was left of her energy, and she hadn’t been around enough people to replenish it. So Lee laid down on the edge of the bed, and didn’t even realize as she watched the tv that she was slowly drifting to sleep.

It didn’t take Tarin all that long to shower, though after the rough night’s sleep and the long run, the hot water felt particularly good.

While he washed his hair, Tarin considered what had already happened this morning. He’d never told anyone what he’d shared with Lee in all the years since it had happened. It had never felt appropriate, or comfortable to do so and he hadn’t ever wanted anyone else to know about the things he’d gone through. Why had he told Lee so easily?

Why had it felt so good to talk about it all? Was it because he’d known deep down how she would react? Was it because now that he knew that there was someone who gave a shit, he suddenly wanted confirmation that they did?

It was weird. But he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially when the gift horse didn’t look anything like a horse and did this cute little thing with their bottom lip when they were thinking about something that made them worry.

That line of thinking wasn’t going to go anywhere constructive and Tarin turned the handle of the shower to cold for just a few seconds longer than necessary before turning the shower off all the way.

A few more minutes and he was out of the bathroom, having opted for casual shorts and a t-shirt that would make hauling things to his new place easier.

“We can head to th…” he said, stopping on approach to his room when he realized the TV was on and Lee was slumped over on the edge of the bed.

Worried for a second that she’d somehow misled him about her head injury, Tarin hurried over, reaching out with a thought to shake her and make sure everything was okay. He stopped just short of actual contact though, and just watched for a second.

She was asleep.

Maybe it was a little weird, but absent her notice Tarin took a minute to study Lee as she slept. When awake, Lee’s personality and presence made her seem much larger than she actually was. She looked so small and so relaxed, it was almost…cute.

Shaking his head at himself for being the kind of creep that watched another person sleep, Tarin padded over to his storage space and snagged a spare blanket. Shaking it out he draped it over Lee’s sleeping form and set about grabbing things and moving them to the front of the shop to be sorted and packed. There was no rush to get out and about, after all, and his stuff wasn’t going to pack itself.

Even as she was dozing off laying there on the bed, Lee didn’t consciously realize that she was falling asleep. She was tired, yes, but she wasn’t crashing.She was just…

Lee was simply tired and comfortable.

By the time that Tarin had finished his shower and left the bathroom, Lee was deep enough asleep that she didn’t hear him entering the room or speaking. She didn’t sense him getting closer to her as he hurried over to check on her. She didn’t realize that he stood there watching her as she slept

Not that he was the first Tarin Brooks to do so.

Though, when the blanket was draped over her, Lee did snuggle into it a bit and curled up tighter on the edge of the bed.

Even the noise of Tarin gathering things in order to pack, louder than he had been but still not loud, didn’t wake Lee.

The problem with sleep for Lee was that, while it was still an absolute necessity, at least once a week at any rate, sleeping never left her feeling rested or gave her more energy. As such, she never just woke up on her own. An alarm set to wake her up, and coffee ready beside her bed when she slept alone, were absolute necessities for her. Had she been awake, she would not have been able to remember a single time in the previous 25 years when she had woken up before her alarm went off unless it was another person who woke her.

But Lee had not planned to sleep here. She had not realized that she was doing more than just resting while Tarin was in the shower. So Lee hadn’t set an alarm on her phone. Hadn’t even thought to see if there was an alarm clock near the bed. And she didn’t have coffee set to be ready when she woke up.

And so, Lee continued to sleep.

Boy, Lee was really snoozing away in there, Tarin noted as he continued to move things out of the bedroom and into the shop so they could be packed. The problem was, he really didn’t have that much stuff and was therefore finished before Lee woke up from her little nap. It also wasn’t like he couldn’t come back here any time he wanted.

So with Lee still sleeping, the packing done, and Tarin ready to go…he realized he had nothing to do.

For the first time since this nightmare of a weekend had started, he was alone and conscious enough to think.

So he thought. And paced. And thought some more. Some of the thoughts were dark, but maybe not as dark as they could have been. Lee was obviously still worried about his mental state, but once the initial panic had worn off, once there was a better solution to the problem, Tarin hadn’t wanted to do anything drastic.

He had Lee to thank for that.

He had Lee to thank for a lot of things, which was its own messy little problem that he was going to have to figure out later. Not now. Later.

Tarin played on his phone for a while, made sure it was charged, and kept casting little glances in the direction where Lee was sleeping. She was tired…it would be wrong to wake her up, right?

Just about the time Tarin was thinking of going in to try and wake Lee up in the most non threatening way a person could wake up another person they didn’t know all that well possible…her phone rang. Hopefully that would solve the problem for him.