It's late morning on the day after the wedding. Yesterday's nice weather has given way to gray skies and growing winds. The local radio station says the Foundation monitoring station suspects a snowstorm within the next two days. Vasquez is still asleep, but she's stirring anxiously, as is all too common, uneasy mumbles under her breath as she turns.
#RedrockAgency – November 25, 2017
Jason has slept soundly through the night for once. He shifts in bed a bit before his eyes finally blink open. As he looks to Vasquez, a small smile tugs at his lips. He remains motionless for a few minutes, simply watching her as he clears the sleep from his head. Her tossing and turning has grown from an irritating habit that once kept him up at night to a comforting reminder that she's beside him. Not that he ever had much
room to complain. He's not exactly a sound sleeper himself. Not wanting to wake her, he leans over and presses a gentle kiss against the side of her head before attempting to silently climb out of bed.
Vasquez seems to briefly settle down after the kiss, a louder mumble followed by a hand reaching out for Jason's half of the bed, pulling back when she can't find him. A grunt and a grimace follows before her eyes open with a series of blinks, the stirring coming to a stop as she starts looking blurrily around.
Jason glances back over his shoulder from his perch at the edge of his side of the bed. "G'morning." he offers in a half-asleep groan as he realizes his moving may have awoken Vasquez. "Sorry. Was trying to let you sleep in..." he adds, one eye clasped shut tightly as his eyes work to adapt to the small amount of light coming in through the window.
Vasquez gains a small smile when she spots Jason, still blinking tiredly as she scoots closer until she can press her palm against his back, eyes closing again. She attempts to reply, but her 'Morning' turns into a sleepy "Mmm...", her hand stroking lazily up and down his back.
Jason hunches forward, synthetic forearms against his knees as Vasquez' hand moves across his back. He seems to be in no rush to move, still attempting to wake from his half-asleep daze. He gives a few more blinks before closing his eyes entirely for the time being. "...You sleep alright?"
Vasquez ' immediate response is a grunted agreement, but after a short while her eyes open, her gaze travelling across Jason's back. Her hand follows, coming to rest near one of his many scars, thumb brushing slowly back and forth across it. "Had the strangest dream..." she says with a small grin, not lifting her head from the pillow.
Jason's gaze remains downward, eyes closed. Simply enjoying the touch against his back. "Hmmm?" he hums, briefly angling his head to his side.
Vasquez prods Jason lightly. "Mm. There was this wedding, with this amazing man, a big celebration, and... for once, in a never-ending rain of bullshit I actually looked forward to the future." She pauses, furrowing her eyebrows slightly. "Not sure I've woken up yet..." she adds, hints of her smile lingering as she looks at him, far too comfortable under the covers to consider an attempt to get up.
Jason gives a short snicker as he listens. "Careful. That almost sounded like optimism." he teases. After a moment's pause, he looks back over his shoulder, lopsided smirk crossing his face. "It was a pretty damn good day, wasn't it?"
Vasquez ' gaze travels to meet Jason's when he looks back at her, her smile growing. "It was." she agrees with a nod before slipping her arm around Jason's waist and using her grip to pull herself over and plant a kiss against his side before returning her head to the pillow, hand lingering on his far side as her arm pulls back.
Jason uses Vasquez' new position to lean back, planting one hand against the bed on the opposite side of her so he's leaning over her slightly. He looks down at her, studying her face through his lopsided grin. "It's not over yet." he says, "As soon as people start clearing out? You and me are getting the hell out of here for a few days. No work. No stress. Just you and me." he reminds. "...Right?" he adds, worried that her
Vasquez turns over to her back as Jason leans over her, smile still on her face as she looks up at him, sleepiness lingering. "Just you and me." she repeats, her hand going back to brushing across his back. "Haven't forgotten." she says, snickering slightly.
Jason gives a couple of small nods, repositioning his hand a bit so he can lean over and press a quick kiss against Vasquez' lips. "Good." he says as he props himself up over her. "Was worried I might have to drag you kicking and screaming." he adds with a chuckle.
Vasquez rolls her eyes, grinning. "I think we've earned a break." she says quietly. "I'm sure Ilyna can keep the base from burning to the ground for a few days..."
Jason gives another few nods. "As much as I love this place, it's gonna be nice to get away from it for a few days." he admits, despite his somewhat limited role in anything that doesn't involve firing a weapon. Pretending to do work is a hard job. "Just... sit back. Relax in an expensive hotel room... And have you all to myself." he says.
Vasquez chuckles under her breath, her grin growing as she lifts her free hand to Jason's neck, thumb brushing softly across his skin. She seems quite content to just consider the near future for a time, but after a little while of just looking at him she scoots up slightly in the bed, withdrawing the hand on Jason's back and using it to prop herself up a little as she lifts her head to press her lips softly against
Jason leans in a bit to meet Vasquez half-way. He wraps his free arm around her when she props herself up to help support her as their lips meet. Eyes closed, he presses his forehead against hers once the kiss is broken, big goofy grin crossing his lips as the fact that they're actually married continues to amaze him.
Vasquez ' grin returns as soon as the kiss breaks. She only remains this way for a moment before following up with a series of slow, soft kisses going from Jason's lips to his neck. The tender moment is rather abruptly interrupted by a grimace and a groan through gritted teeth, followed by a sudden shove to try and get Jason off of her. "O-.. ookay, move. Out of the-... I gotta-... bathroom." she blurts out as she tries
Jason is caught off guard by the sudden shove, nearly causing him to slip off the edge of the bed. "Wha-... I do-... Ohhhh. Round trip ticket on the puke train?" he asks as he scurries to get out of the way, arms suddenly raising to his sides when he stands up as if prepping to do-... something? To help? Of course there's not much he can do, so he just stands awkwardly to the side of the bed.
Vasquez entirely ignores Jason, hurrying out of bed as soon as she manages to push past him. Something halfway between a groan and a growl sounds in response to his questions. That's the only answer he gets before she locks herself in the bathroom. There's a brief period of silence before unpleasant noises start to follow.
Jason remains in place, simply watching as Vasquez storms out of the room. And there he remains as the door closes behind her. "You alr-..." he begins to say before interrupted by the noises. He winces, giving a series of nods to himself. "Yep. Yep. Definitely on the puke train." he says quickly to himself. "Uhh-... You-... You good...?" he calls out, taking a few steps closer to the door, wincing each time she's heard.
Jason folds his arms across his chest as he leans against the wall just outside of the bathroom, gaze low. He opens his mouth to speak, but thinks better of it and simply waits. Eventually, he gives a small knock against the door. "Everything under control in there...?" he asks with another wince, unsure of what, exactly, he should be doing in a situation like this.
Jason gives a single nod. "Yep. Yep. Going away. Just gonna-..." he nods towards the other door, "...Go drain the snake in the locker room." With a sigh he takes a step away from the door. "You just-... Keep doing your thing. Take your time." As he nears the door, he considers something, giving a glance back towards the bathroom. "Hey, we've still got a fuck ton of food left. You want me to grab something for you...? Maybe some
varren kebab...?" he offers, assuming that might lift her mood without considering that the mention of food right now might just further upset the situation.
A rather miserable-sounding groan sounds almost immediately in response to Jason's question. Hasty shuffling noises and an attempt at speech follows, but what exactly the words were intended to be will remain a mystery, as Vasquez is immediately interrupted by more hurling.
Jason seems to realize his mistake just a moment too late and shuts his eyes tightly as the groans begin again. "Going!" he says loudly, deciding to skip repantsing himself and just make the journey to the locker room in his boxer-briefs.
The evidence of the wedding reception is quite visible throughout the base, although the corridor has little to show aside from a few dropped pieces of kebab along one wall, and some sticky stains of spilled drink. Decorations and uneaten food linger in the hangar, glimpsed from the corridor. There's going to be a lot of cleanup to handle.
Vasquez decides to go right for the shower after brushed teeth and several glasses of water, the sound of streaming water sounding through the locked door.
The lingering chill of the winter night can be felt throughout the base, few rooms kept as warm as their residence.
Jason isn't too concerned with the mess. That's Jasper-work. The chill, however, puts a little pep in his step, eager to get back to the warmth of their room ASAP. As he reaches the locker room, he gives a double take as he passes a mirror. Stopping in front of the mirror, he gives a quick glance around to make sure nobody else is in the room. "Why hello, handsome." he says, giving himself a wink. He flexes his shoulders,
Jasper steps out from behind the lockers, blinking a few times as he catches sight of Jason. He clears his throat loudly to announce his presence. "...Mornin'." he offers. "Careful. I jus' cleaned them mirrors." he adds as he backs around the room, dragging the mop behind him.
Jason startles, giving a loud: "Morning Jasper!" as he turns bright red and stomps off to one of the bathroom stalls. "Later Jasper!" is all he manages on his way out. The old man's snickering does little to ease his embarrassment as he hurries back to his and Vasquez' room.
Jason is still bright red, immediately closing the door behind once he re-enters their room. He places his hands on his hips, frown crossing his face. It takes a moment before his attention focuses back on the bathroom door and he lets out a deep sigh as he approaches it again. He gives a couple taps of his synthetic knuckles against the door. "You good, Linda?" he asks, pleased to be hearing the sound of running water rather
Vasquez offers no immediate reply to Jason, and it almost seems like she didn't hear him, but then the water turns off, and a little while later the door opens. She's standing just inside, wearing one towel and using another to pat her hair. "Wonderful..." she belatedly replies with a sigh, a drained look on her face despite the attempt at a refreshing shower.
Jason gives a shrug of his shoulders as he leans against the doorway. "Seems like we've got a hellraiser on our hands." he smirks, his gaze briefly dropping to her belly. Realizing he's probably not helping the situation, he gives an uncomfortable chuckle that ends in a drawn out sigh as he rubs at the back of his neck. "...Sorry. I-... If there's anything I can do just...." he trails off, allowing the implied offer to hang.
Vasquez lets out a quiet grunt as she passes by Jason, still patting her hair with the towel. "You wanna trade?" she mutters on her way to the dresser, collecting some clean clothes before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, continuing to dry her hair instead of getting dressed right away.
Jason folds his arms across his chest, remaining in place against the doorway. He considers the question for a moment, brow furrowed. "Hmmm. No. No, not particularly." he decides. "But if you need some backup holding your hair while you puke your guts out? I'm your man." he says through his smirk, giving himself a pat on the chest.
Vasquez puts the hair towel down against the bed. "Mm. Thanks." she says, flashing a sarcastic smile of appreciation with a glance his way before turning her attention away again, unwrapping the towel around her and starting to put on the underwear she took out of the dresser.
Jason gives a: "Anytime." before falling silent, simply watching Vasquez as she gets dressed. With a deep breath, he cocks a thumb towards the shower. "Guess I'm up." he says as he backs into the bathroom. "I'll leave the door open in case you need to-..." he brings both hands up to his throat and sticks his tongue out, "...you know." He gives a wink before disappearing into the bathroom. Only a few moments pass before the
Vasquez only lets out a quiet grumble in reply to Jason, continuing to get dressed once he's gone. Tank top. Military pants. Boots. Seemingly not in the mood for her more official outfit. Not like she has to meet anyone anyway. She moves onto brushing her hair, and once she's done she leans back, lying down with feet still planted on the floor, staring up at the ceiling with her hands intertwined on her belly.
Jason remains in the shower for a while before exiting in a towel. "So... What's the plan for today?" he asks as he spots Vasquez on the bed. He puts his back to her as he moves over to the closet to get dressed. Just as fashionable as his wife, he gathers a long-sleeved white shirt, a pair of black military pants, and his boots.
Vasquez gives a small shrug, her gaze briefly following Jason as he heads for the closet, but then goes back to the ceiling. "Won't lie... right now? Not feeling all that motivated." she says with a quiet grunt. "Think I'm gonna have a word with the doc."
Jason glances back over his shoulder, giving a short nod. "...Yeah. Alright." he agrees. "Is Halisi gonna be in today or were you thinking of heading down to the hospital...?" he pries.
Vasquez furrows her eyebrows as she thinks, staring at the ceiling's hologram projector. "Uh... I don't-... shit. She's got the day off. Because of the wedding."
Jason frowns, giving a couple of nods. "....Everything alright...?" he asks, a bit of concern creeping into his voice as he tugs his pants on. "...I mean-... Everything feels normal, yeah? Just some morning sickness?"
Vasquez lifts her upper body back into a sitting position, letting out a quiet grunt. "How the fuck am I supposed to know? You think I've done this before?" she snaps, her expression making clear how stupid she thinks the question is.
Jason blinks a couple of times at her outburst. "...Right." he says simply in a mutter as he moves on to his shirt. Mood swings. He bites his tongue for a moment, allowing a bit of silence to pass before he scoops up his boots and moves over to sit at the edge of the bed as he puts them on. "Well-..." he grunts as he tugs his boot on, "...like I said, my schedule is free today." He forces a smile Vasquez' way, hoping to calm
Vasquez frowns, opening her mouth to say something, but quickly shutting it again and nodding a few times. "I-... yeah. Alright." she agrees, running a hand through her hair and letting out a frustrated sigh, shaking her head before reaching for the nightstand, grabbing a hair tie and getting to work on her usual ponytail without saying anything else.
Jason remains silent, simply focusing on getting his boots laced up. Once finished, he climbs to his feet and glances Vasquez' way. "See?" he asks, giving himself a nod as his smirk returns, "...I got this whole 'husband with a pregnant wife' shit locked down." He does his best to keep the mood light. Although any worry is most likely unfounded, that fact isn't really easing his concerns right now. This is all new and uncharted
Vasquez looks over at Jason as he stands up, hearing his words actually causing a small smirk to cross her lips, a quiet snort sounding as some of her frustration is diffused. She stands up, giving another small shake of her head before she passes him on her way out of the room. Inevitable concern may linger, but Jason's apparent confidence is an important comfort.