[PRP] Midnight Snack [Jeremiah/Cass]

[demon_pachabel]

It wouldn't be the first time Cass had helpfully sent off a text to at least warn Jeremiah that his kitchen was about to be invaded by the strange food vagrant who wandered through on occasion.

azuredreams

To: Solarius

I'm just sneaking by for something I left in your fridge, no need to come down with a gun blazing if you hear me.

Cass really hoped it wouldn't wake him if he was sleeping as she tapped the back lock of the door, waiting a moment as it 'clicked' open silently (she was really appreciating that trick) before she pushed the door in. Maybe she should have sent it before she'd gotten in her car, but there was something about late night studying (her nutrition book was tucked under one arm, set on the counter as she walked by). She passed a quick glance into the living room where she usually found Jeremiah when she dropped by and he was to be found before opening the fridge.

There were exactly 4 containers in it with her name written on the side of them. One was a styrofoam container of soup which she pulled out along with a second containing the noodles that went with it (one did not reheat Rice noodles). Maybe she should have gone home with it, but Cass figured as long as she rinsed out the bowl when she was done, Jeremiah wouldn't mind if she just...sat at his counter in the dark eating reheated Pho and squinting at the pages of her book.

She was going to ruin her eyes that way.  

[azuredreams]

There was no response to text, not considering the time (he had seen the message, of course), but there was sound of movement in the house. It was never easy freeing himself from the bedroom but he did so with a quiet yawn and padded down the stairs after tugging on a cardigan from the sweater chair.

Hellbine ended up joining him, so it was two pairs of reflective eyes that were peering at Cass in the dark of the kitchen. It was especially odd given that Hellbine was perched on his shoulders.

"You know," he said with a yawn that was smothered behind a hand, "you're going to ruin your eyes that way."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

If she was startled, Cass didn't actually jump in her seat. She looked up slowly to be greeted back by the shine of two sets of eyes. One was very small, so she had to guess that wasn't Algie. At least it didn't seem like it. Unless weird things had happened and she hadn't noticed.

"Then maybe you'll help me get cool ones without ending up in weird prisons," she said with a slight smile. "I didn't want to bother anybody by turning on the lights." Cass said after banging around in the kitchen (okay, she'd been fairly quiet). "Did I wake you?"

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Jeremiah went to the wall, flipping the switch. The room would be illuminated gradually, a slow process that wouldn't immediately blind him because it went from dark to bright and hurt his eyes. Hellbine hopped off of his shoulder to the ground, going to hop up onto a stool and curl up.

"Mm, it could happen without the weird prisons." A pause. "Though technically his eye shine wasn't because of prison but because he was an Alpha Furyan." What? He knew his movies sometimes (most of the time). In the light, Jeremiah's hair was mussed with sleep.

"I usually wake up a few times during the night," replied Jeremiah, though his most likely to wake up time was still four am, "and saw that I had a message." He was moving about the kitchen, clearly on a mission for some kind of warm drink.

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass blinked into the lights as they slowly came on, gently pushing her book away to shove some of the noodles from her Pho into her mouth he corrected the prison statement. She shrugged as she chewed, only responding once her mouth was clear of her soup-needs. "I know. I made my follow up to that reference when we started it," she said with a teasing tone of voice.

It was strange to see him not kept up, his hair messed and looking more tired than she was sure most people got to see him. Cass may have felt a little bit special.

She reached over to offer Hellbine scritches as Jeremiah began his own kitchen searching. "Well, as long as I didn't wake you. I'd feel bad if you were up on my accord." And why was Cass up when a girl like her should have been sleeping so she wouldn't be a work zombie the next day?

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Not awake," Jeremiah replied, fingers flicking over his shoulder. He still favored his one leg but the bruising was fading away to ugly yellows and greens. Not awake was obviously the reason why he was repeating info. "Lucky I'm even conversing. That usually takes two cups of tea and a bite of food."

She definitely was catching sight of a Jeremiah most did not get to see. "I'm definitely not. It's ... just a bit of residual from a last year." His shoulders rolled, pulling at the muscles and making them loosen but the faint sting of pain prevailed regardless. He glanced towards her while he was pulling down things for some kind of cocoa mix. "Studying?"

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Well, your sleepwalking is very convincing," she teased before more Pho went in her mouth. Cass was not a graceful eater when she wasn't eating with company. Sure Jeremiah was there, but somehow she doubted he was going to critique her on her soup-slurping-form at dark-o-clock in the morning.

She looked down at her book when he pointed it out, nodding slowly. "Yeah, basic nutrition stuff. I figure if I can't even handle a nutrition certification, I definitely shouldn't try to do something as in depth as college." Though the book was rather hefty and the page she was on was detailing the benefits of a diet with liver in it.

"I'm used to going to sleep late and after a certain point my usual phone company is asleep, so it seemed like a good time." either she'd get some reading done, or she'd fall asleep with her face in a book.

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

Another time Jeremiah might have chided on manners but it was late and he was not really fully paying attention anyway.

Things pulled down, he paused to come and look at what she was reading before making a face.

"A liver diet, really ..." He shook his head. "You are right, however, about testing yourself this way. Good way to judge if college will be a good fit." A breath escaped. "I admit that internet classes helped me greatly, however, as I did not always have the time to get to a physical class with work." Once they were a thing, of course. Jeremiah was usually taking at least one class a year (more if he could swing it).

His lips twitched about phone company. "I admittedly get up and clean or play a game if I can sleep at night. Something mind numbing. The last vestiges of the night owl I once was."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Liver is...liver is liver. I've eaten it. I wasn't impressed and I didn't exactly feel like I was the most nutritionally elevated after it." She also had never eaten it again, so the page had mostly been skimmed with half interest. Most people would choose flavor before health. Hell, she'd drink the whole bottle of balsamic vinegar alone so maybe she wasn't the best judge of what a normal person would do.

"I don't think I can take culinary classes online, though..." yet as she spoke, her phone popped up and she was obviously consulting with the great overlord of search browsers. "Huh. Apparently I lied," she muttered to herself. "Certifications, yeah, but that's kinda...it's cooking. Not like I'm trying to open a place in France...."

"Well, I'd do that but my video games are at work. I just turn the TV on and let The Shawshank Redemption play in the background. I don't think I've actually seen the end of it. But this also works since," she paused to yawn, "I need to do it anyways."

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"Algie likes it," Jeremiah chuckled, "but it's not something I particularly enjoy." That or gizzards. He just could not do the taste. More so after what had happened in the past year.

Turning back, he turned on the stove to warm up some milk while she looked over the culinary class options. "Mm, everything is online now. Though sometimes I wonder about the validity of the certifications with some of the sites ..." Mostly those ones where you had to pause and go 'is this really even- no, it's probably a scam'.

"Part of me wants to admit that you're not missing out on anything with the end of that movie but the other part of me wants to admit that I am certain that I fall asleep if I have it on." His lips twitched in amusement. "Besides, always helps to have a bit of noise or distraction while working on something. At least, in my experience."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Then if I ever have to make it, I'll make it for Algie if he'll accept a less talented cook making him dinner." She quietly underlined a few sentences in her book then yawned. Hoo boy, Cass was pretty sure at this point she was going to end up sleeping on Jeremiah's couch. At least she was fairly certain a tired Cass wasn't going to be allowed to drive home.

"Well, I read the book and it's fairly good. I just get to about....ehhh..." she tilted her head from side to side as she thought, "Solitary Confinement and then I sort of doze off." Really it was probably around 'Oh sad, the old man hung himself, that's tragic and really true' where her brain really shut off in the movie. "So the ending is nice, just at 2 in the morning, focusing on anything without moving will put me out."

Sometimes moving would also put her out. Zzzz.

"I think trying to focus on one thing too hard is a sure way to make your brain just turn off entirely."

Azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

"The way to Algie's heart," said Jeremiah lightly, "is through his stomach." That amused smile was there for a moment. "Though I usually give people hell for taking advantage of that, I will not do so if you want to make some liver meal for Alg to try out." Mostly Jeremiah got a little tetchy about people making his husband baked goods as if they were trying to bargain or curry favor with him.

It put him on edge.

The yawn had him shaking his head, Jeremiah shrugging off his cardigan and dropping it around Cass's shoulders. It was, oddly enough, warm but it was mostly done as it was clear Cass was probably going to crash at some point on the couch. "I don't think I make it that far, though I will admit that I'm not sure I've ever watched Fantasia all the way through. That movie, no matter what the time, always seems to make me doze off."

His shoulders rolled, the bruising on his body more obvious without the cardigan - especially that around his heart - and, when he turned back to the stove to turn it off as the milk was heated, the icy scarring along his spine was visible as well.

"I suppose it's the opposite for me. Whenever I focus on one task, I find myself unable to sleep. I have to over tax my brain into exhaustion to trick it into sleeping sometimes." He paused, pouring milk into a glass. "Don't suppose you want some of this? Not sure it would go with pho ..."

You never knew though ...

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

Cass practically melted into the cardigan. It was warm but it was also that it smelled like someone she trusted so much that just eased her further into relaxation. It was a strange feeling, for certain, but it was nice to be indulging it a little bit.

"Well, it isn't like I get anything in particular for trying to be friendly with the family. He puts up with me constantly as it is," what a trooper. Cass had...done her best to put aside the knot in her gut that had been firmly wound up there from a single time of throwing humor into her system. It had been a positive emotion, but it had still been.........something she needed to work out. It helped that Algernon was a good guy, so she at least put a little extra effort in.

"The last bit is fascinating to me, but I think it's the music that would do that one for me." She tilted her head a bit as Jeremiah spoke, 'hmmm'ing thoughtfully. "I see. I bore my brain into exhaustion. If I give it too much to focus on I go into uh..." oh boy, how did she explain this, "A half-wake feverish hallucinatory episode that usually involves some inanimate object as the center of it that lasts way too long and then I usually make myself sick in the process....."

That was extremely specific.

She looked at what Jeremiah was pouring when he asked if she'd like some. "I usually have a sweet milk-based tea with my Pho when I dine in, actually. Thai Tea is...about the sweetness I can handle if I tell them to not put whip cream on it." Cass: the girl who didn't eat chocolate. (Well, Milk Chocolate, anyways).

azuredreams

 

[azuredreams]

It wasn't as if Jeremiah begrudged or did not understand her unease. After all, having one's emotions (or mind) messed with without warning was not something easy to deal with. "Alg is a saint for dealing with me alone," he snorted, "but you'll gain something if you make him a nice liver meal."

He nodded in agreement about the last part of Fantasia. "I ended up, once youtube really got going, watching it online. Just not more than that. I didn't want to tempt fate to find out which exact portion makes me sleepy." Not that he was not giving Cass a very particular look for that oddly specific description. "Somehow, I feel like there's a story there and it's a very interesting story."

Pausing, he glanced down at what he had gathered and nodded at what she said. "I think I can manage something like that, though I do wonder why everyone insists upon adding sweetness to everything. I would say that sugar is like spice, adding too much can ruin a drink but then I think sugar, in general, ruins drinks."

demon_pachabel

 

[demon_pachabel]

"Not too sweet for me. I'm just saying milk isn't actually bad with Pho flavor wise," Cass nodded, "no need for uh..too much on top. I actually have pretty good teeth despite not seeing a dentist for six years and I'd like to keep them that way."

The comment about her very exact description caused her to sigh, leaning onto the counter as she prepared herself to relive this moment in her life: "About four years ago, I was spending the night at my at-the-time beau's house and he had a cat. Darling little thing that wanted to be the little spoon no matter which side I was laying on. Anyways, I can't remember why I was so hyper-focused on this cat...but I was really focused on this cat. I think I was ignoring a stomach ache...and part way through the night, I curled up at the foot of the bed with this cat, petting it, and convincing myself somehow if I managed to channel all of the energy in the universe into this cat - her name was Meeko, by the way - we'd be able to keep it from destroying the world. I was informed the next morning that I just kept mumbling 'Energy reservoir cat will save us all'."

She was sure that Hellbine would have loved to be the new Energy Reservoir Cat if it meant getting pets all night. Maybe.

"I've...done it more since then, so it's apparently a thing I do. It is a mystery."

azuredreams