thirteen things | e. jaeger

10. Sleep Under the Stars

a/n: guys i'm really sorry if you're confused about some of the stuff but you're SUPPOSED to be confused. it will all be explained eventually but for now just roll with it and know that if you don't recognize something, it's probably part of the stuff I made up 😋

"I think we're going to have to break out the big guns today," you muttered as you yawned, the night of no sleep beginning to catch up with you.

"What do you mean?" Kruger said. You walked to your kitchen in a daze, opening and closing cabinets until you found what you were looking for.

"Coffee. I'm going to need it to stay awake," you said, beginning to make some. You didn't really like the bitter drink, but if you didn't have some, you would likely pass out.

"I see," he said.

"Want some?" you said. The ex-soldier nodded, though he did not seem at all tired. You supposed he was used to staying awake the entire night. Most soldiers were.

"Where is your bathroom? I'd like to shower," he said. You pointed down the hall.

"First door on the right. You can use my stuff if you want, I don't really mind. Do you need help with your bandages?" you said. He shook his head.

"I will be alright," he said.

"If you say so. Leave your clothes outside, I'll wash them for you," you said before downing the coffee you had just made, feeling the caffeine rush through your head and fill your body with energy once again. Shaking yourself out and changing into a skirt and shirt, you took your laundry and Kruger's clothes, tossing them into the wash bucket full of soap and water before using the scrub board to clean them.

Laundry was a mindless chore, and though it was tedious, you found you didn't mind doing it. It was a nice way to take your mind off of the things that were constantly racing through it. Doing laundry made you feel like a normal person doing normal tasks, not a hardened Warrior candidate who was a weapon of Marley.

Rinsing the clothes out, you hung them on the line to dry. It was sunny out today, and you had a feeling they'd be done in about twenty minutes. Judging by his physical handicaps, it would take Kruger a while to get clean, so you didn't worry about him not having clothes to change into, though if it came down to it, he could always borrow the many things Colt had left at your house.

The shower was still running when you returned inside, just as you had thought, and you reached into your medicine cabinet to get a fresh roll of bandages before knocking on the door of the bathroom.

"I'm leaving a new bandage for your eye outside, alright? Let me know if you need help putting it on. I'm not squeamish – I've been on the field of war, I'm certain I've seen worse," you said, hoping he could hear you over the water. There was no response, so you shrugged and went to the kitchen to eat some toast for lunch.

Bringing the clothes in, you folded yours and put them away in your closet before placing Kruger's next to the bandage roll. Feeling productive from the coffee buzzing through your veins, you began to sweep. It had been a while since you had cleaned. Your parents would be disappointed.

"You have awful sweeping technique," Kruger commented. You hadn't noticed him coming out of the shower, and you startled before glaring at him. His hair was still damp, the new bandage expertly wrapped around his missing eye.

"Since when are you the authority on sweeping?" you said, flicking the last bit of dust into the pile you had made and using the dustpan to gather it and dump it into the trash.

"I was pretty good at it when I was younger. Well, I had to be. My commanding officer was pretty strict about things like that," he said.

"Really? How odd. Who was your CO? I probably know them," you said, wondering which of the Marleyans was a closet germaphobe.