˖.𖥔 ݁ the DSS-01 ˖ ⊹ ࣪ ˖

Enjin'ssteps patter gently against the tiled marble floors that make up the Cleaners Headquarters. His hand, thick-fingered, tattooed, and manicured, lazily rubs a soft towel against his golden locks. He can faintly smell the soap that'd been rinsed off minutes earlier. His eyelids lower exhaustedly as he's soothed by the soft scent. In all honesty, after the whole ordeal with Amo — specifically, her jinki, followed by Rudo beating the shit out of her — Vandals trying to take down the HQ, and the whole artificial trash beast debacle with the rookies of the Raiders... he was damn ready to catch some shuteye. Despite this fact, his feet weren't moving to his room.

Rather, he was moving to Kavra's.

He nearly walks past her door in his haze, but he quickly shuffles back and raps his knuckles against the door. He drapes the towel over his shoulders as he waits, listening in for footsteps. After a few fleeting moments, the door creaks open, just enough that he can see Kavra's head. Her bronze skin, hazel eyes, and, oh— her hair! It's actually tied up for once, so he can clearly see the pale blonde that's usually hidden beneath layers of cobalt. He quickly shakes himself out of his little trance again, just in time to hear what she says.

“Evenin’.. I thought you'd be sleeping already,”Kavra greets, raising a brow.

“I wanted to check in. I didn't get to debrief witcha, so I figured I'd do it now.”

“Thanks for worrying, Captain, but I'm alright. Really,” A smile finds a way onto her lips, but it feels stiffer than her tone. She swings the door closed, but Enjin quickly jams his foot between it and the doorframe. He nearly yelps at the pressure.

“Ah bup-bup-bup-bup–bup–bup–bup—bup.. Hold it.”

Enjin swings the door open, caging her in. His arms stretch upwards, hands gripping the doorframe. His sweatshirt, a loose-fitting, deep maroon item, hides his figure just enough to leave some things to the imagination. Damp blond hair falls into his eyes once again, causing him to bring a hand down to push the locks back with his fingers working as a comb. He leans in, staring right into her eyes.

“I can tell when my team is off, Kav. Just what's on that mind of yours, pretty girl?” He croons, trying to keep his voice from echoing down the hall. Kavra's eyebrow twitches. She opens her mouth for just a moment, but she closes it as she drifts into thought. Eventually, she speaks up.

“I'm worried.”

“Worried? ‘Bout what?”

“I just.. Everything, really.”

“You don't have anything to be worried about. You're with me now.”

“Yeah, well. You're not the most responsible captain that I know.”

“Oh, c'mon.. I'm trying to be supportive here,” Enjin facepalms, earning a low chuckle from Kavra. That brings a smile to his face as he peeks at her through his fingers, but he quickly straightens himself.

“Can I come in? I want to talk to you.”

“It's already pretty late.”

“I know, but you're the only person I didn't speak to yet, and now I'm really rarin’ to go because of...” He vaguely gestures at her, “...this.”

Kavra's eyebrows knit together, assessing the moment between the two of them. Enjin sweats a bit, worried that she'll just decline his request like usual, but he's delightfully surprised when—

“Fine. Come in,” Kavra sighs, stepping aside to allow him in. He hums as he shuffles in past her, coming to a halt near her bedside. Behind him, Kavra shuts the door with a soft click before turning to face him. Her expression is unusually sheepish as she stares at him for a second. However, it melts away as her eyes scan his awkward stance. Their eyes meet, holding one another; brown against yellow, confused against embarrassed. Her vs. Him.

“So,” Enjin finally breathes, placing his hands in his pockets, “What's up with your face?” Kavra raises a brow at this, unamused. “Oh, uh, not like that. You just—”

“You can siddown,” Kavra offers pleasantly, but it sounds more like a command.

“...Yes, ma'am.” He slides down to rest on the edge of her bed, an arm holding him up. She doesn't join him, however. Instead, she stalks her way to him, crossing her arms under her chest as she stands in front of him.

“Alright, spill.”

“I don't know how to say it,” Kavra starts, avoiding eye contact. “It's about.. everything. I don't want the Raiders to take Rudo—”

“—I thought you didn't like him?”

“..What gave you that idea?”

He shrugs, but waves his hand flippantly for her to continue.

“Well. I don't wan'em to take him, but I feel like ’m not strong enough to protect him on my own. Just having him be by himself was worryin’.”

Enjin nods thoughtfully, eyebrows furrowed as he takes her words in. He understands her worries, but not why they're there in the first place. They're in this together now, so why? His eyes flick back up to her as she continues, eyes tracing her like a stencil. She's curled inward on herself now, fingers plucking at a loose thread on her shirt. He's never seen Kavra, the Kavra Vemant, be this nervous — especially with her usual coolheaded demeanor.

“I feel horrible about.. everything. I should've seen Delmon bring up his hose, and I defin’ly could've ridden C.C. up that trash slide," Her words begin to quicken, almost sticking together like paste, "I'm nowhere near capable of fightin’ as well as the rest of Akuta is, and I've been here for years. The only thing ‘m good for is hand-to-hand, but in a world like this, it doesn't mean anyth—”

“Kavra,” Enjin's voice nearly booms in the small room, causing Kavra to flinch in surprise. “None of that is your fault. You couldn't have told whether any of that was gonna happen, yeah? Can't help that. Sure, C.C. can't attack like my Umbreaker does, but ya gotta hear me: makin’ roads for us to safely travel on, all on your lonesome, is more important than combat could ever be.”

Kavra's knees nearly melt on the spot, and she collapses onto her bed, sitting next to him. She looks on, staring at her wall, while Enjin turns his head to watch her reaction. His thigh brushes hers, brief, and he worries she'll suddenly snap on him. To his surprise, she doesn't pull away. She doesn't even still. Instead, she leans into it with a sigh. “I feel... less than. Make too many mistakes.”

“Are you kiddin’? If anything, I make more. If you're the pinnacle of failure, then I'm a full-on shitshow.”

She chuckles at that, finally looking at him. She tilts her head slightly, smiling at him. Even in the dim of her bedroom, her brown skin glows beautifully, and the crinkle in her eyes accentuates the rarity of this specific smile. “You're not half bad at this comforting thing, Enjin.”

He lets out a whoop at that, throwing his arms into the air. “We gots a namedrop, people! Feelin’ better, gorgeous?” He bumps his shoulder against hers, grinning widely enough that his dimples pop out. She laughs again, louder this time but with the rasp of her usual tone, “Yes, a bit. Thank you. For real.” They sit in silence for a handful of stretched out moments, sometimes breaking into laughter as they gaze at each other's faces. At some point, they completely press their sides together, getting closer and closer.

Enjin's eyes grow lidded, and he combs a few locks of hair away from his face to get a better look at her. He leans his head down, a bit hesitant, and presses a kiss to Kavra's waiting lips. He goes for it a few times over, growing more relaxed with every soft sound. He hasn't felt this nervous about kissing since he was young — too young to have known about more serious things like comforting and courting — but his hands become clammy regardless. Eventually, he stops pulling away, instead fully planting his lips against hers, a groan or two escaping him.

Kavra curls her arms underneath his, hands wandering beneath his shirt tracing shapes on his inked skin. It nearly sends a shiver down his spine, and, to distract himself, brings a hand up to rest at the back of her head, the other holding her hip as he rubs soft circles against her skin. Both can barely breathe. Yet neither pull away. They nearly let their tongues meet, lips barely opening. However, before it happens to get to that point, Kavra finally lets up. She pants lightly, resting her forehead against his as she gives him one last smooch.

“Yeah. You're gettin’ really good at comforting now.”

Kavra kills C.C.'s engine as she parks, the hum slowing to a purr and then a full halt. Enjin grins as he eyes her up and down, arms spreading wide but lazily in greeting. Umbreaker's handle twirls on two of his fingers, weighing his right arm slightly downward. “Well, if it isn't my favorite lady... How you doin’?” His smirk widens enough to show a hint of his teeth.

Kavra has no outward reaction, her face covered by the visor of her helmet. However, she nudges the kickstand forward, allowing her to reach up for the helmet. She slides the gear off, holding it against her hip as she shakes out her hair, roughly enough that the ash blonde hidden under her hair is clearly visible, but — somehow — elegantly enough that Enjin is stunlocked by her flowing blue locks. Various strands of hair stick up in different directions, affected by the humidity within her helmet. To top it off, she drags a hand into the front of her hair, pushing her bangs back with a weary sigh.

“Peachy. Missed you,” Kavra smiles at him, leaning on the handlebars of her motorcycle.

“..Yeah. Missed you too,” Enjin wheezes, his throat suddenly dry.