#honestly i actually think ultimately this is more toxic than if he'd just forced kaz to do everything

[bardofavon]

I know everything's about to go horribly wrong - again - but I have to ask. After all their conversations in the dark, did the Darkling ever plan to let Kaz sleep in a different bed again, even after they got back? Or has he filed it under 'this is an intimacy I really like therefore will continue having regardless what Kaz wants' like on one hand I suspect the Darkling will value his own bedroom/comfort/privacy more, on the other I think there's a part of his brain that reallllllyyyy likes having him this close and intimate - like a real couple almost! - and thinks he can just keep that forever regardless of the whole enslavement-plan thing. Oops Kaz you don't get your own room ever again sorry. At least I got you some nice sea whip bracelets to make up for it?

Complicated question with a complicated answer, as most are with these two. The short answer is "the Darkling will never force Kaz into intimacy against his will because it is something he needs organically" but the long answer is....

....? yes ??? god, he's such a fucking trainwreck of a lover coasting by on "well TECHNICALLY" to continue being correct in his own mind no matter the circumstances.

Honestly, even in their current arrangements if Kaz one day was like "I don't want this anymore, I want to sleep in a bunk in a room with everyone else" or "i would rather sleep alone by myself on a life raft in the ocean" the Darkling would say "okay" and grumpily respect that. He's not forcing Kaz into their current arrangements, even if Kaz feels like he doesn't really have a choice.

The Darkling will continue making Kaz feel as though he doesn't have a choice with the knowledge that he's not doing anything wrong because Kaz does have a choice, the alternatives are just kind of worse or inconvenient or would make him look bad.

I feel like at this point it's not too much of a secret to say that things will not continue along their current trajectory because they just simply can't, no one would survive it and it would be a stagnant painful story to keep reading. but let's assume for a minute the status quo does not change in the next few chapters, Kaz has the sea whip, they go back to Os Alta.

The Darkling would work under the assumption that of course they would still be sharing a room, all of Kaz's things would be moved to the Darkling's wing of the little palace and they would continue on as though they were still a power couple in an established relationship. It would be up to Kaz to advocate for himself and say no, actually, I want to go back to my separate room.

Kaz would do that, because he's struggling but he's not struggling that hard. The Darkling will be very grumpy about it, but there's not a world where he doesn't let Kaz make that choice. He's also like...stupidly confident that Kaz will seek him out eventually and them regaining that level of intimacy is an inevitability.

Kaz, spending every single night alone unable to sleep with his own thoughts, might find that he misses having the Darkling as a conversation buddy more than he wants to admit. He might find himself wandering there more often than not. The Darkling might be willing to offer help to aid Kaz with his insomnia, but obviously that would be easier were they still sharing a room, would it not?

Kaz's will might hold out, it might not, he might say 'I'm just going this one time' so many times he doesn't realize they're unofficially sharing a room again anyway, or he might continue being uncomfortable and bored and sleepless just to continue being able to say he's made his own choice.

They have forever to figure out the ideal sleeping arrangements, after all.

(of course OUTSIDE of the current trajectory, things are different altogether. the darkling would probably say it all depends on kaz, and what he chooses and doesn't choose to do, and how much he can be trusted. is it smart for kaz to be left alone? is it safe? is he a danger to himself or others? obviously he can make his own decisions and he doesn't have to share a bed with me if he doesn't want to, but he can't be left unguarded otherwise and maybe a prison cell would be a better alternative? anyway kaz it's up to you, the way in which you want to live with the consequences of your own actions)