we're both losers, baby

VESPER

Vesper does not follow immediately, because immediacy would suggest eagerness, and he is nothing if not committed to the performance of indifference, even now, so he remains where he is for a few long breaths after Niki leaves the kitchen, purring tapering into a quieter, satisfied rumble as the last of the catnip’s urgency loosens its grip. The rain presses itself more insistently against the house and when he finally slides off the table, it is with unhurried grace, landing without a sound and padding after the familiar cadence of movement down the hall.

By the time he reaches the bedroom, Niki is already there, leaving Vesper to slip inside as if he has always belonged there, silent feet carrying him to the bed where he leaps up in one smooth, elegant motion, dark fur barely disturbing the covers as he turns and sits, choosing his spot with care. It is the same place he has claimed each time, tucked neatly along one side where warmth gathers and the mattress remembers shape, and he arranges himself there now with deliberate precision, tail curling in close, posture upright and composed. Blue eyes track the room, then settle, patient and expectant on Niki, waiting for him to settle down onto the bed so that Vesper can make himself properly comfortable.

rot gut whiskey's gonna ease your mind
but when the hell are you gonna ease mine?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

NIKI

By the time Vesper slinks into the bedroom, Niki is sitting on the edge of his bed, his knee brace set somewhere nearby and a loose, dry shirt halfway over his head. He tugs it on gingerly, his right side a kaleidoscope of bruising that will only get more vibrant as the hours and days go on. Still, as his head pops through the shirt collar, he smiles over his shoulder to spot the now-familiar fluffy shadow that has come to join him.

"I was hoping you would agree," he tells the feline, inhaling deeply and sighing out the breath again before finally flopping back into the sheets and pillows. Close enough to let Vesper creep up against him without actively reaching for the feline, Niki's eyes are already growing heavy, and with the drum of rain against the windows and the roof of the house, it's a surprise to absolutely no one that he's asleep before he's even realised it.

my body's on the line now, I can't fight this time now
I can feel the light shine on my face

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

VESPER

Vesper’s attention flicks over the bruising with only a brief, assessing glance, the way an animal notes damage without dwelling on blame. The colours register as contrast rather than consequence, already filed away as part of the larger, familiar pattern of Niki’s body, no longer demanding the sharp, instinctive focus they once did. Even the older scars fail to catch for long, stripped now of novelty and folded into recognition, and whatever unease lingers from earlier has been dulled by warmth and routine and the quiet certainty of this place.

He shifts closer as Niki settles, the mattress dipping just enough to invite him in, and presses himself along the necromancer’s side with unceremonious confidence. Fur meets fabric, heat traded freely and without commentary, his body aligning with practiced ease as though he has always known precisely how to fit here. A paw tucks in, tail curling once before going still, and his purr begins almost immediately, low and steady, a vibration that fills the space between them and bleeds softly into the room.

Sleep takes him quickly, carried on the rhythm of rain against the roof and the slower, deeper cadence of Niki’s breathing beneath his own. Whatever sharp edges defined the day fade into something indistinct and distant, replaced by the simple satisfaction of closeness and shared warmth, and Vesper dreams of nothing at all.

~FIN

rot gut whiskey's gonna ease your mind
but when the hell are you gonna ease mine?

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!