like a staring contest

I wanna be touched, be loved

Good. She doesn’t have to say it for Vesper to get the hint, though she melts in her brother’s touch – relaxing from the previous teasing and playful bickering they often did. Too similar for their own good. But he hugs her in the perfect way that relaxes any flared nerves or frustration, the way only a brother could and make sure you felt perfectly protected, understood, and heard.

Her whiskers continue to twitch, delicately until his voice rings out again and her feline head tilts against Vesper’s shoulder as her golden eyes close, large paws flexing in the water to feel the warmth of it spread through her shift’s toes. Oooh. She hums through the attuned bond, contemplative as he begins to withdraw and her golden gaze opens again. She shifts back into herself, then, letting her golden gaze swap back to the warm amber it usually was, when she flashes a toothy smile back at her brother. “’Course I do, V. That’d be great.” The excitement at the idea shoots through her like little flares of a sparkler. “Just lemme know when.” And with ample time to figure out what the fuck she wanted, preferably.

Calypso

I wanna heal, be hugged

// Sweet shot of kerosene //

As Caly shifts, the heat of her feline body fading into the familiar warmth of herself, Vesper wastes no time in curling his arms properly around her. There’s no teasing in it this time, no smirk—just a tight, protective squeeze and a kiss pressed to the centre of her forehead, soft and strangely sweet, like a secret kept between siblings and seawater.

Then, as if to cover the sentiment before it gets too noticeable, he releases her with a splash of his hand against the surface of the pool.

'Let’s say a week," he murmurs, leaning back. "Gives us time to sort our shit and you time to figure out what kinda punch you want."

His grin curls sharp again, the edges of it backlit with that ever-present glint of mischief. "Now c’mon," he adds, standing and raking a hand through his wet hair. "I’m startin’ to prune, and if I don’t get somethin’ in my stomach soon, I might have to start snackin’ on you. Let’s get lunch."

And with that, he steps from the warmth of the pool, water sluicing down his back as the sun catches on his constellation freckles, already turning toward the nearest towel.

~FIN

Vesper

// When I threw it back, it poisoned me //