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["For some reason or another", indeed. Cat feels more secure is his message with the swiftness of the reply, guessing that the reason he's still awake is similar enough to his own. It's proving too difficult.

Which -- nothing is alright, but he can't say that or he'll worry Inigo unnecessarily.]

I want you to come over.

[Embarrassing, especially since he has to actually say it out loud, relying on speech-to-text more these days.]

[ This reply is definitely instantaneous. ]

Alright.

[ Not a single moment of hesitation behind it, apparently. Inigo did say before that he'd do anything for Cat, after all. So if the other wants him to come over at 2 am, then Inigo will fulfill that request without even thinking about it too hard. Without even asking why.

(It's not even that he's guessed the other's intentions, mind you. Despite what they have gone through together, Inigo is just too stupid in this sense to imagine anyone wanting company and then texting him of all people.) ]

Are you at home? I can hurry, if it's important.

Yes

[To...the former question only, as much as something inside of him is trying to convince him it applies to the latter as well.

And at home he'll stay, even if he moves outside to wait, leaned against his door with his blanket draped across his shoulders and device held close to his chest in case he needs to message Inigo again. Or in the unlikely event that the other has changed his mind about coming after all. ]

[ Guess what you can experience if you're waiting outside, Cat.

It's Inigo, of course. Inigo running full speed in the direction of the house. Who cares that it's literally the middle of the night. Who cares that he was trying to lie in bed and sleep only mere minutes ago. It seems that at receiving that text Inigo just took off sprinting from his place all the way over here.

It would explain why - after stopping in front of Cat - he sounds entirely out of breath, panting wildly. Yes, he did sprint the entire way over here. ]

I-- I'm here--

[ Wheeze. Okay. Hold on. He tries sucking in a few deep breaths of air. At least enough to speak. ]

I hope I was-- I was fast enough, is everything okay-- [ He's doubling over now to try and breathe, leaning his hands on his knees.

Someone might not understand what booty calls are, and totally imagined this was some sort of Emergency Situation he had to hurry over for to solve. ]

[He should probably feel more guilty than he does, but there's definitely something really pleasing about Inigo racing across who knows what distance (he could know if he asked, he should probably ask) at his beck and call. It's a good thing that the other is doubled over with how winded he is so that he doesn't see the smug look Cat gets on his face for the moment before he lifts his free hand to slip his fingers into Inigo's hair.]

Woah there, Firefly. Settle down. [AS IF THIS ISN'T HIS FAULT FOR THE LACK OF INFORMATION

He brushes a light touch along the rim of Inigo's ear on his way to tipping his face back up towards him, smile softer than the one just seconds before, while undoubtedly amused.] ...Having a hard time sleeping without you, is all.

[ ...

For a moment he doesn't say anything, and it doesn't have a single thing to do with how winded he is from running all the way over here. No, the reason Inigo stares at the other as if he's totally dumbstruck has much, much more to do with the face a blush is rapidly spreading across Inigo's face while he stares.

He doesn't move an inch away from the touch either. ]

W-Wait.

[ Considering the reason Inigo thought he was running over here for, his brain has to adjust for a moment to this new reality. And Cat's fingers in his hair are very distracting, okay. ]

Really? [ He sounds so surprised that even Inigo himself realizes the implications of said surprise are kind of pathetic, so he quickly adds: ] That's why you asked me to come over?

[That's...a good reaction, he thinks. It's especially hard to tell at night, when he's not wearing his mask, even when the weak lantern hanging close to his door is lit. It exaggerates the shadows into a face he can't recognize, so he's grateful for the words, however stunned and embarrassed they are. Cat's fingers always feel cold to him even when they're not, but there's an extra warmth to Inigo now that even he can feel prickling along his hands like marching ants, both slightly painful and pleasant at the same time. That face he can't see is blushing, he's certain of it.]

Is that a problem?

[He doesn't sound unsure, because he's not. If Inigo had rushed over when he was thinking Cat needed help with something -- and he does, in a way -- then there shouldn't be any qualms about staying now that there's likely some kisses in it for him, too. It wasn't only Cat who had needed those moments just days ago in order to survive, and he'd be surprised to find out he was alone in enjoying it. In as much as one could enjoy anything in a timeline so bleak.]

N-No, I--

[ It definitely seems like Inigo is too stunned to even speak much, even though he is at least giving the confirmation that Cat himself already practically knows - that Inigo doesn't mind one bit of this.

But Inigo's brain, on the other hand, is still hard at work to process this. Cat wanted.. him to come over. Not to help, but.. to do the stuff they did back in that awful future. Sure, the possibility exists that Cat just liked it enough to still want to do it now, but surely that can't be it. Look at Cat. He's so confident. Inigo is pretty sure he could get anyone with that attitude, so why would he go for Inigo? It makes no sense.

No, it's probably just that Cat is still having trouble adjusting to being back here. And that it's easier to repeat the little ritual he had with Inigo until he's more adjusted again.

R-Right.

It's just Inigo helping Cat. No biggy. Inigo won't get any wrong ideas about what his place is, no matter how hot his cheeks are burning right now. ]

I was just surprised. Um. I mean. I didn't expect it. [ Ugh, he's shoving his foot into his mouth, isn't he. That's totally what's happening here. He can't seem cool in front of Cat even if he'd try! ] But yeah-- Yeah, I don't mind. I'm glad you called for me!

[ Ugh, why is he still screaming on the inside even when he knows this is just totally meant as a functional rather than a romantic thing!!! Why is he still so flustered!!! Can his heart please chill for two seconds. ]

Good.

[Confident as he was by then, he still very much likes to hear such things from Inigo's own mouth. For a moment, It's nicer, even, than the other plans for his mouth he has, though that thought is fleeting as he curls his fingers into Inigo's hair to encourage him down to meet him at his on-tiptoes height. A cat chasing after the brightest bird that passes by, once he gets to kiss the other again, there's nothing better.

Trying to sleep alone in his bed had made him feel lost, cold, empty. He's the cold glass of jar, hard, fragile, and waiting for the firefly to flutter in and turn it into something more. It's the ache in his body that forces him to lower back down onto the flats of his feet after a few (definitely a little desperate) kisses, and while he wants to drag the firefly down with him to keep it from escaping, Cat takes the opportunity to mumble a soft invitation.]

Let's go to my room, then.

[His house isn't very large, and once could almost make a straight shot to his room, which is lucky because of how poorly Cat's vision is, now, and how badly he wants to lay next to Inigo from the comfortable familiarity of his mattress and -- well, Inigo's arms. They won't have as much freedom as when they'd shoved the two beds together back in the other timeline, but...it wasn't like he ever wanted to sleep very far from the other. It suited Cat just fine.]

Edited 2024-10-24 06:09 (UTC)

[ Inigo is so weak.

In this sense, at least. Cat hardly even has to put any effort into guiding him down a little bit so they can kiss. At the slightest sign of the guidance Inigo is already leaning down, his lips already meeting Cat's own, despite the fact that they're no longer in that empty future. If Cat still needs it, then Inigo is here to provide, and he-- he likes it too. Even if he's not supposed to think about it too hard, he likes the contact.

Which means it's a good thing that Cat pulls back first to get them to start moving, because Inigo isn't so sure he could have done the same. Even with full knowledge of Cat's vision trouble, he is still letting the other guide him, fairly sure that Cat can easily navigate around his own house. A fact that's proven when they're both in the bedroom soon enough, Inigo leaning down to take off his boots, though when he stands back up he is certainly realizing they have a little less space to work with here.

Not that it's a problem when the activity is cuddling, but-- ]

Slightly less space now, huh?

[ He's trying to make it sound smooth, like it's a flirty joke. Mostly because Inigo is desperately trying to stomp down all the fluster he can feel fluttering around in his chest like butterflies. ]

You don't mind?

[Cat scoffs at the question before he can stop himself, only bothering to think about it after he's already sat back onto his bed and shoved his slippers off with his feet. He readjusts, moving from the edge and closer to the wall while shrugging his blanket that had already started slipping completely off his shoulder.]

What, is it not enough for you?

[Should...he mind? Does Inigo want something that might need more room? He feels his face flush, but waves off the concern with what he hopes is enough of a casual air that they don't have to...get into it. Just in case, though, Cat remarks a little too quickly to really be offhand,]

I got back to my medicine today, you know, but it'll take a bit to get to where I was before. Gotta take things easy. Aches, you know?

[JUST...IN CASE INIGO WAS IMPLYING WHAT CAT THOUGHT HE MAYBE MIGHT HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN IMPLYING... It seems unlikely, but who knows! The other boy was pretty eager with all this, and maybe now that they were getting back to normal, he'd be expecting more. A more that Cat isn't ready to fully consider.

Regardless, leg is bent up so he can prop his arm on it, but the other is angled and dangling off the bed, leaving a space he hopes he doesn't need to invite Inigo to. Their proximity from that timeline was plenty intimate, but that, at least, he can handle. He wants to handle it.]

What?

[ Judging by how surprised that single word sounds, that's apparently not what Inigo was going for at all. Cat may not be able to pick up on the way the other blushes from absolutely ear to ear, but it's reflected well enough in Inigo's voice that it's very easy to tell just how embarrassed he is. ]

That's-- I wasn't thinking of that! I-- I mean, um, if you-- If you'd ever want to? Then that's-- That's alright? [ He's so smooth. So charming. Look at him fumbling his way through wanting to tell Cat he is not opposed to the idea at all yet not wanting him to feel burdened by it in the light of his current physical condition and also the fact that they are very much not dating and Inigo is pretty sure Cat doesn't actually want to date him, but if Cat is bringing up this then he's got to at least be interested in sex, right, and, and--

Inigo is so flustered that he's just giving up on talking. Having tugged off his boots, he instead he just moves to lie down next to the other in the bed, almost as if the blanket or the sheer proximity to Cat may protect him from his own embarrassing ramble. ]

It was-- um. It was just a joke. I wanted to say something dumb to cheer you up, since I thought you might still be in pain..

[He certainly doesn't need the blanket now, with how hot his cheeks get over Inigo's rambling. Hiding that fact underneath it would be too obvious, not to mention childish. Besides, as embarrassing as it is to be told, while sitting on a bed, by an attractive young man that he'd have sex with him, Cat can appreciate that it would be much worse to be the one doing the telling, and it is...flattering? It makes him a little happy, despite the nerves, and he chuckles awkwardly.]

No -- no, that's... Er. [Cat leans over, touching on Inigo's stomach before following through to his side and drawing his lips in close to the other's.] Thanks. I'm plenty satisfied, Firefly. This is good.

[He pulls his body closer as he kisses him, once again feeling the more complicated thoughts slowly drain away.]

Edited (clarity) 2024-11-14 04:12 (UTC)

[ Sweet Naga, is Inigo ever glad that Cat isn't teasing him for this one. Inigo wouldn't have put it past the other - not even in a malicious way or anything, more just that teasing seems to be a huge part of Cat's nature - but it makes it all the more sweet that Cat doesn't tease right now. That he instead kisses Inigo, settles against him, speaks so relatively sweetly.

.. he knows he isn't really supposed to think anything of this, but..

He can't help it. Inigo just hopes that Cat won't be able to feel the way his heart is pounding so quickly with how close they are right now.

It still robs him of any words for a moment or so, slowly moving an arm across Cat to hold him close, the two of them settling into position. Acting like he's focusing on that, and that it is the reason why he isn't speaking. ]

How have things been since we got back here..? [ He then asks - quietly, just a whisper as they lie there in the darkness. ]

[At the distance between them, or lack thereof, it might have been possible to feel Inigo's heartbeat if he wasn't so concerned with his own, or how he wants to disappear into the embrace and more little kisses until he can finally fall asleep. It feels like it might actually be possible, now -- though significantly less so when Inigo drags him back to reality so soon.

He exhales slowly, but the tension in his arm is clear as he presses on Inigo's back like he hopes that they can be any closer.]

...Made myself sick trying to eat like normal. Barely got to sleep last night. [And only because Fang Duobing had been generous enough to share his bed, albeit with Cat in his animal form. It had been too unfamiliar to be as sound as a nights next to Inigo had become.] But Iris got me stocked up again. And the...

[He pauses, and somehow his voice is even quieter when he speaks again.]

Things are alive. It's...odd.

Sorry.

[ It's a quiet, whispered apology. It doesn't sound overly depressed or anything, but there is something very genuinely apologetic in it, despite its low volume. ]

I should have been there.

[ Even though he had reasons to not be there. Worried reasons. So many worried reasons. About how maybe Cat wouldn't need him anymore, now they were gone from that desperate future. So much worry about rejection.

It feels a little silly now he's lying there, realizing that he could just have asked Cat if he needed the comfort. But then again, it's not like Inigo is ever going to assume by default that someone actually needs him. ]

I know it might be a stupid question. [ He quietly continues. ] But was it-- What was the place you come from like? Was there as much life as here, or much less like in that future?

[Cat huffs, equal parts amused and bitter listening to an apology from Inigo of all people.]

Don't be dim, Firefly. Doesn't suit you.

[Well, dim-witted, sure. Maybe. Inigo wasn't what Cat would consider smart, but his job was to be a point of brightness and warmth in his life. At this point, he can't exactly ask for Inigo to be both, when he's appreciating this side of him so much.]

I was letting you off to see less familiar faces a while. Anyway, you're here now, aren't you?

[To make it more of a point, he tucks himself against Inigo's chest and breathes him in. It's an incredibly different experience than it had been before, but it's just as potent a reminder that he's not alone in this.

It's a strange question more than a stupid question, and one that makes Cat hum as if he has to think about it despite how stark his two options were. He doesn't sound as if he's troubled by his answer when he softly gives it.]

Like the city, once. More people, less green...until all the machines they made to make life easier turned around and started killing whoever they got their hands on. Then the monsters. Anyone still alive is holed up in their homes, if they got any sense and a home to go to. The streets are still full of dead bodies and the things that are making them, though. Nothing like how things were there.

[ Inigo is silent. At first just so he can listen to Cat's story, but even once the other finished, he's silent for a moment or two more. Maybe a part of Inigo's brain is lingering on the first part of what Cat said, way before he got into talking about his story. There's something about it that feels-- It feels awkward, almost, like the words are jammed into his brain the wrong way, and now they're stuck and it kind of feels like they hurt, a dull, sad ache.

He decides it's probably easier to not think about them too hard. After all, bringing down the mood now would be completely counterproductive. And thankfully there's a very easy distraction here, steering them away from the apology entirely. ]

I guess there's still very little I know about the place you come from, huh..? [ Sure, he knows quite a few things about Cat. His sister, his life, his general outlook on things that was forged by it all - that much is clear.

But Inigo had never asked much about the world surrounding the person. Maybe he was too worried about prying a little bit too far.

If Cat is practically buried against his chest though, then-- It should be fine to ask, right? It should be good to learn, he thinks. ]

How did the machines turn around in the first place? I must admit I do not know too much about machines, but.. from what I have learned, most machines do not seem capable of thought.

[Against his chest, Inigo will feel and hear another impatient sort of huff, though that's the limit of Cat's dramatics. It's impossible to effectively roll his eyes, and he's too tired for that anyway. Too tired, too, to consider returning the favor when it comes to learning about the other just yet. Surely if someone wanted to talk to someone about something, they would simply do it. There's little reason to think otherwise for now.]

It ain't worth knowing about Krat.

[But Inigo is apparently curious, and he has nothing against telling him. Not that he can tell him much, where the puppet frenzy is concerned.]

Most of them aren't. Hell, even the ones that went screwy aren't real opinionated -- just switched one day from "serve" to "slaughter". Mm, figuring out anything more than that was way above my pay grade.

[ .. huh.

Inigo doesn't blame Cat for not knowing more. The other may blame it on not really caring, or being too busy with other things to figure it out, but Inigo just thinks it sounds like a very complicated matter altogether - likely too difficult for anyone to figure out by themselves, though he thinks Cat is perfectly capable.

(It's kind of a scary matter too, everything suddenly turning against you like that one day. It's a little like what happened when Grima awoke, though in a different way entirely.) ]

It's worth it to me. [ He says, quietly - apparently opting to answer the first part of what Cat says, rather than focusing on the actual part about the machines. ] After all, it's a part of you. I want to know more about you.

[His slapdash, tired answers suddenly feel heavy on him -- heavier than the fact that he's tired in the first place. It isn't quite guilt. He's familiar with that. Something to the left, maybe, he decides as he rubs a small crescent in Inigo's back with a thumb.

Inigo...wants to know more about him. It isn't as unpleasant an idea as it should be.]

...We didn't have puppets where I grew up. No one in my neighborhood could ever afford one. That was all for the bigger and better of Krat... I saw more when I got out and became a Sweeper. Then after the Frenzy started, us Stalkers were the ones expected to deal with the threat head-on, while the rich folk cowered behind. The lucky ones found their way outside the city, if the merchants 'round the borders can be believed.

No wonder you're so brave.

[ That's the thing he says, but Inigo is thinking about so much more. About the way Cat grew up - so differently from him, for one, but Inigo already figured as much. If everything with Grima had never happened back home, he technically would have been one of the rich people.

.. though maybe not the same Cat is talking about. Something aches in Inigo's chest at the idea of those people hiding while others suffer. Despite being part of the royal family, he can't imagine doing that. And he knows that his father - the Exalt himself - would feel the same way. All of them have always been at the front lines of battle, wanting to protect the innocent.

Maybe that's not exactly what Cat was doing either, but it doesn't take away from the compliment Inigo gives him - the one he feels the other deserves.

The words are a little mumbled. Inigo is paying attention, and he is very invested in this conversation, but he also just likes the fact they're so close. So comfortable. He's basking in it as he listens, as he speaks. ]

You were dealing with scary puppets back in Krat.

Tch. That's hardly the worst of it.

[Despite the dismissal, he's clearly pleased with the praise, self-satisfied smirk in place. Apparently he thinks he deserves a treat on top of it, worming around so he can kiss up from Inigo's chin to his lips again.]

They did have right frightful smiles, though.

[ Inigo huffs out an amused sound - to Cat's lips, that is, because they're definitely right in the middle of that kiss as he's letting out that sound. At least it doesn't take away all that much from the quality of the kiss. ]

Oh, so they were scary.

[ He sounds so amused as he's saying it that it's very likely that Inigo isn't even imagining what these puppets could be like. Maybe he's imagining actual puppet-sized puppets.. Maybe that's why the thought is so amusing to him, even though he figures the ones Cat was fighting were bigger. Like actual machines. (Even if the only machine Inigo really knows well is a ballista, but still, it helps with size scaling in his mind.) ]

No one could roam the streets because of the terrifying puppets.. But then the brave masked hero Cat jumped from the shadows, fearlessly clearing out the streets! [ Well.

Cat wasn't necessarily the hero in this story, but Inigo seems to have no trouble with making him that anyway. Maybe just because he wants to. ]

[Inigo is paid right back for that with more kisses both prefaced and interrupted by more little huffs of quiet laughter.]

Coming up with your own bedtime story?

[Something so unbelievable, too. Sitting up with a suppressed groan and a shake of his head to dismiss such a childish idea, Cat starts to readjust so that he can pull Inigo's arms around him like a safety belt and press his back into him. Having a heat source that so fully conformed to his smaller, aching body sure was convenient. He'll allow this to break his habit of sleeping with his back to the wall in case of ambush. Inigo was safer than one, anyway.]

Just don't get too attached to that 'Cat' you've made up. You'll hurt my feelings.

[There's a heavy tease in his tone, even as subdued as it is coming off their recent experience and the late hour.

After reaching to retrieve and wear the sleeping mask -- marked like a silver tabby's face with its paws covering its (and his) eyes -- he'd discarded next to his pillow earlier, before he'd given up on staying alone in this bed, he takes up one of Inigo's hands in his to idly guide up and feel along his body. While things were already so much cozier than the future they'd seen, the touch is generating even more much-appreciated heat.]

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