Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
She could feel heat rising up her cheeks, and jerked her eyes away. “Helios,” she said in a long-suffering tone, “did you make Ace give you a shower? Your fur is sparkly, yes you did you bad man. Wicked kitty.” She sighed, scrambling out of the butterfly chair. “Thanks, Ace.” Snagging a towel from the kitchen, she draped it over the ragdoll’s back, kneeling to rub it over his fur.
Ace brushed off the apology easy enough, towel secured around his waist as he watched the girl fuss over her companion openly.
“Curious one, he is,” the lad voiced, before moving to plop down on the couch, failing to realize his lack of clothes bothered the girl to some degree.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Diesel picked himself up, and trotted over before plopping down again, effectively draping his jowl against his owner’s feet.
She glanced over her shoulder to smile at him and reply, and her hands froze on the cat. Very carefully, eyes sliding up and down his form, she said, “Ace, please tell me you’re doing that on purpose. Because if you aren’t, I really think you’re being very cruel, and I don’t like that.”
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
Leaving wet paw marks along the way, Helios sat by the apartment door, patiently waiting for Ace to open the door. As soon as he did, the cat bounded forward, straight into Summer’s apartment, waving his tail behind him like a flag.
Summer blinked at him, then looked up at Ace. “Is there a reason you’re only wearing a towel?” she inquired, mildly.
Ace’s gaze remained locked on the curious creature, that was, until his owner spoke.
Diesel, who settled belly-up on Summer’s rug, perked his ears at the sight and smell of his owner, tongue flopping out of his mouth and lolling to one side as he gave a lazy pant.
“Guess.” The lad gave an almost exasperated sigh, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, effectively pressing the outline of his you-know-what against the terry-cloth.
She could feel heat rising up her cheeks, and jerked her eyes away. “Helios,” she said in a long-suffering tone, “did you make Ace give you a shower? Your fur is sparkly, yes you did you bad man. Wicked kitty.” She sighed, scrambling out of the butterfly chair. “Thanks, Ace.” Snagging a towel from the kitchen, she draped it over the ragdoll’s back, kneeling to rub it over his fur.
“I don’t — know how,” she confessed. The accompanying laugh was bitter. “Apparently I want too much, I’m … clingy.” She realised she was holding on to Ace’s shirt, and let go, hastily. Colour stained her cheeks, and she looked up at him. “You’re still holding me,” she said, low.
“You’ll learn.” Ace’s tone was unusually soothing.
At the next part, Ace pursed his lips. Allison was the same way. But Ace didn’t care none — he felt, at the very least, relief she didn’t grow tired of him.
Of course, she did, eventually, but.
“I thought that’s what you wanted,” he said, looking down at her, color creeping on his cheeks despite the scowl on his face and confusion in his tone.
“I-I did. I only,” she swallowed hard, “I thought you didn’t like touch. C-casual touch.” They were both blushing, and she couldn’t tear her gaze from his. Her lips parted, and she whispered, “I expected you to refuse. Why didn’t you?”
She shifted just enough to bring a hand up and swipe at her tears, the other hand gripping at Ace’s shirt. Her throat ached with the effort of holding back more tears, and her head throbbed. “Ace, I — how do I even know who to believe?
“I believed him, and this — how many times — ” Her voice broke again. “I just want someone to care about me.”
The lad didn’t have an answer for Summer. Gaze locked on what was beyond the railing, his arms tightened around her waist in an effort to make her feel more… secure.
In the most platonic way possible, of course.
Not really.
“And you’ll find that someone in due time. But rushing it leads to regret and hurt. Let them… come to you.”
“I don’t — know how,” she confessed. The accompanying laugh was bitter. “Apparently I want too much, I’m … clingy.” She realised she was holding on to Ace’s shirt, and let go, hastily. Colour stained her cheeks, and she looked up at him. “You’re still holding me,” she said, low.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
Helios lifted a paw and began to groom it. After a moment of that, he padded away from the spray and shook himself hard, making sure to spatter Ace with as much water as possible. Hopping up to the edge of the bathtub, he balanced himself for a moment, headbutted Ace, and purposefully trotted out of the room.
“Curious,” the lad muttered after straightening himself up, whipping at the few stray drops that landed on his face before shutting the shower off once more.
Then, he started after Helios and decided it was time to open the door of his apartment and bring the creature back to his original owner.
Leaving wet paw marks along the way, Helios sat by the apartment door, patiently waiting for Ace to open the door. As soon as he did, the cat bounded forward, straight into Summer’s apartment, waving his tail behind him like a flag.
Summer blinked at him, then looked up at Ace. “Is there a reason you’re only wearing a towel?” she inquired, mildly.
“He said he loved me,” she whispered, between sniffles, leaning back into his warmth. Ace didn’t like touch, didn’t do affection, so it was a little strange the way he’d wrapped himself around her, with an endearment in his words — she’d expected just a sidewise hug, a brief wrap of his arm around her shoulders.
She turned her head, and his face was /right there/, so she rested her forehead on his cheek. “‘m sorry,” she said, again. Her voice cracked in the middle. “I’ll just — I’m going to — ” She trailed off, because she didn’t want to move. She wanted to stay here, with his arms around her, safe.
“Sometimes, we say words that don’t mean a thing,” Ace spoke subconsciously. It came out as a dull mumble, an idle one. His mind was some other place, namely how good she smelt and how he molded perfectly around her, how she fit remarkably in his embrace, but still… there.
How strange.
“Whether it be to ourselves or others. Which is why I prefer to listen.”
Ace’s breath hitched in his throat when she spun around, his heart once again beginning to beat when she pressed her forehead to his cheek.
“No, you’re not,” he said, though it was almost obvious when she made no move to untangle herself from him.
She shifted just enough to bring a hand up and swipe at her tears, the other hand gripping at Ace’s shirt. Her throat ached with the effort of holding back more tears, and her head throbbed. “Ace, I — how do I even know who to believe?
“I believed him, and this — how many times — ” Her voice broke again. “I just want someone to care about me.”
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
Helios skittered back out of the immediate direct line of the water, eyeing it with perked ears, then crept back in. He lapped at the water pooling on the floor of the shower, utterly unconcerned about the water beading up and dripping off his long fur. After a few minutes of that, he sat up, still under the spray, and composed himself neatly, all paws together.
“Where’s Summer?” Ace asked the cat, almost half-expecting a response as he seated himself on the rim of the bathtub.
Well, damn. What now?
Hesitantly, he reached down and began to pet Helios. Does he… lather the cat up? Or just let him get wet?
He’s never had a cat that likes water. Nor does he know how Summer grooms her feline friend.
Helios lifted a paw and began to groom it. After a moment of that, he padded away from the spray and shook himself hard, making sure to spatter Ace with as much water as possible. Hopping up to the edge of the bathtub, he balanced himself for a moment, headbutted Ace, and purposefully trotted out of the room.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
As Helios lapped at Ace’s toes, the lad instinctively curled them at the weird, sandpaper-y texture, one hand holding up his towel.
Soon, at the blink of an eye, really, the cat had leapt over the rim of the bathtub and settled himself at the bottom of it, looking between Ace and the shower-head almost… expectantly.
Then, after a few moments of hard thinking, it clicked.
“Oh.” Ace muttered underneath his breath, before turning the shower on by twisting the knob like a dial, watching the water sprinkle down onto the kitty in amusement.
Helios skittered back out of the immediate direct line of the water, eyeing it with perked ears, then crept back in. He lapped at the water pooling on the floor of the shower, utterly unconcerned about the water beading up and dripping off his long fur. After a few minutes of that, he sat up, still under the spray, and composed himself neatly, all paws together.
Helios licked his nose insolently, before bending to lick drops of water off Ace’s feet. He washed one spot assiduously, before hopping in the shower and looking up at the shower head. Then he looked at Ace, tail waving, and back at the shower head.
