Work Text:
Limping into the hideout, brow furrowed and a frown on her face, Peppermint glares down at the floor. That is, until 808 pads up to her. She rubs against her leg, a smile on her face. Peppermint gives her a weak one in return.
Looking up, her eyes widen when she sees Chai. She figured he’d be off doing...whatever it is he does. But there he is, lying on the couch, doing something on his phone. His foot is tapping against the arm rest.
With a deep breath, she makes her way over to him.
Every step is painful. Her prosthetic feels so heavy. Her back is aching like a motherfucker. She grits her teeth and bears through it.
As she approaches, he looks up at her. His gaze flits back to his phone. Then, he blinks, and looks back up at her. He pulls his legs toward himself a bit, making room on the couch.
“Oh, hey, Peppermint. When’d you get back?”
Plopping down in the space provided, she lets out a sigh. She leans back against the cushions. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she takes a deep breath.
“Just now,” she replies.
There’s a pause.
Then, he asks, “Are you, uh...okay?”
Opening her eyes, Peppermint turns to look at him. He’s put his phone down and has one brow quirked up. His legs are spread apart enough for him to be able to see her.
...Just wide enough that she could easily lean over and fall onto his chest . Which...sounds weirdly nice right about now.
Looking away, her brow furrows. Should I…?
She glances at him. He’s tilting his head now.
...She probably shouldn’t. But...it’s not like he’s ever been bothered by her leaning on him before. Or hugging him. Hell, sometimes he’ll put his head on her lap. This isn’t really any different. Is it?
Maybe it’s just because she’s tired and stressed, but it doesn’t seem like a particularly bad idea to just...go for it.
Taking her leg off, she breathes a quiet sigh of relief. Then, after carefully leaning it up against the side of the couch, Peppermint turns back to him and lets herself fall over onto him, her head landing on his abdomen.
Chai tenses under her. She frowns, preparing herself to get pushed off and the pain of having to sit back up—
But then he relaxes. He wraps his arm around her and pulls her up higher. He keeps holding her afterwards.
Her head is right on top of his core now. With her ear pressed up against it like this, even through the fabric of his shirt, she can faintly hear the song his player has on. It’s a pretty soft sounding rock song. She can’t make out the lyrics, but the singer has a soothing voice. And...there’s something nice about feeling the rhythmic pulsing. It’s as close as she can get to feeling his heart beat with the core in the way. A comfort. A reassurance.
She grabs onto his shirt. Tilting her head into him, she sighs.
“...I’m gonna take that as a no,” he says.
She hums in response.
“Do...you wanna talk about it…?”
She purses her lips, brow furrowing as she debates whether or not she really wants to get into all that.
Whilst she does that, she feels a new weight join them on the couch. Something soft rubs against her leg. Then, her side. She finds herself smiling, train of thought derailed as 808 squirms her way into their embrace so that she’s under Peppermint’s arm. She butts her head against the underside of her chin. She starts purring.
Peppermint takes a deep breath. Chai smells like fabric softener. 808 smells like the spray they use to clean her.
Relaxing into them, she closes her eyes. The stress of the day drains right out of her.
“...Maybe later. Can we just...lay here for a while?”
“Sure, totally. Long as you wanna.”
“Thanks.”
He gently squeezes her.
“No problem.”