Chapter Text
It’s too loud, too much, Cosmo notices.
She remembers Mantis speaking about the few times the world around her would be too noisy, too much for her to handle. Something about the repercussions of being an empath and happening to be far more sensitive to the world around compared to others. She figures it’s related to their psychic nature.
The canine sits in a corner, watching people walk by and go on with their day, and all she feels is wrong. There’s an uncomfortable itch under her skin, as though someone is dragging their dirty fingers in her fur. Her head pounds, needles prick her brain and make the world around feel like it is collapsing over her.
Cosmo tries to walk around, hoping the exercise will dim the torturous feeling of overstimulation coursing through her veins, and she feels as though everyone is looking at her, watching her with aversion. Her mind screams, telling her all sorts of nonsense, and the voices of the citizens of Knowhere echoing in her brain only helps to make her feel more miserable.
With a whine, she shakes her head, like she’s trying to remove the discomfort that lingers all around her body, clinging to her flesh, to her bones.
People walk by without paying notice to her distress, most likely because of their body schedule. There were still a lot of things to accomplish to make Knowhere a livable place for them all, and those worries are just more trash to pile on her sensitive mind.
It’s torture, and Cosmo goes back into a shadowed corner to try and recompose herself and get her feelings working properly again without going haywire. She finds that she isn’t able to ground herself. There is too much noise, too many people, too much to handle all at once, and she whines.
She sits down and looks at her paws, hoping that by focusing on something small for a start, she could slowly regain control of her thoughts. But everyone is just so loud, and her concentration is broken by more distraught thoughts that plague her mind.
A pitiful whimper escapes her, and she looks up in despair, looking through the crowd for something to help, someone, anyone.
No one seems bothered to help, everyone is too busy, running from one place to another, and she knows they couldn’t stop for something as simple as a case of overstimulation. She whines, looking around frantically.
Cosmo shakes her head again, fidgeting where she sits. She paws at the floor, as though she’s trying to ground herself. It’s futile, as her mind continues to buzz uncomfortably, sending zaps throughout her entire body.
Then, her eyes spot someone, and her ears perk up at the sight.
Something calls out to her when she sees him, and she feels drawn to him, and she blinks a few times, before she decides to stride over, ears pinned back to her skull in an attempt to draw out the various noises around her.
Peter is talking to someone, most likely to plan some more improvements for Knowhere, and his attention is drawn to the dog that’s running up to him, and he sends off the Easik with a wave of his hand. He smiles at Cosmo, only to frown when he notices the distressed look in her eyes.
The canine stops in front of the human, looking up at him with a silent plea, and he meets her with wide eyes.
“Woah, hey.” He inhales sharply at how agitated she seems, and he kneels down on one knee to have a proper look at her. “What’s the matter?”
“Слишком.” Cosmo manages to mutter, her voice shaking the slightest. “It’s too much.”
He stares at her for a moment, unsure of what she means, until he notices how much she switches her weight between her paws. He sees her ears pinned to her head as much as they can, attempting to drown out the world around her. Her eyes are filled with utter panic, unsure of what to do to make everything stop, and the sight makes his chest tighten.
“Okay.” Peter nods. He looks around, internally debating on where to go which would be a suitable place to simply relax. “Okay, alright. We’ll figure something out.”
The human ponders on the rare times he would be in a similar state, when the world felt like too much and like no position could ever soothe his nerves. He knows how uncomfortable it is when your skin doesn’t feel right, when it’s as though you’re aware of every bone and of the way they move, how each muscle twists and turns, how much blood pumps through your entire body.
It’s exasperating, and the only wish is to disappear inside a hole and never come out.
So, he decides to go to the best place he can think of.
“Okay. Think you can follow me?” He asks her, not touching her in case the physical contact might overload her senses even more.
Cosmo nods quickly, far too overwhelmed to care where they might be going, as long as she gets to curl up into a ball and allow her body to slowly ease up. Peter gives her a sympathetic smile, before he raises to his feet and walks off, followed by the overstimulated dog.
Her ears are still pinned to her skull, heart still thumping within her chest. The noises are still too loud around her, and she lets out a quiet whine.
It doesn’t take that long until they reach their destination, and Cosmo manages to focus her attention on Peter’s feet only, watching the way they move, one right after the other. That was a start.
After a moment, she realizes that they’re headed for the human’s room, and the idea doesn’t sound too bad. An isolated area, cozy, warm, calm, everything she needed right now. She follows in earnest, eager to get inside the room and finally collapse into a pile of mush.
Peter walks up the stairs, going straight for his room, and he instantly opens the door, stepping aside to allow Cosmo to enter first, which she does without a second thought. She practically lunges her body inside, as if the world was on fire. He follows right after, closing the door behind him.
Cosmo allows herself to exhale. The room is dark, barely lit by the window which is mostly covered by the curtains. It gives a nice ambiance.
With a shake of her head, she goes to settle on the ground, circling the spot she chose.
“What are you doing?” Peter’s voice cuts through, and his words are soft, like he’s being careful to not be too loud for her sensitive ears.
She looks up at him with a tilt of her head, and she sees that he’s sitting on his bed, shoes neatly put by his nightstand. He pats the bed with a smile, nodding his head in emphasis.
“Come on.” He invites her, and he sits back on the pillow, making sure to be in a proper position so his back doesn’t ache afterwards.
And she hesitates for a moment, before she slowly walks over, staring into Peter’s eyes, as though asking permission. But his look is laced with care, and she figures it’s alright, so she hops on the bed, laying her body in between his legs. After a moment, she lays her head down on his abdomen, and she finds that the itch under her fur already begins to ebb away.
Peter reaches over, grabbing something from his nightstand, and she sees that he’s got his Zune out, something he never really parts with, unless Rocket has it. Cosmo watches intently, listening to the soft clicks of the buttons as he presses on them, most likely looking for the right song. Sometimes it took a while.
Then, she hears a final click, and a familiar melody begins.
A Carpenters song.
“Hope this is alright. I tried to pick something soft, so that it doesn’t overwhelm you.” Peter explains as he puts away the device, and he holds a hand up to her eyes, showing his palm. “You okay with me petting you?”
She finds that using her voice sounds like too much work, so her tail answers for her, wagging from side to side ardently. And his hand is gentle, laying on top of her head and petting her softly, and she melts into him.
Day after day I must face a world of strangers
Where I don't belong, I'm not that strong
It's nice to know that there's someone I can turn to
Who will always care, you're always there
The lyrics feel like cotton candy, soft and sweet to her mind, and she blinks slowly as Peter continues to scratch at her ears. Slowly, her body relaxes, releasing all of the stress, and she finds that the uncomfortable sensation of everything slowly fades away, as though it was a bad memory.
When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you
Her body returns to her at a gradual pace, from her claws, to her hips, to her back, to her shoulders, her ears, her eyes, down to her nose. Peter hums to the song, and his voice and petting both help in grounding her further, drowning out the rest of the world, appeasing her troubled being.
So many times when the city seems to be
Without a friendly face, a lonely place
It's nice to know that you'll be there if I need you
And you'll always smile, it's all worthwhile
“Feels nice?” Peter asks softly, keeping his voice light. She nods lazily against his stomach, closing her eyes in delight. He smiles at her, running his fingers over her head in a rhythmic pattern, going from the bridge of her nose, up to her forehead, right between her ears, and repeat.
It’s soothing, and it calms her down even more.
When there's no getting over that rainbow
When my smallest of dreams won't come true
I can take all the madness the world has to give
But I won't last a day without you
“Спасибо, Peter.” Cosmo breathes out, her voice even and steady.
Peter chuckles softly, gently patting the top of her head.
“Anytime, Cos.”
Touch me and I end up singing
Troubles seem to up and disappear
You touch me with the love you're bringing
I can't really lose when you're near
When you're near, my love
The song continues to play, at a volume low enough so that it wasn’t assaulting their ears, perfect background noise. And Cosmo finds that she’s awfully tired, and she thinks that taking a small nap wouldn’t hurt.
When she peeks an eye open, she notices that Peter’s own eyes are closed, a smile plastered on his lips. Her tail thumps against the bed, and she lets herself rest as the song goes on, the lyrics and the slow rise and fall of Peter’s stomach lulling her to sleep.
It’s peaceful, and her body feels like hers now, no longer uncomfortable.