Work Text:
Samakro wakes slowly, his senses filtering in one by one. The first rays of dawn are spilling through the gaps in his curtains, bathing the living room around him in a tentative glow— he’s not used to this. Softness. The chance to feel the breath settle in his lungs, the rub of the blanket against his bare wrist, the weight on his chest—
the weight on his chest . It comes back to him in pieces: Che’ri had come to him the night before, a soft knock of announcement before her key turned in the lock. At eleven she is up to his breastbone, a growth spurt just beginning to take hold, but he always finds himself leaning down, meeting her at eye level any chance he can get.
He’d spotted tear tracks once they were of a height. It hadn’t been ten minutes later before a warm mug of caccoleaf was between her palms, nestled into the couch while Samakro rummaged around his holo collection for the well-worn case, a familiar title that always brought a smile to her lips.
Nightmares were something they had in common. The mutual fondness for action holos balanced it out.
He breathes in again, feeling the distant thrum of her heartbeat against his chest. Her wiry curls brush just under his chin, her hand curled in the front of his pullover, a distant hum barely audible over the sound of the conditioning unit. He blinks, shifts his bad knee just a little to the right—
Che’ri stirs but doesn’t wake, her low purr rising in volume, hand clenching just a little tighter.
don’t go anywhere, please.
Samakro’s arm is tingling where it’s trapped under her weight, and the ache in his knee won’t go away. He tightens his arm around her torso, smoothing a hand over her shoulder blades, and closes his eyes. Thalias will get them when they truly need to rise.