Work Text:
"You're sweating, Mundy."
"Huh?" The delirious sniper turned his head weakly, blown out eyes with blurred vision barely making out the shape of his companion. His damp forehead saw shaggy hair stick to it. Damp neck, chest. Shirtless bust glistening in sweat too humid to bead and roll.
Tutting in concern, his companion wrings the wet cloth of excess water and pats CBS's cheeks with it. "Here, this might help cool you down."
His companion, of course, being Gentlespy. The red suit wearing, hat donning, butterfly knife swinging woman of his dreams. They had been a couple for a very long time, and working in close quarters for even longer. Before CBS's death and resurrection. Before the existence of freaks and hybrids. They were human once, or more so — Gentlespy still is, and CBS never was.
Bringing the cloth back to the bowl of ice water, her brows furrow. Of course she had done this before. Many times in fact, during the gravel war in that small little van CBS called home when he was simply known as Sniper (without the Christian Brutality that came with the condition of being undead), and when he lacked revenge-driven bloodlust.
The entire week thus far, CBS had been irritable. Sure, yes, he always is. But a wife always knows when her husband is acting out of character, and so for the whole week she has been careful. Not careful as in afraid, careful as in loving. Doting. She knew tonight was the night. She never kept track herself, doing so makes her worry and fret easily over her husband's state, so she allows it to happen.
"Here, lift your hips up."
With some assistance, CBS raises his hips and his wife removes the pants he is wearing. Socks too, leaving the underwear.
"Oh, my love." She sighs — noticing the blackened, sharpened, longer nails that protruded from his feet. She places the back of her hand to his forehead. "You are still very warm."
With a full body tremor thick fur begins to sprout its way out of the pale flesh of a man in pain delirium, fingers clench and release as these nails blacken, sharpen, lengthen too. No matter how many times he's done this, doing this, will do this, it will always be searingly painful. This will take the entire evening.