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Corazón never knew what he was going to walk into when Dob and Prudence were alone in his rooms.
Even after Necropolis-On-Sea had settled and adjusted to their presence, less likely to lash out with its tricks and illusions, Dob preferred to stick to Corazón’s bedchamber. He swore that the house liked its owner better and it was safer to stay there. He could go back to his own rooms, but who knew what could happen while he was out of earshot. It made much more sense to stay to Corazón’s side, every waking and sleeping hour. The fact that Dob did this when they weren’t at the manor didn’t imply anything.
Prudence was more blatant, just telling him that she had the right to anything he owned. Her bedroom was used as a study, some peace and quiet with Frisky and The Darkness. She spent her nights in Corazón’s bed. That was how it was.
In theory, Corazón didn’t mind this. He loved Prudence and Dob. They were just wildly unpredictable and made each other much worse, so he had to brace for something horrendous.
The door to his bedroom was ajar, and Frisky was laid on the ground outside, looking almost like a normal stray tome. Corazón crouched and ran his fingers along the leathery cover, a smile flicking across his face as the book let out a content sigh. Its pages ruffled with the noise, its loose bookmark tongue fluttering. He patted it more solidly, and nudged open his door, stepping carefully over it to leave it to its slumber.
The main room was empty beside The Darkness plodding around aimlessly, but the door to his bathroom was wide open with flickering candlelight pouring from beyond the door. There was a trail of abandoned clothes, and Corazón picked it up as he followed the light. Laughter greeted him a moment before he entered the bathroom, Prudence cackling over the soft rumble of Dob saying something, and Corazón’s chest pulsed with warmth.
There were enough candles lit to qualify as a safety hazard, scattered around every surface of the bathroom and dropping wax over the tiles. Only about half of them had wax catchers, the rest sitting bare. Dob looked up from where he was playing with one on the edge of the tub, his grin turning guilty, and Prudence tilted her head back to meet Corazón’s eyes.
“Hey,” she greeted casually, as if she wasn’t blatantly using at least three of Corazón’s fancy oils and tonics to make the bath fizzy and fragrant. The bubbles clung to her bare skin, tinged pink around the edges as they reflected the rich crimson, and her dark hair shone in the light. “Why do you have so many candles?”
“Why do you have all of them lit?” he griped back, dropping the pile of clothes by the door. “And why is Dob naked?”
“I thought I would fit in too,” Dob answered, resting his chin on his arms. He had them crossed on the lip of the tub, his fingers on one hand trailing in the water and stirring up the fizz. “It’s okay. It’s warm in here.”
“Because of the candles,” Prudence explained unnecessarily, and Corazón flicked her in the forehead. She flinched, letting out a sharp laugh. “Hey!”
“You two are a drain on my resources.”
“Well that’s not nice.” Dob pouted up at him, Corazón rounding the tub to shove at him next. He let his head get pushed aside without complaint, just continuing, “It’s not like you’ve been using them. We just didn’t want it to go to waste.”
“I was saving them for the right time!” Corazón huffed, settling his hand on Dob’s shoulder.
Despite himself, he couldn’t help the small smile he wore, glancing between the two. Both of them were so comfortable in his space. It should have been aggravating, two leeches sucking dry the well of his luxuries. It was hard to be mad when they both looked so content, Dob at peace, Prudence with a mischievous grin. Corazón could see the sharp edge of her fang as she beamed up at him. It was as aggravating as it was adorable.
“Alright, shove over,” he said, stepping back to start unbuttoning his shirt. Dob blinked up at him in confusion, but Prudence groaned, catching on immediately. “They’re my things, Pru, I get to use them.”
“It’s going to be so crowded.” She folded her knees up to her chest, leveling him with a flat look, and he rolled his eyes at her. “I was enjoying my privacy.”
“You are in my bathtub with Dob watching you, there is no privacy here.” Corazón tossed his shirt towards the pile he had formed by the door, and Dob pressed his head against the bare curve of his hip. Corazón patted his hair, scratching his nails along his scalp, and Dob closed his eyes with a little noise that reminded him severely of Frisky. “Come on.”
It only took a few minutes for Corazón to undress and settle himself into their domestic scene. He sat between Prudence’s legs, his head against the soft swell of her chest, and Dob giggled as he played with his hair. Evidently, they had been using even more of Corazón’s things than he realized, considering the familiarity Dob had with the oils he was working into Corazón’s hair. He should’ve known from the sleek shine in Prudence’s hair. She didn’t take good enough care of her appearance for that.
“A drain on your resources,” Prudence quoted, too smug for her own good. She looped her arms underneath Corazón’s, hugging him around the chest and pulling him up so she could rest her chin on his shoulder. He tipped his head to press his forehead against her temple, and she snickered. “You like us so much it’s gross.”
“I think it’s cute,” Dob cut in, his pout audible. “Corazón’s a big softie.”
“I am not,” he said, doing very little to defend himself as he nuzzled into Prudence. She smelled wonderful, which made sense considering she was covered in scents that Corazón chose for himself. “This is just the only reasonable way to cope with you two.”
“Uh huh,” Prudence said, tracing her fingernails along the curling lines of his tattoos. He shuddered at the featherlight touch, and he could feel her lips tug up into a toothy grin. “You keep telling yourself that.”
“I will.”
“I know.”
“We should get a bigger bathtub,” Dob mused, tuning out their affectionate bickering just as it started. “So all three of us can fit in and cuddle and smell nice.”
“Since when have you cared about smelling nice?” Prudence teased, as if she had the right to call out anyone on their hygiene. Dob whined wordlessly, she snickered, and Corazón pressed his face further into his skin as he ran numbers in his head.
A larger bathtub was certainly within his luxury budget. Getting somebody out to the manor to install it would be a bigger issue, but he could definitely intimidate a person into it. Maybe even for no extra charge. He was convincing like that.
Belatedly, he realized that folding to Dob’s requests would only encourage him and Prudence to hoard and occupy even more of Corazón’s space and time and things. In the warm bathroom, surrounded by the smell of lavender and the love radiating off of his partners, it was hard to see that as a downside.