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This was a really comfortable couch. It was almost a pity to get up. Victor’s whole mind was protesting as he got up to get to the bathroom. Somehow he squeezed out from behind Robert, trying his best not to wake the brunate man up.
As Victor was washing his hands after finishing releasing himself, he also splashed some water on his face, the events of last night finally registering in his mind. The whole Z-team crashed at Robert’s place after a week of long and exhausting shifts, too lazy to come up with another place they could get drinks from that didn’t ban at least one member of the team. The atmosphere was nice as always, full of banter and jokes and Robert had that found smile on his face that made him look so beautiful. And maybe it was that smile. Or maybe it was the fact Victor just didn’t want this night to end, because for the first time in a long while he finally felt like he wasn’t alone anymore. Or maybe it was the guilt that refused to leave him, no matter how much time has passed since the whole “joining the Red Ring” situation. Or maybe it was a combination of all of that that made Victor stay after everyone else left, insisting that he will help clean up.
“You know, you don’t have to do it.” Robert told him after they threw out the last empty bottle.
“Do what?” This was a legit question as Victor had no way of telling what Robert was referencing exactly.
“All of this. I see you during every shift.”
“Yeah, that’s kinda your job.”
“You are overworking yourself. Constantly offering your help. Insisting that you can do everything.”
“Maybe because it is my job.”
“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You messed up. But being given a second chance does not mean you have to work over time. I could have clean up myself, you don’t have to torture yourself and stay when you could go home and relax. This constance selflessness is getting annoying.”
“All I’m hearing is ungratefulness. I offer my help and instead of “thank you” all I get is “you don’t have to do it, I can do it myself”.” the bat did his best imitation of the dispatcher's deep voice. It wasn’t a good imitation, not even a little bit attractive like the original. “And besides, who said I stayed because I wanted to atone. Maybe I just wanted to look at you a little longer?” Victor immediately bit his own tongue and had Robert not laugh at that, the bat would have probably flown out of the window. But Robert did laugh. And it was such a sweet sound.
“You are impossible. Thank you. There. Happy?” the dispatcher said once he finished laughing. “I mean it though. You have nothing to prove. Water under the bridge.”
“Easy for you to say.” Victor only now noticed how close they got during this conversation. “I feel like a simple sorry won’t fix a destroyed city.”
“Maybe. But so far you gave me no reason to think you don’t regret doing that. And that's a good start.” Robert got even closer, practically inside Sonar’s personal space.
This man was too good for this cruel world. And Victor knew he didn’t deserve his forgiveness. But according to Robert, he had nothing to prove or be selfless all the time. And Victor really wanted to be greedy right now.
The kiss was messy at first, having a snout would always result in that. But after a short moment?
There was getting high and there was getting kissed by Robert Robertson the Third. And after that there is making out with Robert. On his couch. Clothes falling to the floor. Laughter and warm another body on top of yours. And it’s good, so good and you don’t want it to stop.
And now Sonar was standing in the bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror, wondering what the next step was going to be. Shroud went mad wanting to defeat the unpredictability. And in a way Victor could relate to that right now. But, unfortunately, he could not permanently nest himself in the bathroom. He had to go outside.
All of his anxiety disappeared the moment he stepped up. The grumpiest expression on Robert’s face made him laugh out loud.
“Did I wake you up?” the hybrid asked between giggles.
“Yes, actually. The lack of warm fur and sudden drop in temperature woke me up.”
Sonar chuckled at that and moved back towards the couch. Robert practically welcomed him back with open arms, hooking them around the bat’s neck as Victor laid down on him, chest to chest, forehead to forehead.
“Better?”
“Very much.” Robert smiled, kissing the corner of the hybrid's mouth. The dispatcher started to slowly pet Victor’s fur and scratch his ear.
“A bit to the left, please. Oh, yes, right there.” In a second Victor turned into a puddle, nuzzling his face in the crook of Robert’s neck. “You might be more addicting than any drug ever made.” he said while scenting in the man's scent.
“Really?” he could practically hear the smile on the dispatcher's face.
“Yeah.” Sonar nipped a bit on the man’s neck. He left a solid bite mark there last night. Robert’s hands were still petting his fur, slowly moving his head so there were nose to nose again, a deep kiss placed on Sonar's snout once again.
“Any specific wishes for breakfast?” Robert asked once they both stopped to catch some air.
“I might have an idea.” A mischievous smile showed up on Victor’s face as he gave Robert a quick kiss on the mouth and started traveling with his snout down the man's face and neck. The brown-haired man laughed as the bat kissed his Adam's apple.
“Not what I meant, but sure.” he scratched the bat’s ear as Victor kissed his collarbone.
This feeling of another body relaxing under his kisses. It was better than any line Sonar has ever taken. Any party he has ever been to. Any…
Victor stopped himself from going lower, sat up and looked at Robert’s chest.
Scars. So many scars. Decorating the man's entire torso. Too many for just one human body.
“Vic?” Robert looked at him confused as the bat just moved to the other side of the couch, as if to create some space between them.
“Did I give you any of those?” the bat asked bluntly, hugging himself. The image of Robert hanging like a pinata started dancing in front of his eyes. Sonar was not pulling his punches that day.
“Maybe. After 15 years you lose track of where each one came from.” Robert half joked. It didn’t make Victor feel any better so changed his tactic, moved closer and rested his chin on the bat’s shoulder. “Vic, we talked about this. 8 hours ago, to be exact. You have nothing to feel guilty about.” The dispatcher cupped the hybrid’s face, running his thumb down the bat’s cheek and as much as Sonar did not want at first, he leaned into the touch. “I mean, if you really want to talk about scars…” his thumb traveled up to Victor’s eye.
“Nah ah.” the bat grabbed the man’s wrist to lower it. “If I can’t be sad, neither can you.”
Robert laughed at that and gave Sonar a little scratch on a chin. This made him relax again. The bat leaned his whole body against the man and started purring. Robert returned them to the lying position, Victor’s head resting on the man’s chest. The dispatcher once again started petting the bat’s fur.
“I’m still sorry.” Sonar mumbled between purrs.
“And so am I. You think I don’t regret everything. That I don’t wish I could turn back time so I could make sure that none of this could happen. You didn’t deserve to get cut in the first place.”
“And you didn’t deserve getting beat up.”
“Exactly, we made mistakes, we got scars to remember that and we have to live with that.” He leaned in to give Victor a kiss on an eye, the bat purring a bit louder at that.
“I guess you could say we left our marks on each other.”
“Oh, you for sure left one.” Robert pointed at his neck. “This will heal, right?”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
“Good. Because I would prefer not having to go to work in a turtleneck.”
“Don’t underestimate yourself, you would rock a turtleneck.” The bat gave him a quick kiss on the neck, but was pushed away the moment he tried nipping a little more. “Besides, who said you have to go anywhere? We can stay like this forever.” He nuzzled himself again into Robert’s neck, not wanting to move ever again.
“That’s not really an option. We unfortunately need go back to work”
“Do we?”
“Yes, if we want money and food.” Robert started to pet the hybrid’s head again, getting loud purrs as a result. “And besides, I should probably buy a bed already if this is going to be a recurring event.”
Victor immediately stopped purring and pushed himself up to look Robert in the face. The dispatcher was looking at the wall on the other side of the room, clearly playing indifference, pretending like he didn’t see Victor’s shock reaction to what he just said.
Sonar actually let himself think for a moment, letting that sentence and its implication register in his brain. “I want to buy a bed so you can stay more often at my place.” Shit, that was so nice to hear.
He must have been silent for too long because Robert looked back at him and immediately covered his mouth to hold in laughter.
“You look adorable like that, ears all red.”
“What? Shut up!” Victor made a poor attempt at smacking Robert in the face and standing up but the man quickly wrapped his arms around the bat neck, pulled him closer and kissed him.
“Man, your fur is soft.” he said, nuzzling their faces together.
“Exactly. So you don’t need a bed. I can just grow bigger and we can cuddle like that and not move from here at all.”
“Vic.”
“It’s a win-win scenario.”
“Vic.” He repeated, softer this time. Sonar exhaled and once again hid his face in a crook of Robert’s neck, too shy to look at him.
Too shy, lord what have he become.
“A bed sure would be nice.”
They lay for a moment, a comfortable silence only broken by sounds of purring.
“Want to order something for breakfast so we can stay like this longer.” Robert finally asked, reaching for his phone on the ground.
“Sure.”
As Robert was placing an order for them, Victor cuddled as close as he could, relaxing under constant petting he was still receiving. At some point one of his fingers started tracing one of Robert’s scars on his stomach. Robert gave him a questioning look, worried the bat was going to self pity again. But the hybrid instead gave him a quick kiss on the chest, right above the heart and nuzzled into his neck.
“Mine.” he mumbled lazily.
Robert just smiled and returned to talking over the phone.
It was nice, they were keeping each other warm and safe. What could be better than this?