pococurante | [ic;] inbox

hey what r u doin?

[The worst of the detox is over, he’s been passed around Vanya’s friends a bit, and had an epically awful argument with his sister. He isn’t feeling great. He wants the company of someone he feels might not judge him.]

Was taking a nap. Why? What's up?

nothing just tired of my sisters sobriety brigade is ur couch free for a night or two?

[They were friends, it still counts even though he doesn't remember it, right?]

wait like am i allowed to stay outside the hotel are there rules against it i dont wanna be a demons bitch for a week bc i broke a rule i didnt know about

I don't know what a "sobriety brigade" is but it sounds like a total buzzkill. Come on over. There's no rules about it. They just don't protect this area as much as they do the hotel. But don't worry I got a lot of guns.

EXACTLY it is u get me!! perfect expect a me-shaped barnacle on ur couch soon, sugar~

Door's open anytime. I'll make sure Faye knows not to shoot you. Can't make any promises about the dogs.

ur the best ❤️

Got a lot of house, might as well fill it up.

what a delightful way to look at things i knew i mustve liked u for a reason

No accounting for taste, I guess.

[ True to his word, Spike leaves the door unlocked and lets Faye know to expect Klaus... sometime.

Spike knows better than to count on the guy to be punctual. And in the meantime he stretches out on the couch to take a nap. ]

[Klaus is... definitely not the most punctual person, true. He can be incredibly spacey and forgetful at times, even. But he doesn't generally wind his way around to wherever he says he'll be. Eventually. Which is more or less exactly when he shows up at Spike's.

He mentioned he'd leave the door open, so Klaus takes that as a very open invite to walk in as soon as he gets there, rather than needing to go through the hassle of announcing himself.

So he just walks in a little bit like he belongs, and is supposed to be there.]

Hiiidey-ho, neighbor. [He calls out in a sing-song tone as he waltzes through the front door.]

[ After living with Klaus for months, whether or not he was the same or remembered or whatever weird shit is happening, Spike had a chance to observe some of his habits and assume that they are innate enough to cross over to other versions of the man.

Long story short he enjoys his nap. The dogs jump up a few moments before Klaus walks in, which gives Spike some warning. They bark excitedly and scamper over to Klaus, stumpy tails wagging as they hop up on their stubby legs. Zwei, somehow, leaves muddy prints on Klaus' pant legs despite the fact that he's been inside all day.

Spike rubs his face and sits up. ]

Hey! So you finally got out, huh?

[ He gets up and gives Klaus an affectionate nudge on the arm with the backs of his knuckles. ]

You want anything? I got cigarettes and beer and what's left of the last time we attempted to make lemonade.

[He grins as he’s instantly flocked by the dogs, leaning down to pet each one in turn.] Hey guys, what’s up?

[He chuckles a bit at the greeting.] Yeah, I did!

A beer and a cigarette sounds perfect right now. [He makes his way to drop down on the couch and pet the pups again as they clamber over to him once he’s more on their level.] They’re so cute, oh my god.

[ Spike tosses the pack of cigarettes at him then gets up to saunter to the kitchen. He grabs a couple of cans and comes back in time to lean over the back of the couch and flick his lighter for Klaus. ]

Don't encourage them. They're both brats.

[ He hops over the couch and flops, his arms stretching across the back of it. ]

[Klaus grabs a cigarette from the pack and tucks it between his lips, intent on asking for a light whenever Spike comes back with the beer, but apparently his friend is psychic because he's already flicked the lighter to life for him. Klaus doesn't skip a beat, lighting the cigarette with the offered flame and a muttered, "Thanks,".]

But they're cute brats. Like me! [He beams, and draws his legs up to one side of him, almost instinctively leaning into Spike once he's settled against the couch again. He plucks the cigarette from his lips between two fingers.] God, this is nice. You know? Just- I don't feel like you're gonna judge me, it's a weight off of everything in the room.

[Unlike every time he's in a room with his sister; or the way she's sent all her friends after him to be her spies on his day-to-day goings-on. This is better, easier, he doesn't feel as tense. He wonders if it was always this easy between them, when he was here before.]

[ Spike huffs a laugh and lightly runs his fingers through Klaus' unruly hair. Not as unruly as Spike's of course. But nobody's perfect. ]

You don't puke in my shoes or piss on my bed as often as they do, give yourself some credit.

[ Spike shrugs and sips his beer. Then sits up quickly and tries to drink faster as the beer unexpectedly foams up and starts spilling all over him. Which in turn excites the dogs, who hop around barking and bumping into him trying to catch the spills before he can shoo them away. ]

Dammit.

[ He mutters before settling back and deciding that whatever landed on his shirt and tie will dry on its own eventually. He settles back comfortably. ]

There is stuff I'd judge somebody for. [ Better to keep expectations grounded. ] But so long as you don't turn rat or something we should be ok.

[He snorts at the admonishment toward the dogs (that somehow seems to double as a compliment to him). The sudden shift of Spike's position makes Klaus sit up a little more, watching as he deals with the sudden foaming beer. Once he's settled again, Klaus leans into him some more.

He blows a raspberry at that idea.] I'm not a snitch, no worries there.

[He tilts his head up to look at Spike, though the angle is awkward for how he's leaned against him.] How close were we before? Was it like best friend territory? Something else?

[ Spike's sly like that when he wants to say something nice to somebody. I trust you not to be a snitch is pretty much the highest compliment he can offer to anybody. Or even just simply I trust you. ]

We were roommates. [ Which isn't even close to an answer. ] We hung out a lot and fooled around sometimes but it wasn't like we talked about feelings or had some kind of commitment.

[ And yet that implied I trust you belies a deeper level of feeling than he was ever ready or able to admit. Where Klaus was a raw nerve, Spike was a callous. They found a place they could meet. ]

Mmm... so close. [That's his takeaway from the whole thing, anyway. He likes the idea of it, really. He can't really explain it, but there was somehow this almost instant ease around Spike. He wonders if that's how it was before, too. He doesn't ask this time, though. He doesn't want to compare too much from then and now. He's not really that worried about it. For all he can tell so far, Spike doesn't mind that he's not the same Klaus from before, so he figures he shouldn't worry too much about it, either.

Plus, the guy is letting him lean all over him. Klaus really can't hate people who him invade their personal space. He craves connection in all its forms.

His head drops onto Spike's shoulder, almost like a punctuation to the thought.] Sounds nice.

[He's comfortable here in a way he can't be at the hotel right now, between everything with his sister, her weird friends reporting everything about him they see back to her. Everything's so messy there right now. But there's nothing messy or complicated about this.]

[ Spike shrugs because close, to him, is relative. And ultimately, it doesn't matter that much. Whatever he had with Klaus before is at best a stepping stone past some of the initial chitchat of a friendship. But who knows, without those memories this guy could hate his guts. ]

Yeah. There's worse things.

[ Which is to say, he's going to be noncommittal. Pressuring somebody into a friendship is not really his style. Although, he will make the offer explicit. ]

You know. The hotel's kind of a drag. We got three extra bedrooms here, and my dogs like you. If you wanted to see if the magic's still there, or whatever.

[So far, so good, and there isn’t any sign of a single reason Klaus might just really not like Spike. Lucky him, hm?]

I know all about worse. [He purses his lips with the thought.

But those features shift into something like a truly caught off-guard sort of shock. It is quite the offer, even if Klaus isn’t sure if it’s meant as a general come on, an invitation for a roll in the sheets or something more long-term like suddenly being roommies is absolutely on the table, now.

There’s the most obvious shock in the expression but something else the tiniest bit softer just around his eyes, a subtle and hidden sort of being overwhelmed by the acceptance he has already found here.]

Tempting... [He Huns thoughtfully.] but is the offer just for tonight, or...?

[ More like lucky Klaus, considering the usual fate of people who get too close to Spike. (Protip: don't join the mob if you want to have friends who aren't mobsters.)

Spike frowns and tilts his head side to side. ]

We got along pretty good before. The place is way too big for just the two of us, even with the dogs. So yeah. If you like it, you're welcome to just stay here.

[He looks over at Spike, a ghost of a smile on his lips. He wonders if the other man understands what an offer like this even means to him. Because it's a lot.]

Thanks, Spike... um-- [His eyes drop and he's fidgeting suddenly. The truth is, he doesn't feel like he can take that offer, no matter how much he wants to.] it's just- my sister's here and... I have some things I need to sort out with her, yanno? But... [He looks back up at him again, a cautious look in his eyes.] I mean, if you really don't mind an occasional third roomie crashing in another room... I could take you up on that sometimes.

[ It doesn't seem like a lot to Spike. Most people he's lived with never asked, they just moved in. He was kicked out of the Bebop more times than he can remember, even if Jet let him come back after he cooled off. The weird thing is to actually invite somebody in. But the hotel sucks. Being tailed sucks.

He shrugs at the concern over Klaus' sister because that is an aspect of life he has no experience in whatsoever, so you do you, dude. ]

Not at all. That's basically how Faye and I started living together before we ended up here.

[Little things go a long way with Klaus, buddy.]

Awesome.

[He grins. This may have started because he knew a different version of him, but he feels like Spike could really be a good friend to him. He'll shoot the shit with Spike for awhile, watching whatever's on tv. Eventually, he passes out in a bit of a slump against his new friend.]

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end or yours to wrap ♥