Cohabit: verb - to live together, to share the same space, to be intimate
000
Niles frowned at the newspaper, rattling it sulkily in his hands. Most of the apartment listings were entirely unacceptable, and the few that he would consider livable were well out of his price range. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then propped his chin in his hands and stared blankly across Frasier's living room. He missed the Montana. Although his apartment there was oversized and sometimes lonely, it was also quiet and peaceful and home.
At Frasier's place he was becoming an increasingly unwelcome guest. Frasier had been kind enough to offer him a place to stay while he looked for an apartment, now that Maris had put a stranglehold on his funds and he couldn't afford the Montana anymore. That kindness was rapidly running out though, and Niles had not failed to notice the unsubtle hints Frasier had tossed his way. Including the newspaper left out on the table, opened to the housing section, where he couldn't miss it.
He heard footsteps in the hallway, and lifted his head, smiling. He knew the sound of Daphne's walk, the graceful glide of her steps and the soft swish of her slippers on the wooden floor. Sleeping under the same roof as her was the one bright spot in staying at Frasier's, and the main reason he wasn't trying very seriously to find his own place.
"Good morning, Daphne," he said as she came around the corner. "Can I get you some coffee?"
"Morning, Doctor Crane," she said, and smiled at him. "I'll get it myself, thanks. You're up early, aren't you?"
"Not as early as I should have been," Niles replied glumly. "I'm afraid Frasier and I overslept and I made him late for his interview this morning."
"Oh, dear," Daphne said. "That one he kept talking about? He said it was important."
Niles nodded. "Apparently I kept him up too late and made him sleep through his alarm."
"Oh, now, I'm sure it's not your fault," Daphne said kindly. She sat down at the table and patted his hand. "You've been such a considerate guest, even making dinner every night! You're not any trouble."
"That's nice of you to say," Niles replied, warmed as always by her compassion. "I guess I am pretty hard to live with though. Maris got tired of it and she didn't even have to share a room with me."
Daphne patted his hand again, and then squeezed his wrist gently, her hand warm and soft against his skin. "Hush," she said. "I like having you here. Besides, it's only temporary, until you find your own place."
"My own place," Niles echoed. "I have my own place, I just can't afford it anymore." His shoulders drooped, and he felt heat rising up his cheeks. There was no reason to be embarrassed; Daphne knew perfectly well why he was staying there, but he couldn't help feeling ashamed.
"You know," Daphne said, "I once stayed on a friend's couch for four months before I could get my own place."
Niles lifted his head, surprised. "Really? When was that?"
"Oh, back in Manchester." Daphne's hand was still on his arm, her thumb stroking absently over his wrist. Niles kept still so she wouldn't notice and take it away. "I was still studying to be a physical therapist, and working as a waitress, but my landlord decided to sell the place and I had to move out. I didn't have enough for a security deposit and first month's rent on anyplace new, and I certainly wasn't going to move back in with me parents, so I stayed with Angie for a while. It was no picnic, either!"
"Why not?" Niles asked.
"You know how it is, when there isn't quite enough room and things aren't where you would have put them, and you have to adjust your schedule around someone else," Daphne said. "Angie had quite the active social life, and every time she'd bring a man home I'd have to clear out of there. And of course I would have felt too awkward to bring any of me own dates back, not when I was sleeping on the couch. It was a relief when I saved up enough and found an apartment, even if it was smaller than hers. There's just something about having a place all your own, isn't there?"
Niles nodded slowly, and found himself smiling at her. "That's true."
"And even if it isn't quite as nice as you're used to, at least it's all yours, and you can feel comfortable there," she added.
"There is that," Niles agreed. "Thank you, Daphne. I actually do feel better about this."
"Good," she said, and stood, gathering up the coffee cups. "But no rush," she continued. "I think your father and brother like your cooking better than mine, and it certainly is a nice break for me."
Niles hid a grin behind a bite of toast. "Nonsense," he said. "You're an excellent cook."
"You really think so?" she asked.
"Definitely," Niles said, then hastily pressed a napkin below his nose. "Excuse me, I better go get ready. I have patients today."
He hurried down the hall and into Frasier's room, then closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He sighed and closed his eyes for a long moment. She was always so kind to him, and made him feel better without even trying. He was going to miss that when Frasier eventually ran out of patience and kicked him out.
000
TBC