Day 26: Blankets

Let's Hightail It to Somewhere Nice

It was sometime between too late at night and too early for dawn. Despite her heavy eyelids, Chloe forced herself to stay awake. There was a dull ache in her elbows, her arms hanging slack as Bobby carried her down to the hallway. She had insisted she could walk, but when she took one step back at the Motherlobe, her legs were like jelly, and he was already telekinetically lifting her before she could tumble.

She was familiar with the threats in Bobby's missions. The underground society of psychics was a place intimate with death. It was why he came home with new wounds or scars every so often. The previous bandages wrapped around his stomach and chest, hidden by his shirt, had been crusted over with a layer of blood and needed to be replaced before the medical team gave him clearance to leave with her.

She eyed the hint of the top bandage peeking out from the low collar, humming from the back of her throat. "Why do they always have to assign you these missions? It's just a fight for your life each time," she muttered, Bobby arching an eyebrow at her.

"'Cause I'm the best at 'em?" he sneered, only to falter when she frowned, brows creasing inward, too worried to scold him. He sighed. "Okay, bad joke. I mean, it does suck ass occasionally, but someone has to do those jobs."

Chloe tucked her chin to her chest, folding her arms. He had a decent point. He was the most experienced with them, even among their older peers. But when she joined him, seeing the real life-threatening dangers lying in wait for them, she couldn't help but resent their supervisors constantly assigning Bobby to his potential death. (He could have refused them, and they'd be given to another agent. That was also an option, but Bobby accepted each task with the risks attached. He wanted to make a difference, he had told her when she was still an intern and he was a Junior Agent, to maybe turn some heads to a better path. It was a life that had almost been his if he continued walking down it. It was both frightening to think of what might have been and admirable that he pivoted away from that fate.)

Bobby fished out the keys from his pocket and shoved them in their apartment door. It clicked, and he lifted his finger, guiding them onto the counter as he nudged the door open. The lights were off as expected, but Bobby knew the angles and corners well as he floated over to their bedroom.

He opened the door slowly, it's creaking a pain. Chloe made a mental note to fix the hinges later in the week. She shifted out of his arms, his hands still on her shoulders to steady her bad legs. The bruising on her shins from the vice was still fresh. Landing on her toes, she rocked for a moment, a fresh rush of self-imposed irritation grounding her. She wasn't one to make mistakes. Getting her legs snatched by an obvious telekinetic hand and letting their enemy squeeze them to the point of near-fracturing had been painfully careless.

Kicking his shoes off, Bobby grunted, confused. Chloe followed his gaze to the bed, levitating out of her sneakers. In an instant, her annoyance was washed out with surprise.

Mirtala was pressed against the wall, trembling, her back facing them. Chloe noticed her arms tightly wrapped around herself. She was without her usual quilt, one that her Nona had sewn specifically for her. It was oversized, easily fitting the three of them, but the quilt was spread out on the bed sheet of their Alaskan King mattress for one feline.

Leatherface was curled into a ball in the center of the pretty, oceanic blue patches. He slumbered peacefully while Mirtala shivered. He even yawned, showing off his fangs and stretching the various creases on his face. The old, hairless Sphynx cat was perfectly content, his long tail wrapped around his equally wrinkly body.

Bobby snorted into his fist, stifling his laughter. "Jeez, he really ran her ragged."

Chloe smiled, chuckling behind tightly pursed lips. "It seems to me the pet became the master of the household while we were away."

Mirtala stirred. She slowly looked over her shoulder, and she quietly gasped. She flopped over on her back, dressed in a pair of shorts and a spaghetti-strap top. Delight shone on her face, lighting up the room.

"Oh, thank God, you two are back," she whispered, high-pitched, slowly sitting up. She glared at Bobby. "Your cat bullied me this whole time if you couldn't tell."

"I can tell," he sneered, and Chloe lightly elbowed him.

She extended a finger for every offended point. "He yowled, and he hissed, and he cried until I caved. I gave him everything he wanted. More food. More treats. More playtime. More attacking the curtains. More naptime on my lap, and I couldn't move because he exposed his claws every single time."

Chloe rolled onto the bed. She felt Mirtala's eyes on her pajamas, an emerald green shirt and pants provided by the Psychonauts for their long mission. It matched the pair Bobby wore, who quickly discarded the shirt, Mirtala gasping at the sight of his bandages.

"What happened? Are you hurt badly, Bobby?" she murmured, crawling over to Chloe. She hugged Chloe's stomach, gently pulling her inward to give Bobby room to sit down.

Chloe sighed. "It's a very long story. Let's just say it wasn't easy."

Her expression tightened. Chloe wished they could've gone to sleep instead of seeing such a sorrowful face. Mirtala pressed sweet kisses to her cheek, welcoming her home, and Chloe instantly regretted such a thought. She leaned into her, breathing in the sweet apple scent of her washed hair, trying to forget the pungent odors of the mission.

"I missed you," Mirtala mumbled, holding her tight.

"I missed you, too," she said, appreciating the strength in her arms.

Mirtala puffed out her cheek. "And I guess I missed Bob-o, too. Whoever would I torment if he was gone?"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, get it over with. Why don't you tell me how you're gonna kick me in the ass and watch me roll down a never-ending rocky hill just so you can hear me scream?"

She grinned. "Bobby, I wanna kick you in the tush and watch you roll down a never-ending rocky hill just so I can hear you scream. Also, there'd be a dust cloud around you like the kind in cartoons."

He stared at her, eyes narrowed in disbelief. He shook his head, cursing under his breath, the girls giggling at his dumbfounded plight. Turning his attention to Leatherface, he gently rubbed along his spine, his tail immediately rising. It took three more rubs to rouse him, the cat slowly raising his head. As soon as he caught eyes with Bobby, Leatherface sprung to life, settled in Bobby's lap, and screeched in his face.

"I know, I know, you little bastard. Two weeks is a long time," Bobby said as Leatherface rubbed his face anywhere he could on his owner.

Leatherface chirped, then hissed, then meowed, his aggravation boundless. But when he spotted Chloe, he leaped into her lap and pawed at her face. Leatherface demanded attention, and Chloe reciprocated, understanding how Mirtala could have surrendered so easily to the needs of a whiny, lonely cat.

"Hi, Leatherface. I'm sorry we had to go," Chloe crooned, and Leatherface bonked his head against her chin.

"He's being so much nicer to you two," Mirtala groaned, "but at least we have the quilt back."

She lifted the edges and flopped down. She scooted over, letting Chloe lie in the center and Bobby on the other side. When they settled in, Mirtala draped the blanket over everyone, Leatherface included. But the cat growled and scurried out, choosing to sleep on Chloe. She would've urged him off the bed, but she had missed the wide-eyed cat slowly blinking at her as he settled on top of her stomach.

Bobby sighed heavily, shutting his eyes as soon as his head hit the pillow. "Well, g'night. See ya in the morning."

Mirtala curled up next to Chloe. She set her head to her chest, and Chloe stroked through her hair. The immediate warmth was appreciated, complementing the smooth cotton quilt. Leatherface growled quietly at Mirtala, but Chloe tapped his cold nose, cautioning him to behave. He curled in on himself, tail lightly swatting Chloe's hand.

Chloe stared at the ceiling. Although she was snug in bed, Mirtala and Bobby by her sides, she was off. Every so often, her legs still throbbed. It wasn't enough to keep her awake, her eyelids begging for sleep, but still, she fixed her gaze on nothing of interest.

It would've been nice to get away from it all. Work, missions, and as much as she loved her job and everything she created, at times, it was like walking in increased gravity. The stress of overthinking, the split-second decisions that led to either life or death, constantly pouring herself into her creations and forgetting about herself, she realized she hadn't had much time to be in any moment.

An idea came to life as she was about to shut her eyes, and she resisted the urge to fling herself upright.

"Let's go on a vacation, the three of us," Chloe said to the dark. She ran her fingers down Leatherface's back. "And Leatherface, too, of course."

Mirtala looked up, chiming, "Really?"

Chloe felt Bobby shifting to his side next to her. "We do have a fuckton of vacation days saved up. I don't think you've ever used yours, ya workaholic."

"Says the guy who cashes in his sick days the second he feels a sore throat coming on," she retorted, and he barked out a gruff laugh.

"Where should we go? I've got a million places I wanna see!" Mirtala exclaimed, Leatherface hissing at her tone. She stuck her tongue. "Oh, you be quiet! I've dealt with you for fourteen straight days, and each day was worse than the last!"

As Leatherface yowled, Chloe snickered. "We can plan tomorrow. I'm only throwing it out there before I forget it."

"Orrr…" Mirtala purred, drumming her fingers on Chloe's shoulder. "...it can just be you and me. Bobby's had you all to himself these past two weeks, you know, and I missed my Chloe. We can have much more fun toge - hey!"

Bobby grabbed his pillow and pressed it against Mirtala's face. "She should we're all going, so we're all going, ya harlot."

"'Harlot?' I'm a fair maiden compared to you!"

"Or I can go by myself and leave you two here," Chloe bluntly interjected.

They quieted down. Bobby withdrew his pillow and tucked it back in place. Mirtala clung to Chloe even tighter, whining from the back of her throat. Leatherface uttered a final, warning hiss taking his place on Chloe's chest. Mirtala shrank down, snorting, and Bobby chuckled at her hopeless predicament, losing to the cat again.

Chloe sighed, closing her eyes. "Still, our first vacation. I'm looking forward to it."

Bobby wreathed his arm around Chloe's waist, his cheek pressing against her hair. Mirtala cuddled against her arm, giggling to herself. Leatherface was already asleep, his whiskers tickling Chloe's neck. Listening to them breathe, Chloe smiled to herself, the quilt's pleasant weight better with them nestled into her.