[rp] This much is ours...

[themanclion]

A few minutes after a certain post, Mat gets a visitor.

A very furry visitor, which carefully thumps at Mat's door with a paw, then just sits in front of the door, tail curled neatly around him, waiting, looking as friendly as it's possible for a lion to look.

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[guardsintheory.livejournal.com]

Mat opens the door, and is the picture of rumpled misery. Sweatpants, socks, rumpled t-shirt, and hair going every which way. He sees the lion, sitting there all prim and proper, smiles a tiny bit, and stands aside to let him in.

"You didn't have to come, you know."

He's glad he did.

[themanclion]

Gene just snorts at that, and makes a point of bumping Mat's leg with his forehead as he comes in.

Of course I didn't have to, yeh div. But I'm here anyway, aren't I?

[guardsintheory.livejournal.com]

Mat reaches down to scratch his back as he passes, and closes the door.

Then hesitates.

"You're not going to think I'm a huge girl if I... cuddle... will you?"

[themanclion]

Gene gives the best approximation of a shrug he can manage. Only way I could think you were more of a girl would be if there were ruffles and a tea party.

But he turns to give the back of Mat's hand a very careful, deliberate lick, because he's going to make sure his pride's properly groomed -- and if Mat wasn't so bloody tall, he'd do something about the hair, see if he wouldn't -- and that should be answer enough, shouldn't it?

[guardsintheory.livejournal.com]

Mat smiles, just a bit, and moves to flop out on the bed. There's plenty of room if Gene wants up. "Yeah, I'm a fucking girl anyway, I know. You don't even have to be able to say it."

[themanclion]

Of course Mat's a girl. This is why he gets a giant cat to cheer him up. (See: Gene's Fifth Law: Girls Like Cats.) But it's working, innit? So Gene hops up on the bed after Mat and gives the hair a few decisive licks, followed by the usual period of ears-back chagrin that always happens when he lets those instincts get the better of him.

Right, sorry.

He settles down by Mat and starts to purr.

[guardsintheory.livejournal.com]

Mat's response to the licking is...

Well, he takes it like a kitten. He makes one of those 'yeah, I know, at least none of my friends are around' faces and just sits there and lets him.

He doesn't say anything when Gene makes that 'oops' face. And when he starts to purr...

He buries his face in Gene's mane and tries not to think about everything that his making him fucking miserable.

Also he's glad his brother isn't in the room, because he doesn't think Nate would take kindly to him snuggling his ward. Mostly just because they can't stand each other.

[themanclion]

Gene just accepts the snuggles with the sort of grace he absolutely doesn't have as a human, and just purrs more loudly. He may turn a bit to nudge at Mat's head with his nose, a sort of "there, there" kind of gesture.

Somehow, he just keeps adopting angels and nutters. He's not sure how that works.

[guardsintheory.livejournal.com]

Right.

Right.

He's okay. He is, he really is, despite the fact that he's just... all over the place.

"I think Sam's still kind of mad at me for the... the thing," he says, a bit abruptly. "With Natasha."

One of many things weighing on him. Might as well ramble to the cat.

[themanclion]

Gene looks at Mat for a moment, then goes to nudge him with his nose again, just a bit. Don't be an idiot.

Tyler understands these things, and if he doesn't, Gene's going to go and give him a good thump (or five) on the head so he'll see reason. Simple as that.