So...this was supposed to be a short ficlet to cheer up @ebitenpura --which I'm late with, lol--but it decided it wanted to be a bit longer than that. I feel like I might have missed the mark with Eight. >.< But hopefully you still enjoy it!
When Aketho walked into his room, he wasn’t surprised to find his favorite fellow Cipher there. Eight often spent his free time on the couch with Ashano, and Ashano ate up the attention when she was in the mood—as all cats did. That’s what they were doing as Aketho came in…but something felt different about today.
It caused Aketho to stop suddenly in the doorway, and Theron bumped into him from behind.
“Keth, wha-” Theron cut himself off. A quick glance in the former Republic spy’s direction showed his brow furrowing as he spotted the Echani on the couch. “Eight, everything alright?”
Aketho felt relieved that he wasn’t the only one who noticed something was wrong. It worried him, since Eight was usually good at concealing his feelings, especially the ones that might draw attention. His concern grew when Eight jumped at the question and looked up at them, eyes wide.
“Aketho, Theron, hey,” Eight said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”
The two spies shared a look, then walked into the room. Theron sat on one side of Eight, while Aketho put down the box he was carrying, took off his jacket, and sat on the other side.
“You sure?” Aketho asked gently, leaning forward to get a better look at the other man’s face. “Because it looks like something’s bothering you.”
Eight stayed quiet, petting Ashano, who purred louder and pressed closer to his stomach. She only acted like that when Aketho or Theron were having a tough day or woke up from a nightmare, almost as if she could sense when they needed comfort. The Chiss looked at Theron, who returned his gaze with concern. Aketho frowned, trying to figure out what might be bothering his friend. Eight didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve as many others did. The only time he did was… oh…
“You’re worried about Arcann, aren’t you?” Aketho asked softly. When Eight looked up at him, eyes wide again, Aketho gave him a gentle, understanding smile. Arcann was still on assignment in Wild Space, and even though Aketho had sent Sana-Rae to help, it had been over a week since they last heard from him. Aketho pulled Eight into a hug and gently stroked his hair. Then he glanced at Theron and nodded toward the small kitchenette.
Theron nodded, got up, and ruffled Eight’s hair on his way past. Eight let out a small huff of laughter at the action. The former SIS agent grinned and started the brewer, pulling out a bag of mint tea.
“I shouldn’t be so worried,” the Echani murmured, “He’s more than capable…”
Theron chuckled quietly from the kitchenette and gave Aketho a knowing look. “I can tell you from experience, someone can be the most capable person in the universe, and you’ll still worry about them. Honestly, I’m surprised my hair isn’t grey from half the shit Keth gets up to.”
Aketho rolled his eyes and smiled while Eight snickered against his chest.
“At least you’d look good with grey hair,” the Chiss said, smirking as he added, “old man.”
Eight snickered again.
“Very funny,” Theron said dryly, though he was grinning. He brought the drinks over, set Eight’s tea on the table to steep, and handed Aketho his cup of caf.
"Thank you," the Echani Cipher said softly, still snuggled against Aketho.
“Anytime,” the spymaster replied with a relaxed smile. He reached over and scratched the loth-cat behind her ears. “Although I think Ashano is doing most of the work here.”
“Just a bit,” Eight chuckled, scratching her under the chin. She squinted her eyes and purred even louder.
“She’s definitely not complaining about the attention,” Aketho said with a quiet laugh. He watched Eight and Ashano while sipping his caf. After a few minutes, he added, “If you want, you can keep Ashano for a while, or until Arcann comes back.”
Both Eight and Theron looked at him in surprise.
Aketho chuckled deeply. “It’s not like I’m saying keep her forever, but it’s clear she helps you. Besides, I doubt she’s going to leave your side anytime soon.”
The white-haired man looked down at the black ball of fluff, who gazed back at him with squinty green eyes. He smiled and murmured, “Thank you, I think I’ll take you up on that offer,” before nuzzling into the Chiss’s shoulder.
Theron smiled into his caf, resting his arm along the back of the couch. His fingers brushed the back of Aketho’s neck. Aketho gave him a gentle look over Eight’s head.
A comfortable silence settled over them, broken only by the sounds of a happy loth-cat.
