Work Text:
The bedroom was quiet, dimmed to a soft, golden hush by the heavy blackout curtains. Sunlight seeped around the edges, catching the dust motes drifting lazily through the air, but inside, the atmosphere was heavy, warm, and scented intensely with the rich, sweet fragrance of wild jasmine and roasted cocoa—Raora’s natural scent, dialled up to an almost overwhelming degree.
Shiori pushed the bedroom door open with her foot, holding a tray carefully in both hands. On it sat a steaming mug of honey tea, a glass of ice water, and a box of high-potency instinct-suppressants she’d had to make a frantic late-night run to a specialised shop to find.
On the bed, a massive, chaotic nest of blankets, pillows, and stolen hoodies had been meticulously constructed in the centre of the mattress. In the very middle of it, wrapped tightly in a soft fleece throw, sat Raora.
Her pink panther ears were twitched forward, sensitive to every tiny sound, and her long tail was wrapped tightly around her own waist, swishing in short, restless flicks. Her cheeks were flushed a bright, rosy pink, her amber eyes wide, glossy, and tracking Shiori’s every move with a wild, intense focus.
"Rao?" Shiori murmured softly, stepping carefully across the carpet. "I brought the medicine."
The moment Raora heard Shiori’s voice, her ears pinned back slightly—not in anger, but in pure, overwhelming relief. A low, continuous rumble vibrated from her chest—a deep, involuntary panther purr that shook her small frame.
"Shiori..." Raora whimpered, her voice raspy and thick with heat. She reached an arm out from her cocoon of blankets, her claws lightly snagging on the fleece. "Come here. It's too cold over there. You're too far."
"I was gone for six minutes," Shiori said, though a fond, helpless smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
She set the tray down on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. Instantly, Raora leaned out of her nest, resting her heavy, warm head directly on Shiori’s thigh, burying her face into the fabric of Shiori's pants and inhaling deeply.
"You smell like outside," Raora mumbled, her breath hot against Shiori’s leg. "Don't like it. Smell like the street."
"I had to go outside to get your medicine, you needy cat," Shiori teased gently, running her fingers through Raora’s messy pink hair. Her skin was burning hot to the touch, and her body temperature spiked from the sudden cycle hit. "Here. Sit up for a second. The pharmacist said these take the edge off the fever pretty fast."
Raora grumbled, a dramatic, long-suffering sound, but she allowed Shiori to help her prop herself up against the headboard. Her eyes were unfocused, heavy-lidded with fatigue and the overwhelming fog of her instincts driving her to seek warmth, safety, and physical contact.
Shiori popped two of the sweet-tasting chewable tablets out of the foil pack and held them up to Raora’s lips. Raora took them obediently, washing them down with a few long gulps of cold water.
"Good girl," Shiori whispered.
The praise made Raora’s purr spike into a loud, rhythmic engine sound. Without warning, before Shiori could even set the glass back down, Raora reached out, wrapped her arms around Shiori’s waist, and yanked her bodily into the nest of blankets.
"Whoa—!" Shiori gasped as she tumbled sideways onto the soft mattress, the breath knocked out of her.
Before she could adjust, Raora dragged her completely in, draping her heavy, warm legs over Shiori’s lap and burying her face into the crook of Shiori’s neck. Her pink tail wound tightly around Shiori’s ankle, tethering them together.
"Rao, wait, the tea—"
"No tea," Raora grunted, her nose pressing firmly against the skin of Shiori’s throat, taking deep, greedy breaths of Shiori's familiar, cool scent—ink, paper, and clean laundry. "Stay. You're cool. My brain feels like soup."
Shiori gave up with a soft sigh, letting her body melt into the mountain of pillows. She wrapped her arms around Raora’s back, her hands sliding under the oversized hoodie Raora was wearing—which, Shiori realised with a quiet laugh, was actually one of her own black sweaters that Raora had dragged into the nest earlier.
"You stole my clothes," Shiori noted, gently scratching the sensitive spot right behind Raora’s panther ears.
Raora let out a shuddering, contented sigh, her whole body slumping heavily against Shiori as the medicine began to slowly take effect, dulling the sharp, restless edge of her fever. The wild, frantic energy in her eyes began to soften into pure, sleepy warmth.
"It smelled like you," Raora murmured, her voice trailing off as her eyelids fluttered shut. Her claws, which had been clutching Shiori’s shirt tightly, relaxed, resting flat against her chest. "Needed it."
"You're ridiculous," Shiori whispered, though her chest felt tight with an aching, overwhelming tenderness.
She pulled the heavy fleece blanket up over both of their shoulders, tucking Raora in securely. The room was warm, the heavy purr vibrating through both of their chests like a soothing frequency, anchoring them in the quiet dark.
Raora shifted slightly, pressing a soft, clumsy, fever-warm kiss against Shiori’s jawline before resting her chin back on Shiori’s chest.
"Thank you, Shiori," Raora mumbled, her breath slowing down into a deep, steady rhythm as sleep finally claimed her. "Don't go away."
Shiori rested her cheek against the top of Raora’s head, feeling the soft fur of her pink ears twitching lightly against her forehead.
"I'm not going anywhere," Shiori whispered into the quiet room, sliding her fingers securely between Raora's. "Go to sleep, Rao."