[Relationship] The Rosenhof Residence

[Basil Benson]

After the return of their powers, Basil would drive home without so much as a word to Colette. He would be the first one through the door, and would trudge up the stairs alone without waiting on her.

He would disappear (well, differently than the usual way) into the guest bedroom, and he wouldn't emerge again that night.

Nor would she see him the next morning. Nor the next afternoon.

He seemed to have no inclination to leave the room, which might seem more impressive to Colette now that she had experienced the concept of genuine hunger and needing to use the restroom now and again. Was he just pissing out the window? The world may never know. Well, Colette might not unless the constables came around regarding public exposure complaints, but even that was highly unlikely given the boys 'lacking visuals' status.

[Colette Rosenhof]

At first Colette gave Basil his space. He needed to sulk and he needed his space, so even though it hurt her to see (or rather know) him in such a state she let him lay as he wanted. It wasn't until the next morning that she started to make efforts to try and console him or to let her in. She tried calling out that food was ready, then leaving it outside the door. It wasn't until that evening that she began knocking on the guest bedroom door and not leaving afterward.

[Basil Benson]

"It's open." He stated out loud.

He'd never locked it, but he also had never roused at her attempts to get him to do so. It was the first thing he'd said in nearly 24 hours.

She'd find him curled up under the comforter, the shape of him tucked into a little ball. It was always surprising how tiny the big lanky boy could make himself when he wanted to.

Were she to lift the blankets she wouldn't see him, only the impression of him in the bedding around him.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette closed the door behind her and sat down on the edge of the bed with her back to Basil. From under the covers he'd have been able to heard the soft clinking of porcelain.

"I made some toast and a cup of tea for you."

[Basil Benson]

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry." He replied from under the covers.

"You can have it." He added, not wanting to sound rude. Ever the Brit.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"What have you eaten today?" She asked plainly.

[Basil Benson]

He didn't answer.

He kinda felt like she already knew the answer to the question, therefore it was clearly rhetorical. So he didn't have to.

Right?

Right.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette didn't press it, at least not yet.

"What will you do tomorrow, Basil?"

[Basil Benson]

"Go to work." Basil responded. Apparently he intended to behave like a normal person at least sometimes.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"So you will be having breakfast, zen? And lunch?"

[Basil Benson]

"Must I? I'd rather not."

[Colette Rosenhof]

"I would prefer it if you took a sick day and ate, zan tried to work while starving." Colette's words were obviously chosen carefully, she wasn't telling Basil what to do.

"Does my presence upset you?"

[Basil Benson]

"No." He replied in a soft, small voice.

There was a light shuffling of blankets as his invisible hand slid out to take a piece of toast and sleight of hand it under the blanket with him.

"I'm not hungry." He reminded.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Of course not." Colette said, pretending not to notice Basil's trick, In a bit of cunning she had topped the toast with some apricot jam, just to make it that much more tempting.

"I would like to be here for you Basil. If you need time alone to express your feelings, I will understand. But consider an alternative. You could lay as you do right now, but wiz someone holding you in zeir arms, and who could listen to you, offering council only if you wish it."

[Basil Benson]

The lump in the bed shifted a bit. Perhaps to prevent choking while eating. It was silent as it thought upon the offer it was being given.

"I cannot express in words how lovely that sounds..." His voice cracked a bit at his own confession, before silencing itself. Probably having another thought.

"But that's the needy and pathetic part of Basil talking...And someone has better uses of their time.

Like graduating for example. " He replied, his voice growing a little cold and disgusted with itself.

Seems the two halves were still as at odds with each other than ever, though thankfully not to the level of flattening him like during Halloween.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Well, I zink zat I would be better able to concentrate on my studies knowing zat I had lessened your suffering. As much as you loathe to believe it, this cannot be a relationship where I solely take while you solely give. Zat simply is not healzy for eizer of us in ze long run. In times like zis, it is better for boz of us for you to allow me to give to you." She could have demanded it of him, but that might very well defeat the purpose and breed resentment and stubborn opposition, something she'd encountered already when he was physically unwell.

"I could talk of how ze best servants are zose who are well cared for, but I do not like to compare you to a dog or a horse. Well, all but one part of you anyway. Instead I ask zis of you... would you like to be ze little spoon?"

[Basil Benson]

"...Only if you're dead set on being in the nest with me." He replied after careful consideration.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Do you not zink zat our bed would be more comfortable for nesting in?"

[Basil Benson]

"No." He replied firmly in a fashion that implied to Colette that she might be pressing her luck in this regard.

"Your bedroom is a sanctuary. I will not sully it with..... this."

What a strange little paladin he made.

It seemed he had some logic in hiding in here that had nothing to do with being angry at her or punishing her.

He was punishing himself for feeling like this.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"So I will be sleeping alone again tonight? Unfortunate... but if you feel zat zis is appropriate, zen so be it."

She offered Basil no warning before she slipped under the covers. Literally. Her clothes quickly fell into a pile as her body morphed and dove under the covers to envelope the young man, reforming into the familiar feminine visage hugging him from behind. She'd even made herself a bit taller so that she could be a proper big spoon, leaving her with just a pixie cut. But it wasn't like that mattered much under the covers.

[Basil Benson]

Basil was startled by this turn of events and lost his snack somewhere in the bedding when she came in to join him without a head's up.

"... Well I might have suggested you staying in the nest with me... but now there's jam in the sheets and it's location is as elusive as I am."

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette's arms reached around and brushed over the sheets in a thorough sweep before they wrapped around Basil again.

"Now zere is no longer jam in ze sheets. Ozer zan myself."

[Basil Benson]

"Are you expecting me to eat you as well?

I could try, but if I'm being honest, my tummy could barely handle the toast."

Was he flirting? Maybe. But Basil could rarely help himself when it came to overlooking a double entendre. It was right there after all.

[Colette Rosenhof]

"Mmmm... maybe in ze morning? Right now, rest."

[Basil Benson]

Basil fell silent and allowed himself to be held, his slender fingers finding their way to her forearms, loosely holding her back.

He would be lost in his cyclical thoughts, going through the usual rundown over and over again.

Eventually, Colette would notice moisture on her arms that wasn't her own, followed by his muscles tensing and the light hold he had on her forearms tightened, squeezing his arms (and her own) tightly against his chest. His breathing quickened slightly, but he was otherwise quiet.

He must have been crying, but he was stone silent as he did so.

He would cry for quite some time before her arms seemed to dry again, his muscles relaxed, and his breathing regulated. Once he'd calmed, he nestled his cheek into her forearm to rest against it. He'd remain quiet for a notable amount of time, but eventually she'd feel the reverb of his vocal chords against her as he hummed a song to himself.

That eventually developed into softly singing to himself.

"We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I'd make wine from your tears
You told me
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never ever tear us apart-"

He returned to quietly humming to himself, the same tune, breaking in and out of it.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette didn't saw a word to Basil. She let him pour out his grief, holding him in her best efforts to make him feel safe and loved. There was no reason to ask him if he was feeling any better after he'd sing his verse; this wasn't something solved by one big cry. This would take time, and that was something that they had in spades. She did begin to gently stroke his hair, her flexible digits able to navigate the curls in a way others were incapable of.

[Basil Benson]

Basil gently relaxed into her touch with a sigh. She did enjoy petting his curls, so he saw no real reason to prevent her.

He probably wouldn't until he realized the next morning as his alarm went off and he realized that the act had caused him to drift off.

He bolted upright from his position in bed visible as he grabbed his phone to turn off the alarm.

He hadn't prepped for work the night before.

"Madame! I'm going to be late!" The agitated poof of hair cried out as it threw off the blankets and jumped up to find something to wear out of the closet.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette lazily flowed upright, watching Basil with unformed eyes as he panicked and ran about. She poured herself off of the bed, forming legs as she did so, until she was in her more familiar human shape.

"Go, wash yourself. I will find you somezing to wear." She said in a tone that contrasted Basil's with its calm.

[Basil Benson]

"Yes Madame." He replied, scurrying through the dresser then disappearing to primp.

His primp time was incredibly cut down and while his hair was not entirely under control it was tamed enough to be considered 'managed' by proper society's standards. Exiting the bathroom in his under things, he would meet Colette in the hall to take his clothes from her.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette had seen Basil enough times in his "work clothes" to know generally what he would consider acceptable. Maybe the socks weren't what he would normally have worn with that jacket, but he wouldn't look like a clown. She leaned in to give his cheek a little peck as she held out his clothes.

"Do not rush. Simply text zem zat you are running late. Rushing leads to mistakes and accidents, no?"

[Basil Benson]

Basil allowed her to kiss his cheek as he began plucking items from her and throwing them on in record time.

"Right, right. Of course." He replied, doing that weird dance a person tends to when they're in a hurry to get their trousers on. He looked at her as he buttoned up his dress shirt, and when it seemed as if he might be reaching for his tie, he reached further still and took something else.

He steadied her face and kissed her, deeper than she was used to when it wasn't meant as foreplay. Which it clearly wasn't given the panic attack he was giving himself that was developing around them.

He averted his eyes as he began doing up his tie and licking at his own lips as if there was some sustenance there that he didn't want to miss a morsel of.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette's eyes widened, her irises sparkling when Basil pulled away. Oh yes, that had deeply affected her. So long as nothing bad happened she'd be able to coast on this good feeling for most of the day.

"Do try to have a good day, matou. We will meet for lunch. I will see if I can find somezing for breakfast zat you may eat in ze car." She trailed her fingers along his arm as she headed for the sairs, descending far more smoothly than human legs could allow.

[Basil Benson]

Basil followed her just to the stairs themselves, sitting down at the top of the flight to get his shoes on. Once he was done he scurried downstairs into his study to collect his satchel, then past Colette to get close enough to the car to push start it.

Once he got to where he was, something tipped him off.

"Oh shit. Could you feed Daggy please? He'll be expecting it at the garden door. He'll eat eggs, tuna, whatever you think cats like is probably fine.

Just not milk, it upsets their stomachs.

And avoid vegetables and fruits, a lot of them are poisonous to them."

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette seemed a bit surprised. Daggy? Oh, right! Chisaki had mentioned a cat. She waved her hand above her head, the scene not looking entirely out of place from a suburban scene out of the 1950s.

"I will! Text me before your lunch break!" She was left to ponder the situation once Basil had pulled away. She'd never cooked for a cat before. Did it have to be cooked? Did they prefer it?

[Narrator]

Colette had exactly two seconds to think about it before said loudmouth began scratching at the door that let out onto the back porch and into the garden, wailing obnoxiously for anyone who would listen.

He had heard voices, and he was hungry.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette moved to the back of the house to answer the door. It never occurred to her that she should just ignore the caterwauling until she had something ready. Or that "Daggy" likely took his meals outside. He was a cat, after all, cats are clean. So what could be the harm?

[Narrator]

Colette would be greeted by the sight of the fattest, fluffiest cat she had ever seen in the flesh. Light on both it's body and in it's colour pattern, it stared at her with slightly crossed, light blue eyes, it's tail was peaked in curiosity.

This was not the boy. The boy was bigger, and sometimes, hard to track with his eyes.

This thing he could see, but it was quite a bit smaller. And it didn't smell like the boy... or the woman... it didn't smell like a human at all, but it vaguely looked like one.

What a strange creature...

He kept his eyes locked on it to see what it was going to do, but he made sure to play it cool and not allow the not-boy to know he was just a touch frightened of it.

[Colette Rosenhof]

Colette let out a gasp at the sight of the fluffy beast. She'd never seen a cat so utterly massive, it's tail as thick as it's head, legs tapering down to tiny little paws. She'd never had a pet growing up, she'd never really gotten close to a lot of animals. So this was all very new to her.

"Oh my Lord, you are the most gorgeous creative I've ever seen. Please wait a moment, I will get you something to eat." The girl immediately fell back into French, well it wasn't like the cat spoke English anyway, and turned away from it to head back to the kitchen. With the door left ajar the sound of the fridge opening was very audible.

[Narrator]

The strange creature spoke with the voice of a bird, was it a bird? It didn't smell like a bird.

It was a very very big bird if that was the case.

More bird to eat.

He of course knew what the sound of a food box opening sounded like, and he bounded up the steps to see if the bird had opened it for him.

If it had, perhaps this bird was better suited as a minion than a meal.

Unfamiliar with this new territory that the boy never allowed him access to, he waited at the mouth of the stair well, sniffing the air cautiously to sense any potential threats in this unexplored space.

Also, he hoped to locate the food box he heard opening.

[Colette Rosenhof]

There were sounds that were likely familiar from the cat's home, like the sound of a can being opened by a pull tab. And then the strong, pungent aroma of sardines in oil. That by itself made for a compelling road map.