Richard trudged down the hallway, scrubbing his eyes awake as he sniffed out the faint promise of coffee. He rounded the corner into the kitchen, hoping for the usual sight of Rody clumsily brewing coffee while half asleep. Instead, his steps halted, eyes widening at a scene that, even in his wildest dreams (or, rather, nightmares), he wouldn’t have thought he’d witness.
Rody was at the coffee maker, as expected, his broad shoulders slumped and one hand lazily pushing buttons on the machine. But that’s where normalcy ended. Attached to his front, like some oversized clingy koala, was none other than Vincent. His pale, lanky legs were wrapped securely around Rody’s waist, and his arms clung around Rody’s neck, his head nestled just under Rody’s chin as if he were some sort of oversized child.
And Rody? He didn’t even look fazed. He stood there, calmly pouring himself a cup of coffee, looking so deadpan about it all, it was borderline alarming.
Richard blinked. Hard. Then he blinked again, but the sight didn’t vanish.
“Uh…good morning?” Richard finally stammered, raising an eyebrow as his gaze shifted between his two roommates.
Rody just glanced up, giving a sleepy nod. “Mornin’,” he said, voice gravelly with sleep, as if nothing was out of the ordinary at all. He took a sip from his cup, holding it with one hand while the other casually patted Vincent’s back. Vincent, however, remained silent, looking half asleep himself as he nuzzled closer to Rody’s shoulder.
Richard coughed, hoping that would snap either of them out of this... whatever this was. When that didn’t work, he spoke up, louder this time. “Care to explain why you’re… carrying Vincent? Or, actually, why Vincent’s, um, hanging off you like aa koala baby?”
Rody shrugged, shifting his weight so Vincent could readjust his grip. “Vin gets clingy in the morning,” he said, as if this explained anything. “If I shake him off, he’ll just latch back on. So, figured it’s easier to just… y’know, carry him around until he wakes up properly.”
Richard’s jaw dropped, his brain doing mental backflips to process what he’d just heard. “Wait… so this… this happens often?”
“Oh, yeah,” Rody replied nonchalantly, pausing to spoon sugar into his coffee. “Pretty much every morning.”
Vincent’s eyes blinked open a fraction, and he peered at Richard with a dark, drowsy expression that made Richard shiver. “You’re so loud…” he murmured, his words barely a whisper.
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I interrupt your little—whatever this is?” Richard snapped, crossing his arms. “I’m just trying to understand why Rody’s morning routine now includes being used as a human tree.”
Vincent smirked, looking rather pleased with himself, and tightened his arms around Rody’s neck with a sigh of satisfaction. “Rody doesn’t mind,” he mumbled, his tone dripping with a smug satisfaction that only irritated Richard more.
“No, yeah, I mean, I’m used to it,” Rody said, giving Vincent another reassuring pat as if he were dealing with a clingy cat. “He’s like this when he’s barely awake. Honestly, it’s easier than dealing with him cranky.”
Richard pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling the beginnings of a headache. “This is insane,” he muttered, casting Vincent an incredulous look. “Why not just, I don’t know, sleep in your own bed?”
Vincent shot him a look, eyebrow raised. “Oh, Richard, you wouldn’t understand. Rody here… he’s warm,” he murmured, almost dreamily, pressing his cheek against Rody’s chest.
Rody, unfazed, reached for the coffee pot again and poured a second cup. “Want some?” he offered, holding it up towards Vincent, who gratefully took it, keeping one arm hooked around Rody’s neck while he sipped with the other hand.
