[drabble] Catoself [Otto + Cami]

[nessy]

Cami was frustrated, almost to tears, by the same damned thing that always made her frustrated to tears: Rep. Rep and his basic lack of understanding that it didn't matter how dumb or ridiculous you found something, that didn't make it any less valid for the person that clung to it like a lifeline. How self-esteem wasn't easy and that if you could get it anywhere then why did the form have to matter? She could feel the burn at the corners of her eyes as she stared down at her phone, hating it when one tear escaped to run down her face.  

[Bittiface]

Otto allowed Cami to vent on Twitter, as it was her right to do so as she chose. But when she started to get too emotional, he usually tried to persuade her into taking breaks.

His hand hovered over her phone in a threat to take it, his chin resting on her shoulder. "C'mon. Put it down."  

[nessy]

'Too emotional' was an incredibly subjective qualifier because Cami often became too emotional about literally everything she did. Unfortunately her phone probably should have been hidden at least an hour ago, with some sort of distraction. Unfortunately there wasn't much of one to be had unless they went to bed and she wasn't much feeling like sleep. Except now her temples were throbbing with the urge to burst into noisy tears.

Otto's hand over the screen, his chin on her shoulder, had her breath shuddering as she hiccuped. "Why is he so mean? He doesn't have to be. All the time, always mean, never nice. Never understanding just ignorant and stupid." What was worse was that people liked Rep. Loved him!

Why?!  

[Bittiface]

She was beyond upset. Otto stopped hovering his hand, abandoning taking the phone. He wrapped her in his arms, forcing her head down to his chest. "Sssssssh hey. Come on." He urged her, petting that fluffy head of hair assuredly.

"He's a d**k. That's how he's always lived. He don't know any other way. We're the aliens to him." Not that it excused being a d**k, but Otto had gotten good at figuring out that lashing out was a form of communication for the agitating Scot.  

[nessy]

Otto was trying to valiantly explain away why William Reid was an a*****e but it was really quite futile. It didn't really matter to Cami what his deal was, only that she had to deal with it over and over without any progress or even consideration for her feelings or the feelings of others. Not everyone was a stone, made of stern stuff, and they couldn't afford to be so torn down.

Cami could but that was so not the point. She fought for those that couldn't fight for themselves and if she was a little too zealous for people who never asked her to fight for them well...that was her flaw, wasn't it? A storm of weeping in Otto's arms, lasting no more than a few minutes, killed most of the tension in her back and shoulders.

Cuddling in against him, slipping a hand over Otto's heart where she loved to see it, she went a little limp with a sigh. "Sorry. I always feel better after the cry."  

[Bittiface]

"Don't be sorry. You're allowed to cry." Otto murmured, keeping his friend wrapped warmly in his arms. He'd keep here there, safe and loved, as long as she needed.

And if, say, there was a long silence?

Otto may or may not have taken a chance at making her laugh or squeal by leaning down and flicking his tongue at her neck to freak her out. A laugh or a squeal would be much better than angry tears.  

[nessy]

It felt nice to curl up in Otto's embrace and know she could stay there as long as she wanted. There wasn't even a blanket over their heads which, she supposed, was some sort of progress in her accepting her emotions more genuinely. Laying in the quiet she was about to shift when Otto leaned down and licked at her neck.

"Hey!" Squealing at the idea of being licked, giggling because it had tickled lightly, she batted at the blond. "Are you introducing me to your catself or something? Geesh!"  

[Bittiface]

"Hey. Other-kin s**t ain't allowed in this bed. You get time out." Otto reached behind him and stuffed Cami's face full with pillow.

"Sssssh only dreams now."  

[nessy]

Pushing at the pillow she made a much more outraged sound, wiggling until she could get out from beneath Otto's smothering. "No, no, you don't understand Otto! I have to tell you about this revelation I've had recently about my true self. My hunterself. It's magical. Like me." Sitting up on her knees she tried to fend off another pillow attack, grin wide even as her cheeks were still a little sticky from shed tears.  

[Bittiface]

"Oh my God, NO!" Otto insisted she stay down, silly talks of hunter selves needed to be smothered out of her. When that failed, he pinched her sides to get her laughing and begging for mercy.  

[nessy]

"YOU CAN'T DENY WHAT I AM, OTTO. YOU HAVE TO ACCEPT MEEeeeeee~~~!!" Her shout ended on a squeal as she fell beneath his fingers pinching into her most ticklish areas, falling back down onto the bed and trying to get away. "Ohmigod, ohmigod, tickleself is the woooorst Otto nooooo!!" It didn't occur to Cami, immediately, that she ought to tickle him back.

She was too busy laughing and rolling around on the bed.  

[Bittiface]

Lucky for him she was too distracted to tickle back. He'd have immediately fled for cover, were that the case. His main purpose was of course met. He'd gotten Cami to smile again. He always supported her when she couldn't smile, but he would always do his best to bring it back when she was done feeling down.

"Are we done? Are we done, little miss?" He waggled his fingers threateningly.  

[nessy]

Narrowing her eyes Cami tried to hide the fact that her stomach had gotten butterflies in it, a lovely feeling, at the term little miss. Something about those two words in his Louisiana cajun drawl had her melting inside but he couldn't know that. He couldn't know she had a weakness. Not yet, anyway.

Lowering her eyes as if in defeat she wiggled slightly before pouncing herself, going straight for his neck, one of Otto's most ticklish spots. "Surrenderrrr!! You've started a war, Otto Graves, and now you've got to surrender or diiiieeeee~"  

[Bittiface]

Otto squeaked. He fell instantly under the spell of the tickling, grasping at her wrists in a attempt to prey her away. The laughter was involuntary, the pitch a cry for help. He'd taken a risk, left himself open. Now he would fall at the hands of Camille.

"Nooooo!!!! Lemme goooo!" He brought his shoulders up instinctively to block her out, his legs came up soon after to try and wrap around her. An attempt was being put into action. An attempt to bring her down, wrestling style.  

[nessy]

It was likely a blessing that the bed were so large. If it weren't they probably would have rolled off of it and onto the floor, hard, by now. Instead they just tangled up in blankets as Cami tried to tickle while Otto all but pinned her to the bed by nature of wrapping himself around her like a monkey. Eventually her breath and energy ran out and she simply went limp, collapsing to the bed with Otto still clinging.'

Lightly her fingers slid into his hair to scratch at his head. "Okay. I think you win."