Work Text:
It was around ten or eleven at night when they all gathered longways onto the one couch in the King household, all three of them idly doing one thing or another while the TV played quietly in front of them. Zora was the only one actually paying attention to the movie that was played on the B rate channel she had decided on, one arm resting on the arm of the couch and the other looped loosely around Percy’s shoulders. Percy was sitting between Zora’s long legs with her back resting low against the other womans chest while she looked over some police reports, using Ramsey as her table as she does so. Ramsey was fit snugly between Percy’s bent knees with hair down and a calm smile on his drowsy face, laying on top of her with his cheek resting on her chest and his arms wrapped around her as he dosed.
Percy startled and blushed ever so slightly as he moved in his “sleep” and turned his head so his entire face was laying against her chest, pouting at him as he snickered quietly.
“Gerbil-” She began firmly, but there was certainly amusement in her voice.
“Can’t hear you, I’m sleepin’.”
He started to let out exaggerated snores as he pressed his face against her to hide his smile, making her click her tongue as she looked down at him. Zora can’t help but scoff a chuckle herself at the two of them, leaning forward to press a kiss to the back of Percy’s head before resting her chin in her hair to gaze down at Ramsey as well.
“For a rat, you sure are a horndog, ain’t ya Rams?”
“Horndog?” Ramsey peeked out at that, smug as all hell. “I’m a horndog for liking a nice soft pillow while I sleep?”
“Y’all know and good that ain’t the reason you got yer lil rodent face all over her.”
“Then by all means, Sunshine. Tell me the reason.”
Percy sighed as they began to bicker back and forth playfully, smiling a small and happy smile as she looked back at the report in her hands. She listened to them idly as she read everything, unaware of her hand subconsciously drifting to the back of Ramseys head. She started to play with his hair, twirling it loosely along her fingers before she dug her fingers into his strawberry locks and began scratching lightly.
In an instant, Ramsey fell silent. He seized up against her with his eyes wide and his mouth left caught in the middle of his snide remark. Zora raised an eyebrow at him and started to ask him what in the hey he was staring at, but before she can utter a word, Ramsey moaned under his breath and melted against Percy. Zora and Percy both jumped when he went lax and curled up closer to her as he tilted his head back into her touch.
“Ramsey, are you alright?”
“Yeah…” His voice was soft, relaxed and distracted. “Yeah, I’m good… It’s just been a while since...since anybody’s played with my hair…”
He cuddled and nuzzled up to her with a soft groan as she scratched at his scalp again, his grip loosening on the back of her pajama shirt. His eyes fluttered shut as she gave another experimental scratch and his head fell against her chest with a lot less panache than before. He was completely at her mercy.
“I had not anticipated this reaction to my ministrations.” She smiled gently as she began to scratch in rhythm and he made a quiet noise about it. “Your hair is rather soft, Gerbil.”
“Mhm…” He droned happily.
“Well, Ah’ll be damned.” Zora smirked at him, a hint of love in her eyes. “If Ah knew you were beat this easy, Ah would have scritched yer hair and saved myself the trouble of chasin’ yer ass all these years.”
Ramsey let out an annoyed whine and batted at where he figured her arm was, pulling laughter from the cowgirl as she reached across Percy to give him a few scratches at the top of his head as well. Ramsey became positively boneless under their combined affections, lost in bliss and pleasure as Percy untangled his hair with her fingers before reaching back in and scratching in just the right spot. He managed to hold back the whine that threatened to escape when Zora pulled her hand away and settled back into the couch, returning her attention to the movie.
“Hey, Persephone,” Zora piped up after a moment. “Ah bet ya ten bucks that his leg starts kickin’ like a dog if ya go on for long enough.”
“Hm.”
Percy glanced at Ramsey, smiling as he sighed and small golden hearts popped off of him when she worked a small knot out of his hair.
“I do believe I’ll take those odds.”