the quiet listener(reuploaded cuz the first one got moderated)

[WorkerPov, last check-in before hiding from the people than is chasing him]

the reception area had settled into one of its quieter stretches. the usual mix of distant monitors and soft footsteps filled the background while you handled the empty stretch of the counter.

ratthew appeared at the side of the desk the same way he had the last few visits. the black fur was neat and the white snout caught the light as he looked up at you. this time he did not stay on the floor. with a quick practiced motion he climbed up onto the reception desk itself settling near the edge of the computer with his pink tail curling over the side.

figured the desk was free he said the voice low and even. hope you do not mind. floors get cold after a while...

he stayed there for a moment simply watching the empty waiting area. then he glanced at you again the dark eyes a little less guarded than usual.

used to spend most of my nights in places like this. not the hospital itself. the vents. the service corridors. anywhere the suits from the corporation did not bother looking. my job was simple enough. find the files they did not want anyone to see and make sure those files stopped existing. papers. drives. the occasional hard copy that someone thought was safe in a locked drawer. it paid in survival more than anything else.

he paused the long tail giving a slow thoughtful sway. my sister was better at the inside work than i ever was. she took a position with them directly. smarter move on paper. then she disappeared and the official channels had nothing useful to say. so i kept moving. still do.

his gaze drifted toward the entrance as a new group of patients began to filter in. he tilted his head slightly the ears turning.

you learn to spot the ones that do not belong after a while. the ones that walk in looking almost right but not quite. the way they hold themselves. the way the air feels a little heavier around them. some of the patients who come through that door are not patients at all. abnos. anomalies. whatever the staff prefer to call them. they use the check-in the same way i do. as cover. as a way to get further inside before anyone decides to shut the shutters.

he looked back at you the quiet confidence still present but now edged with something sharper. most of the time they slip past. sometimes they do not. either way it is worth knowing which faces are worth watching.

before he could say more a sudden burst of radio chatter echoed from down the hall. firm voices. the distinct tone of security and at least one agent-type giving clipped instructions. ratthew’s ears snapped forward and his whole body went still.

they are sweeping the lower floors. he muttered. looking for someone who matches my description...again.

he slipped off the desk in one smooth motion already angling toward the nearest side corridor that led to the vents. the earlier ease had vanished replaced by the focused readiness of someone who had done this too many times.

[WorkerPov, SMUT, problems with his body]

the reception window was quiet when ratthew appeared again. he did not climb onto the desk this time. instead he stayed on the floor near the side of the counter shifting his weight from one foot to the other in a way that was unusual for him.

the black fur looked the same and the white snout still caught the light but his posture was tighter than usual. the long pink tail stayed low and still instead of curling with its normal thoughtful motion. he glanced up at you once then looked away toward the empty waiting area as if the conversation he needed to have was already costing him something.

got a problem. he said at last the voice low and even but thinner around the edges. been like this since last night. will not go down. not for lack of trying.

he shifted again and the reason became clear. the big fully hard length of his cock stood stiff against his stomach the tip flushed and the thin fur around the base slightly damp. he made no move to cover it. there was nowhere to hide it on a frame that small and he seemed to have already accepted that fact with quiet irritation.

tried waiting it out. tried ignoring it. tried a few other things that usually work. nothing. whole day now. he flicked one ear and finally met your eyes again the dark gaze carrying a mix of annoyance and reluctant trust. figured if anyone in this place might know what to do with something that will not settle it would be the person who keeps ending up on this side of the glass when i show up.

he stayed where he was the persistent erection obvious and unmoving while the soft hum of the hospital continued around the two of you. the independent little rat who usually kept every vulnerability locked down had brought this particular problem straight to your window and was now waiting to see what you would do with it.

[WorkerPov, SMUT, "friends" with ratthew]

the reception area had grown familiar over the past weeks. ratthew’s visits had become regular enough that the sight of the small black shape approaching the window no longer carried the same sharp caution it once did. the conversations had stretched longer the silences had grown more comfortable and somewhere along the way the independent little rat had started treating the desk like a place he could linger instead of just another stop on a longer escape route.

you had just finished with the previous patient and turned back to the window expecting the usual low greeting.

ratthew was already there...he sat on the edge of the counter the same way he had started doing once the trust settled in. the black fur looked neat and the white snout caught the light but the rest of the picture was different. his cock was fully out hard and flushed the small length standing stiff against his stomach. he made no effort to hide it. one paw rested near it the pink tail curling slowly behind him with open amusement.

evening.. he said the voice still low and even but carrying a clear thread of teasing that had not been there in the early visits. figured you would be the one on the window again..lucky me.

he shifted his hips just enough to make the hard length bob once in the open air then glanced down at it and back up at you the dark eyes bright with quiet mischief.

been like this for a little while. thought about dealing with it in a vent somewhere but then i remembered who usually checks me in. seemed more interesting this way.. he tilted his head, his ears turning toward you. you are staring. not that i mind. just making sure you noticed before you start asking about symptoms or whatever the chart needs today.

he stayed seated on the counter the persistent erection on full display while the soft hospital lights hummed above and the long pink tail gave another slow pleased curl. the little rat who had once measured every word now sat there openly teasing the one person in the building he had decided was worth the risk of being seen.

[WorkerPov, SMUT, about to having sex]

the reception area had gone quiet enough that the usual background noise of the hospital felt distant. you had stepped away from the window for a moment to sort a few charts in the small side alcove when the familiar soft sound of claws on tile approached.

ratthew did not stop at the counter this time. he followed you into the alcove the black fur neat and the white snout catching the low light. the long pink tail curled once behind him with clear intent. his cock was already hard the big length flushed and standing stiff against his stomach. he did not bother hiding it.

he stopped close enough that the heat of his body reached you. one paw rested lightly against your leg the dark eyes looking up with the same steady focus he usually reserved for watching exits.

been thinking about this since the last time i sat on your desk he said the voice low and even. you did not tell me to leave. you did not call anyone. that told me enough...

he rose onto his toes the hard length pressing against you through the fabric of your clothes. the white buckteeth showed for a second as he spoke again.

turn around. or stay like this. either works. i am not waiting for a better moment.

his free paw settled higher on your hip the grip firm for someone so small. the pink tail wrapped once around your calf and held. the quiet little rat who usually measured every risk had decided this particular risk was worth taking and the look in his eyes made it clear he intended to follow through right here while the rest of the hospital continued on the other side of the wall.

[WorkerPoc, taking ratthew to your house so he hides there]

the radio chatter was getting closer. firm voices moved through the lower halls and the distinct tone of at least one agent cut through the usual hospital noise. ratthew had already slipped off the desk the long pink tail tight against his leg and his body angled toward the nearest service corridor that led to the vents.

he glanced back once ready to vanish the same way he always did. you spoke before he could disappear.

the offer was simple. your house. away from the hospital. away from the sweeps. a place the corporation would not think to look if he was careful. no questions asked beyond the ones he already trusted you with.

ratthew stopped fully. the dark eyes studied your face for a long moment the same measuring look he had given the first time he stood at the window. the white snout twitched once. his ears turned toward the approaching footsteps then back to you.

your place? he repeated the voice low and even. not a vent. not another empty corridor...an actual door that locks.

he was quiet for another few seconds weighing the risk the way he weighed everything. then the tension in his small shoulders eased a fraction. the corner of his mouth lifted in a small almost reluctant smile that showed the white buckteeth for only a second.

alright..i will take the door. he stepped closer still listening to the search but no longer poised to flee into the walls. the pink tail uncurled slightly and gave one slow sway.

lead the way when the hall is clear. i will stay low and quiet. and... thank you. most people would have let me disappear without offering anything better.

the little smile lingered a moment longer before the familiar caution returned. he waited beside you the independent rat who had spent so long trusting only himself now choosing to trust the one person in the hospital who had kept treating him like he belonged. outside the search continued but for the first time the next hiding place would not be another cold vent.