A Lovely Dream

     Work had been one hell of a time.

     It most often was, when spring was slowly blooming into summer. It was truly ironic, for summer vacation that people usually associated with leisure to be so near, yet to have so much work piled up on her shoulders. Alas, Mai powered through.

     Stressors were never far away from her when she was at work, as if her office was a pond full of pirañas: It was the simple things that piled up, nibbling at her feet in tiny, deadly little bites. Someone calling in sick, so she had to pick up their slack. A co-worker’s birthday party that she wasn’t invited to. People were being picked up by their loved ones for a ride back, while Mai went to her apartment to be all by herself.

     Or at least, partially.

     Suguru meowed a wordless welcome, even before she had managed to unlock her door. Mai appreciated the company, but work still lay heavy on her shoulders, so she found it impossible to try and return even a portion of his enthusiasm. He followed her through the hallway, to the living room, and into her bedroom while trying his best to catch her attention.

     But Mai was tired, of both body and mind, and even the act of dragging herself to bed felt nothing more than a routine she followed against her will. Shoes were discarded somewhere along the way, her suit jacket draped onto the nightstand, and her face buried into a pillow. Stubborn, Suguru climbed up on the mattress, and towards her on the bed, politely pawing at her forehead.

     “Go away,” Mai mumbled, voice muffled through her pillow. She did not feel like fighting anything else today, “Leave me to wallow in my misery.”

     Another touch, this time to the side of her face, once again to no avail. A third attempt, where Suguru managed to squeeze his little paw in between the pillow and blanket and blindly poke her in the nose. Despite her so-called misery, Mai snorted. Laughter broken, but present nonetheless.

     It was hard to say no when faced with such a persistent little friend. Mai rolled around, finally laying on her back, and staring at the ceiling. Suguru took the opening to climb on top of her, and Mai didn’t push him away. He was purring before long, the vibration rumbling through her chest.

     “I hate my job,” she said out loud, despite herself. Talking on her own wasn’t as odd when Suguru was listening, “I fucking hate it. Mr. Hasegawa keeps throwing shit at me that I’m not being paid for– it always feels like people are gossiping about me, and I just– I forgot why I’m doing this anymore.”

     More purring, and the vague sensation of Suguru kneading on her chest. Mai’s hand went up to scratch between his ears, the cat too sweet for a day so sour.

     “I don’t wanna go tomorrow,” Mai continued. “I think I’m coming up with something– But I’m not going to say no. You know what I mean? I– I can’t. If I don’t push through and take care of myself, who will?”

     The only answer to her question came as Suguru purring, breaking the silence of what would be her and her thoughts. Mai did her best to focus on it, and as she closed her eyes, she pretended that the rumbling washed away any troubles that were weighing her down. And instead, all that mattered was Suguru, and it was just her and him against the world.

     That night, Mai had the strangest dream.

     She opened her eyes to the smell of dinner being cooked up in the kitchen, and a bed emptier than it had been before. Her first instinct was to reach out to Suguru, who’d usually be curled up at her side by the time of waking up, but he found the bed empty.

     “Suguru–” she called out, more a whine than a question, knowing that there would be no answer for her– And yet, she did.

     “The kitchen, dear!”

     A male voice came from down the hall, bouncing through the walls. She didn’t recognize who it was, at least not at first– deep velvety to the way it pronounced the words, borderline affectionate with the pet name. Mai looked around her bed, confused as to even what time it was, or when she had fallen to sleep– if she had woken up at all.

     Suddenly, though very odd, she called out again, “...Suguru?”

     The man did not answer, only laughed. But that confirmed whatever theory had been brewing inside Mai’s head. Whoever that mysterious man was, working away through something in the kitchen, was her cat.

     Ah, so she was dreaming.

     It made sense, in the way that nothing made sense when still fast asleep. Mai disregarded how realistic the cold felt on her feet when walking towards the kitchen, and attributed the feeling to some sort of manic hallucination. Her brain had just gone into overdrive after a rough night and was fighting itself to calm down. Maybe a nap, and through it, a crazy fantasy, was just what she needed to leave the thoughts of her work behind.

     When she saw Suguru for the first time, her whole body had been washed away with relaxation. His presence added to it, his appearance comforting: taller than she was, of an active build and sharp features. Handsome, with long, messy black hair and a pair of dark eyes that were fixated on his cooking. Human, or at least human enough, if not for the tail and ears that swayed around as he breathed. That really was her cat, right there.

     “Suguru…?”

     Her calling out to him was enough to catch his attention. The man turned around, sporting a devilish smile, “You up, Mai Mai?”

     “Yes. No,” She thought for a second, debating dream logic, “Yes?”

     Suguru laughed in response, “I just wanted to make sure. How are you feeling?”

     “I… good, I guess,” she mumbled, making her way to seat down on the kitchen bar, but was quickly interrupted,

     ”Sorry, I know you just sat down, but I don’t want you out of bed,” the man said with a chuckle. “You were exhausted earlier– still are, it looks like. How about I bring this to bed?”

     Mai hadn’t had a home-cooked meal in bed in years, “Really?”

     She must have made a hopeful face, because the man laughed it off, “Really, darling. There’s nothing better than a snack and a nap, to recharge, right?”

     Mai found herself nodding, convinced that every single word of that made perfect sense. After all, Suguru usually found himself curled up in her lap after a meal, ready to sleep with a full little belly. Best way to recharge, he said.

     The woman was so engulfed in her thoughts, logic hazy under the blanket of a dream, that she soon found herself back in bed, holding a bowl of freshly made soup. The smell was captivating, the taste even more, and she ate it all with nothing more than hums and sighs. Suguru ate his portion on his own, quiet as well but gentle in the way he held his words– as if expecting her to start a conversation, yet encouraging her to take her time.

     It was a nice feeling. Being cared of.

     “How did you learn to cook?” she spoke at one point, eyes shimmering with absolute delight. It was a simple tomato soup, but the flavor profile was enhanced by bits of chicken and potato. Mai’s leftovers from a couple of days ago, tastefully put to use. Mai tried to recall the last time someone had fed her such gentle comfort foods, and her memory stopped sometime around her childhood.

     “Those shows you put in the background,” Suguru purred out. He was splayed on top of the bed, body relaxed and tail swaying lazily, “Someone needs to pay attention to them.”

     Mai pouted, “They’re background noise. I usually put them on to fall asleep to.”

     “Exactly,” he said with a smile.

     “Well,” it was hard not to try and scrape the bowl to find a spoonful that was no longer there, “It was delicious. Thank you, Suguru.”

     In response, Suguru offered his hand to take her bowl. Their fingers touched for a second, while Suguru smiled. “My pleasure.”

     They stayed in silence for what felt like just a second, and at the same time, the entire day. Mai felt herself relaxing more than she had for the past couple of days, maybe weeks. There was little to no sound, but what was there, she could hear like a melody: the soft tapping of Suguru placing the bowls on the nightstand. The splatter of rain outside the window of a late-night Summer shower. The soft breathing of Suguru right next to her, sitting on the side of the bed that was reserved for no one else but him.

     So, Mai’s eyes were closed once again, taking in the peace of it all. Her muscles were almost melting into the bed, her breathing a slow back and forth, like the stream of a river.

     Ideal night, for an ideal dream.

     Too absorbed was she in her bliss, that she didn’t notice Suguru moving closer until his body was just grazing hers. She opened her eyes, a bit startled, and was greeted by a sheepish Suguru.

     “I thought you were asleep,” he said, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

     “Were you…?”

     “Blanket,” he said simply, right hand still wrapped around the covers.

     Mai slowly nodded, “Oh. I thought you were…” she left the sentence unsaid.

     Still, Suguru caught wind of it quickly, “Cuddling?”

     “You make it sound so cheesy,” Mai whined, making the other laugh.

     “Well, is that not what we do every day?”

     It was true, of course. Mai could count in on her hands the times she had slept without Suguru over the past month or so. The warmth, the weight, the gentle purring, they were all what she usually needed to fall asleep. Relaxing, just as the moment was, and as he always had been, for her.

     And yet, he was here, no longer a pet but a breathing human. A bizarre sort of situation, fit for the dream she was convinced she was in– but was Suguru, not her companion?

     She took a glance at him, and eyes lidded by sleep and found him looking back. Soft, dark eyes, an attractive gaze. A tall body features that she felt the slight urge to explore, though she was quick to dismiss that thought. Overall, a man one could fall in love with.

     Mai wondered what it would be like, to meet a guy like him in another place, at another time. To be charmed by a home-cooked meal, to have her guard low, and allow him to take care of her. To help her, when life was kicking her ass, to lift that burden that her stress weighed her down with. To be so close with someone, such a gentle sort of intimacy that Mai had not felt in years too long, and that was so easy right here, right now. With Suguru.

     “Just… be careful,” Mai whispered back, feeling just a little bit stupid. Careful with what? She wasn’t worried about any manhandling or feeling physically uncomfortable. Careful emotionally? That was even more of a stupid thought.

     And yet, Suguru understood what she meant, in a way Mai seemingly had not. Carefully, he allowed their bodies to touch, his chest snug against her back, pulling her closer in a soft tug. His hand wrapped around her waist, his chin resting on the crook of her neck, and Mai found that Suguru and her fit together like two pieces of a puzzle.

     “This is nice,” she squeezed out, fighting her still sleepy state. She didn’t want this to end so quickly.

     One way or another, Suguru could tell, “I’ll do this more,” he promised, placing a kiss on her temple. Mai melted to the touch, small, but incredibly affectionate. “I’ve got you, Mai. You have done so much to take care of me. Allow me to take care of you.”

     Mai thought back to the time when she found that little black cat, shivering behind a dumpster after a thunderstorm. The way she had nursed him to health, fed him, cleaned him, and helped him warm up by holding him close to her. This sort of intimate proximity had been healing then, just as much as it was healing now. Maybe this night, Mai could drift off to sleep while feeling as happy as she wanted to be.

     “That is nice too,” she whispered, doing what she could to get even closer to the man. A little difficult, where her eyes were closed and she could feel her body drifting off to sleep. “Thank you, Suguru.”

     What a lovely dream that would be.