Feline You


Authors
kkkkatze
Published
3 years, 7 months ago
Updated
3 years, 7 months ago
Stats
1 3222

Entry 1
Published 3 years, 7 months ago
3222

Jamie and Sasha develop their relationship.

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Author's Notes

Jamie and Sean spend a day at Sasha's aparment. Jamie gets to know the liger even more than he was hoping to.

Really casual, not much to it. But read if you're interested about developing friendships - and maybe a little more ;)

Shorter Days



A ladybug waddled across a spotted leaf. Jamie counted its dots and observed the details of the leaf it perched onto, white its small bug legs moved busily, as if it had an appointment it couldn’t miss, or a business meeting it coldn’t forgo. Jamie wondered what kind of business a ladybug could have, and the thought made him giggle softly. Almost at the same time, he heard his named being called in a quiet voice. He slowly lifted his eyes and looked back at the coyote staring back at him, blinking once as he realised he had drifted off again.

“You okay, bud?” Sean calmly muttered, looking down at where the cat sat on his knees, clearly used to dealing with his easily distracted friend. The coyote offered him a hand, but Jamie merely brushed off the debris on his jeans and got up in a single movement, dexterous as only a cat can be. He muttered a soft ‘Thanks’, anyways.

“Yes.” Came the simple, short answer. “I was merely wondering about the ins and outs of ladybug business.” Jamie stated, matter-of-factly.

The coyote paused for a second, looking quizzicaly at the bengal cat before continuing. “I’ve been calling your name for a while now, man. We should go.” he scoffed, leaning closer to the cat and fussing his hair, ignoring Jamie’s hiss and threats of him doing the same to Sean. “As if you ever could.” he retorted, and Jamie decided to ignore that part. He wondered, though, if he could best Sean in a fight. That thought quickly came to a conclusion as he realised that his friend would probably let him.

“Yeah, we should get going, indeed.” Jamie said, suddenly serious again. They were going to go visit Sasha for the first time. Jamie had only known the liger for a little more than a week now, after having met accidentally at Sean’s home, and the liger had made them both promise him a trip to his house after he hurriedly had to leave the coyote’s home, having gone way past his time. According to Sasha, he owed Jamie a proper conversation, as they had barely been able to talk before the liger received a text that got him scurrying down the hallway of Sean’s appartment in a matter of seconds, only saying he had ‘some things to take care of’ and saying goodbye to them with a hand gesture.

“I wonder what it was that made your friend get going so fast.” The bengal commented, a little abruptly, as they walked away from the park. Sasha had, to say the least, made him curious. He wasn’t the type to get smitten that fast by people, of course, but he could say the liger had at least made him a little interested. He had a bulk physique that, if he could at least admit it to himself, had made Jamie a little jealous. He was good looking and – at least for the short while they had talked – seemed to be the type to which interaction was made easy and conversation came even more readily. Jamie could certainly enjoy being around those kinds of people, and maybe even get one or two tricks from them. Yes, Sasha certainly had potential in him. Jamie almost missed Sean’s response to his original contemplation.

“Oh, that? I have no idea what that was. A bit weird, but that’s a’ight. Haven’t really talked to ‘im about it.” His accent came out thicker than usual, but Jamie didn't really think much of it. He merely nodded, and assumed that might be the case, indeed. A seed of worry was planted in his brain, though, as he started to think about why Sasha had been - and was apparently still being, unless Sean's lack of knowledge about his business had been a matter of disinterest, which could hardly be the case: Sean was the type to at least get worried when these things happened.

That led James to believe in the other version, one that the coyote probably knew what had surpassed but wouldn't tell Jamie, for one reason or the other. It could have been a cause for embarassment, so Sasha could've made Sean promise he wouldn't tell anyone. Perhaps the fact the liger and the cat barely knew each other could certainly be taken into consideration, especially because James knew how much of a good confidante Sean could be. Yes, that made sense.

Jamie thought about all that while they silently made their way to the nearest subway station, Jamie merely following the coyote's lead as he was immersed in his own thoughts. He decided he wanted to find out what Sasha's secret had been. He chided himself for being so intrusive in a person's business, a person that, as a matter of fact, he barely knew, but in reality he didn't really care about that as much as he thought he should, and that  scared him a little. Nevertheless, he settled for that objective all the same, and the conclusion made him grin while Sean was distracted, looking at an astoundingly beautiful blue car that passed by the street. Jamie then decided to push that resolution to the back of his head, as he stumbled to walk a little slower so as to match Sean's step and started to make some small talk.

“And what are we really going to do, once we get there? I mean, did he really talk about planning something, or are we just chilling?” James contemplated again. Chilling, in the broadest sense of the definition, was what they did the vast majority of their time amongst the two of them. They could smoke some weed and watch cartoons, talk about life and its implications, discuss politics while Sean baked a cake using a recipe he found on the internet and, for some reason, could never make it work. It didn't really matter what they ended up doing, as Jamie always enjoyed their time together. He could vent and fuss around his apartment to no end, and Sean always seemed to be all ears.

The answer came with a short chuckle. “I think he said he was going to cook or bake something for us, I'm not really sure.” He mumbled, his smile still evident in his face.

“He can cook?” Jamie smiled, inadvertently. “Now that's a change. No more burned meals, eh?” The bengal teased. He laughed at the slight poke in the ribs he received as na answer, doubling his body over a little. “What? I'm just saying how nice it is to have a friend that cooks, especially since you don't exactly cook yourself.” The cat explained, as if it were obvious since the beginning. Sean scoffed.

“Yeah, sure. I manage, aight?” The coyote didn't really seem to be angry at him, as the slight smile under his frown indicated.

“I'm not sure a diet consisting almost entirely of ramen, pasta and delivery pizza can be considered managing it.” Right was he retorted, he realized they had come to stand right on a doormat that simply stated “Clean your paws before entering". Not very educated, but strangely charming, Jamie thought. Well, that could only mean they had arrived. Time could surely pass by fast when you're distracted with thinking.

Sean merely shook his head as he rang the doorbell and waited patiently for a response. It didn’t take long, as Jamie’s cat ears tilted to focus on the soundsteps that approached the door. Soon, Sasha opened it, smiling as he looked at Sean first, and then at Jamie.

“I’m glad you could make it, man. Come in.” He glanced quickly at Jamie again, a look which the cat didn't miss, and then entered the apartment and beckoned them to do the same.

As they did and he closed the door behind them, Jamie looked around the place. It was nice, cozy, somewhat resembling Sean's own place, with seemingly well looked after plants scattered around or hanging from somewhere. They were standing at the living room, which was big and spacious. A plasma television sat on the wall above a glass table, a grey, fuzzy carpet in the center. The appartment had a distinct fancier appearance, thought, he noticed as he layed his eyes upon a crimson bean bag that sat next to the sofa, that appeared to he soft and comfy. He had the urge to curl against the bean bag, but obviously decided against it, turning back to look at Sasha, and blushing a little bit as he noticed the liger had noticed him looking around.

“You like the place?” He asked, nonchalantly. He smiled after Jamie nodded, the liger's intelligent gaze following his.

“Fancy.” The cat answered, quietly. He took out his jacket and held it for a moment in his left paw, unsure where to put it, feeling a bit awkward. It was weird how suddenly he felt like a shy kid again, struggling to make friends. He was usually confident enough to walk around and feel secure around most people, but for some reason he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous around the liger, as if he had to impress him.

“You can just toss it in the couch, it's not a problem" Sasha waved his hand and smiled, showing teeth. They were sharp and big, like a big cat's should be, contrary to Jamie's, which were thinner. “Well, I hope you came hungry. I'm making you guys something.” He continued, as he walked a few steps forward, in the direction of a corridor. “Sean here already knows the deal, but James, feel free to wander about. Just keep out of the bedroom, bathroom's the second door to the left.” He winked at Jamie as if it was nothing and then went to the corridor and entered the first door to the left, presumably the kitchen. The wink made the bengal widen his eyes and look back at Sean, as if asking for an explanation.

Sean laughed lowly and made himself comfortable in the couch. “You're okay. He's like this all the time, get used to it.” He waved his hand.

“He flirts with people he barely knows?” Jamie hissed, also at a low volume, and strided to sit next to Sean, still not feeling secure enough as to slouch in the bean bag.

“Wouldn't call it flirting" The coyote answered. “Sasha's like this all the time. You'll know when he's really flirting.” He smiled as he finished the phrase, as if there was something more to it. Jamie found it a little suspicious, but didn't make any inquiries. Soon enough, Sasha was back.

“You guys wanna hang out in the kitchen while I cook?” he smiled again. Sean muttered an affirmation and Jamie nodded. They followed him to the kitchen.

“What do you do for a living, James?” Sasha started, without staring at his direction. He started cutting some kind of vegetable on a cutting board, and quickly gestured them to sit at the small stools surrounding a coffee table. They did so. The kitchen had been a little dark, but the predator's eyes didn't take long to adjust to it.

“Just your normal, boring retail work." He paused, shrugging. “I'm in Bio school, though.”

From that, they developed a long  conversation. Jamie had been right about something: Sasha really let the conversation flow easily, humming and quickly turning back to look at Jamie sometimes, all the while he continued to prepare a meal that soon enough started to smell astoundingly good while he stirred it in the pot. He attentively responded to Jamie's commentaries, always keeping na eye on the food. They talked about all kinds of subjects, ranging from  future career plans to the meaning of life. The cat found out that Sasha wanted to be a baker. Sean listened to everything and even stepped in to make an input sometimes, but eventually he settled in the living room, where he turned on the TV.

Sasha called Sean from the door. Thry sat down at the kitchen table and ate vigorously, worn out from all that talking. The food was delicious, and Jamie made sure that he complimented Sasha for it, not missing the slight blush on his face, which made him scoff lowly. They all ate in relative silence after that, and soon enough Sean, Sasha and Jamie were curled up on the couch after having helped with the dishes. They kept talking for a while, more slowly and at a lower volume this time, all a little sleepy with that post-meal haze. Jamie, who was turned back to Sean, didn't really realize when the coyote had fallen asleep, curled against the couch arm, but Sasha's voice became lower and, after a moment, he lifted up his eyes to look behind the cat's shoulder, gazing at his sleeping friend's figure.

“Look's like he's fallen asleep.” He commented, and giggled. “Let’s let him have the sofa.” He got up from where he was kind of laying, kind of sitting. “Guess I'll show you the bedroom after all.”

“Are you sure it isn't a problem?” Jamie quirked his eyebrow,  blushing a little bit. “I wouldn't like to be a nuisance.”

Sasha waved his hand in the air. “You're not a nuisance. Come on, I’ll show you. I was just kinda... Embarassed. It looks a bit messy right now.” He snorted lowly. He guided the cat to the bedroom and opened the door, beckoning him to enter. The room looked pretty. The band and TV show posters adorned the walls, without making it too clustered. A laptop sat in a desk with trinkets laying around. The bed was a king ssize. Jamie stopped at the threshold and admired it for a moment before following Sasha and watching in curiosity as he brushed a few crumpled clothes out of the way, sat on the bed and pat the place at his side, gesturing for Jamie to come closer. Jamie fumbled with his hands, uncharacteristically shy as he hesitantly came to sit down beside Sasha. That felt intimate for someone he barely knew, but Sasha seemed to feel really comfortable. He remembered Sean talking about how he flirted with everyone.

Sasha folded his arms around one of his knees, bringing it up to his chest. He made himself comfortable on the bed, resting his back on the pillows.

“You're tiny. It's cute.” He giggled. Jimmy glared at him.

“Excuse me?” He coughed, raising both his eyebrows. “You barely know me. Why are you saying dumb shit like that?” He moved as if he was about to get up. That phrase made him uncomfortable and suddenly he wasn't so keen on sitting on the same bed as the liger.

“Oh? Ah, shit, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that." The liger quickly brought up his hands apologetically. “My bad, man, don't worry, I won't do it again.” Jamie still looked mad, his tail lashing to and fro. He stayed silent. “You don’t like being called out about your height, that's alright, I should've been more sensible. I'm sorry, pal.” He repeated. The look he shot the cat afterwards was strangely endearing, and he decided to let it go.

“Just don't do it again.” He visibly relaxed. There was an awkward silence after that.

“You know there's no problem with being short, right?” Sasha risked in a murmur, looking carefully at Jamie. He stared back.

“Not really reassuring when you need to prove to everyone you're a ‘real man', whatever that means.” He grumbled back, resting his back on the wall.

“You're- Wait...” Sasha looked at Jamie quizzically, slack jawed, gears clearly turning in his head. “Ah.” He said, after a while. The cat stared at him  weirdly, then stopped  for a long moment and slowly started to laugh.

“Wait, you hadn't noticed I was trans?” he giggled and relaxed a little more. His laughter got louder and he had to contain himself by putting his paw in front of his muzzle, so as to not wake Sean up. The liger in front of him seemed to become more embarrassed by the second.

“Ah, now I feel like an idiot.” He told him, giggling lowly as well. They stayed like that for a second, until Sasha got all serious and asked. “That's why you got mad?”

“Yeah, kind of. I guess I feel like I have to prove myself to people.” He confided, averting his gaze.

“I guess I understand. But just so you know, I don't see you any differently. Being a man's in the heart, not in the parts.” Sasha stated, very seriously and proudly, clutching his shirt at the chest.

Jamie smiled slightly. “I guess.” He agreed.

Sasha followed by staring at Jamie intently. “I'm serious. Don't let anyone other than yourself define you. You decide who you are, and you have every right to be confident about yourself. A lot of people could use some sense of self-worth nowadays.” He stated. The cat looked back at him, a little taken aback, and smiled.

“Wow. Thanks.” He smiled, seeming as if what he said had really made him think. “That's a great way of thinking. Guess I should follow your advice.” He shrugged.

“You should. Don't get me wrong – I barely know you – but you seem like na amazing guy.” Sasha complimented. He didn't miss Jamie's blush and the way he averted his gaze.

They embarked in even more talk. Once the original awkwardness had been left behind them, it seemed like they'd known each other for years instead of mere days. Eventually, Sasha noticed how late it was. He looked out the window, then back at Jamie, who was now curled up against a pillow, sleepily staring back.

“Man. Time went by so fast.” He laughed. Jamie agreed with a nod.

“Guess it did. Days have been shorter, eh?” He heard the sound of Sean stretching and yawning in the living room. He smiled, and begrudgingly got up from the bed, leaving the pillow. “I guess that's my cue.” He scratched his nape. “Thanks for spending this time with me and inviting us over, and all of that.”

“Anytime.” Sasha smiled back. He, too, got up and they followed to the sofa, briefly talking to Sasha about what time it was (they had to check for themselves – it really had passed by in a rush), so they collected their things and left. Sasha hugged Jamie slighly before they did. The cat and the coyote shared a look, and then left.

The liger spent a while staring at their backs as they entered the elevator and waved their last goodbyes, then got back into his apartment. He tidied the place up a bit. Then, about 20 minutes later, realised Jamie had forgotten his jacket.

He thought about calling Sean and telling him he'd turn it in for him to give to Jamie later, but decided against it. Having a reason to meet the tiny cat again was enough to have him thinking about him for the rest of the day. Interesting little dude, that one. Guess he'd have to find more about him when he went to return that jacket.




Author's Notes

I really hope whoever read this enjoyed it! I really liked writing this!