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Ash didn’t get jealous.
Especially over a good for nothing alley cat. He was The Lynx- fast, deadly, efficient, and definitely not the type to get jealous. Anyone on the street would agree that if he wanted something, he took it.
Eiji laid back on the couch, scrolling through his camera library with this creature comfortably sprawled out on his chest. He’d spent the whole day doing photoshoots with the scraggly thing. It’s beige fur had been brushed out neatly, sure, but he knew where it came from. The streets.
That’s why this little menace had no right to be glaring right back at him.
Every time he tried to get close to Eiji, the cat would growl, sometimes arching its spine in an attempt to start a fight. There was once he was just minding his own business going to get the paper the cat, from its place on the kitchen table, started swatting at him with its claws. Eiji, of course, thought this was all hilarious.
Ash had had enough of the cat though. He couldn’t even jokingly punch Eiji in the arm without it going haywire. Tora, as it had so lovingly been called, was too protective of Eiji. It wasn’t just with Ash either, it was everyone. Bones figured that out the hard way when he went to hug him last week.
If he were to be honest, Ash missed the contact. They used to go out onto the roof, shoulder to shoulder, looking at passing clouds. They’d stand a little too close when Ash was discussing things with the gang. Eiji was the only one he trusted to be that close, and Ash was starting to go crazy from the lack of him.
He remembered when Eiji first found Tora. They were running home from the store in pouring rain.
“I heard something!”
“That’s a dark alley and you want to check out a weird noise? How are you not dead yet?”
“Come on,” He tugged at Ash’s jacket sleeve, “It won’t take long. You’re here to protect me too, so I’ll be fine.”
He’d done it to tons of old men, pout his lips and flutter his eyelashes, but having it done to him was another thing entirely. He could never say no to Eiji. He didn’t think he’d ever want to.
They held their jackets over their heads, trying to block some of the freezing rain. Ash was right, it was a dark alleyway, but not much else. A few dumpsters, cracked pavement, and the smell of cigarette smoke.
He tried to keep his guard up, the grocery bags hung from his wrists, but his hand stayed near his gun. If anyone jumped out, he’d be ready. Then, he heard the sound. A small meow, barely audible over the pouring rain.
“Look!” Eiji carefully kneeled down over a soppy cardboard box, moving a flap carefully so he could see.
In it was little baby Tora. Not even four weeks old by the looks of him.
Eiji didn’t have to beg long for Ash to agree to take it home. He didn’t want to leave it to die either, maybe find it a home somewhere else though.
Eiji tried to dry the kitten off, finally just settling with holding the poor thing in his sweater to warm him up. Then they headed back to the apartment.
That was the start to all of this mess.
They’d had Tora for going on a month now. His blue eyes were turning into a yellow-green color slowly. Eiji often compared the two together with how stubborn they could be as well.
Ash didn’t know why the cat didn’t like him. He’d tried to be nice to him the first few weeks, bottle fed him a few times, held him until he fell asleep, et cetera. However, for some reason he just didn’t care for Ash much.
“Tora Tora,” Eiji smiled, rubbing between the kitten’s ears and effectively pulling Ash from his trance, “Look how cute you are! My little baby. ”
What kind of cat gets photoshoots ? This was ridiculous. He couldn’t forget the amount of adoration in Eiji’s voice though. Ash felt his face flush, he shook his head trying to will it away.
“Ash! Come look!”
He raised an eyebrow, “I can’t, your guard cat will kill me.”
“Tora is a perfect angel, he would never .” Eiji had the audacity to grin.
So, Ash trudged over, his walk of death. Living all of his life fighting, just to be taken down by a half pound ball of fluff with an appetite for his blood specifically.
He didn’t take his eyes off of it as he got closer, nor did Tora take his eyes off of him. The fur on its back began to raise. It hissed at him.
“Oh, come on! I can’t even get within six feet of you!”
Eiji laughed, gently holding the cat to his chest so he wouldn’t fall, “Yes you can. You can’t seriously be scared of a kitten.”
Ash, scandalized, crossed his arms over his chest, “I am not!”
The other boy sat up, holding Tora up, “Come here then!”
“He looks ridiculous, how much have you been feeding him?”
Upon walking over (despite Tora’s hissing), with Eiji holding him, Ash rubbed his finger over the kitten's swollen belly. Tora tried to wiggle free of Eiji’s grip and swat at the blond, but to no avail.
“Wet food mostly. I read that you’re supposed to… Um… what’s the word…”
Ash looked at him expectantly, trying to ignore the kitten hissing at him the whole time.
“To choose another?..”
“Switch? Exchange? Transi-“
“Transition! Yes, that one! Transition their diet from formula, to wet food, to dry food.” Eiji smiled, setting the kitten in his lap. Tora swatted at Ash, but couldn’t reach his place kneeled in the floor.
“As long as he’s using his litter box, I guess.”
“He is. He’s a very good boy.”
Eiji scratched that spot between the kitten’s ears and it instantly calmed him down. Tora sank down, laying in his lap, its purr only a small rumble.
“Wow, you just subdued the little guy.”
“It’s his favorite spot to be pet. Just don’t touch his tail.”
“Tail?”
“Yes. He does not like it much.” Eiji raised his hand, showing off a thin cut across his arm.
Ash scoffed, “You’re little angel, huh?”
“Yes. He can hurt sometimes, but he’s only trying to protect himself. I can’t be mad at him for that.”
Ash’s eyes flickered back down to the kitten. He was purring softly, paws tucked under himself, and his ears twitched every now and then. He raised his finger up to the cat’s nose, feeling it’s small breaths. Okay. It was kind of cute for a bloodthirsty demon cat.
Tora bit his finger.
“Hey!”
The kitten nibbled on his fingertip for a few seconds before the biting turned to licks. The feeling of sandpaper across his skin.
“What is it doing?”
“Kitty kisses! He likes you!” Eiji smiled.
“I think everything he’s done up until this point has proven that to be false.”
“You just have to give him time. He doesn’t trust you much yet, but you can change that.”
“How?”
“Give him eggs.”
Ash gave him a look, “... Eggs ?”
“Yes. He liked scrambled eggs.”
He scoffed a laugh before realizing that Tora had fallen asleep mid-lick. His tongue was still stuck to Ash’s finger.
Maybe this little guy wouldn’t be too bad.