Chapter Text
The first time Brett saw him was on a random Friday afternoon.
He was lounging on the dark stone wall a street over from his house that was in the perfect spot to bake in the sun. Especially in the early evenings when people had just gotten home and were busy preparing dinner. It left the streets quiet and the atmosphere calm.
At that time he was done with homework, had practiced enough violin and had time before his mother would want him to come to dinner. The stone wall was high up so no one would notice him, no one would bother him and he could still spy on everything around him, look in some yards and just watch the birds fly around between the blooming trees.
Sometimes he fell asleep here before rushing back home by balancing along fences and hopping over roof tiles. The window of his room was the perfect height to sneak out of and the area they lived in was connected enough to enable him to travel several streets without having to step onto the ground even once.
He was aware most of his family did not indulge in this which was fine by him. He valued his alone time without having a younger brother chatting his ear off, a mother asking him about school and a father coming home after a long day of work and having no idea what his family did during the day.
It was fine, this small slot of the day was his time and he spent it snoozing. Even during summer holidays, such as now, which meant he could spend even more time on his wall, enjoying the silence and the warmth of the sun by himself.
Until he was disturbed by an uninvited guest.
The scent hit Brett first, unusual and foreign. He peeled his eyes open, ears swiveling around in an attempt to pick up noise. There appeared to be shuffling beneath him which was confusing. The wall separated two properties, belonging to the garage of one house and bordering the yard of another. The yard had been vacant for a while now, the owners having moved out but even before they hadn’t used it much.
While the shrubbery and grass weren’t completely out of control, it was not a yard Brett expected movement from. Perhaps it was a squirrel?
He stretched and leaned his head over the wall to see what was down there and to his surprise, it was not a squirrel. Instead, he was greeted by a fluffy ball of fur, mostly white with uneven patches of dark grey.
It took Brett a moment to figure out it was a dog he was looking down on. A fluffy tail curled up on its back, upright ears were pointed at the ground together with its snout. It appeared to search for something, sniffing the ground, digging in the dirt and scratching at the wall but apparently not finding whatever it was looking for.
Brett just continued watching, both intrigued and confused until suddenly the dog looked up. He was greeted by dark, attentive eyes and uneven face marks with one side mostly white and the other mostly dark. Almost like someone had forgotten to paint the second half or had run out of ink.
They just stared at one another.
Brett could do this for quite some time, sitting still and observing without moving an inch, frozen like a statue, but the dog was impatient. The tail started wagging but not in a friendly manner, rather tense and alert. Then the dog jumped upwards, barking and scratching at the stone wall as if attempting to climb it.
Thankfully it was way too high to reach so Brett knew he was safe but he still sat up out of surprise. He was not familiar with this dog, neither the breed nor this particular specimen. Sniffing the air again told him this was the scent that had woken him from his slumber, the underlying hint of shifter reaching him.
It was safe to assume the dog had smelled him as well and regarded him as an intruder perhaps? Brett knew dogs could be quite territorial, shifter or not.
But looking down at the sad display of… whatever it was amused him more than it concerned him. Besides, he was not trespassing anywhere and who would tell a cat where it couldn’t go?
Granted, he was not about to get closer to that dog because he valued his safety and dignity but he wouldn’t move away just because a random cotton ball got the zoomies. This was his wall and had been for a long time. The stupid cotton ball could bark all they wanted.
Which they did for quite a while but at some point, Brett must have been too boring or the dog grew tired of the circus and sat down as well, both of them staring at one another.
Sometimes they stood up, trotted around for a while and then came back. Energetic and impatient, very much opposite of Brett who could just sit for two hours and watch the mostly unmoving scenery.
But with the sun slowly disappearing behind the trees and his spot entering the shade, there was not much keeping him here. So he stood, stretched and ignored the easily excitable cotton ball who sprang up immediately and ran back and forth where Brett walked atop the wall.
He sent him one last glance before hopping onto the roof of the garage and making the trek back home.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
The next day Brett was back in the late afternoon, planning to relax in his spot but when he hopped onto the wall his mood soured.
There was the dog, laid on their back and contorted like someone had thrown them, all four legs up and letting the sun shine on their belly. Brett would have glared, he tried but knew it wouldn’t show on a cat’s face. His tail flicked in annoyance and he considered moving somewhere else but this was his spot . He wouldn’t move just because of an annoying dog as a matter of principle.
So, silent as a shadow, he strode along the wall to the nice stones he liked and settled down. Foolishly he assumed his presence would go by unnoticed but dogs’ noses were quite remarkable and it took maybe a minute before the dog suddenly jumped up, looking disheveled and disorientated.
They ran around, nose on the ground and stalking towards the wall before they finally looked up and spotted Brett.
The spiel from the day before started anew but this time Brett didn’t even spare them a glance. All he took note of was once again the scent of the dog and this time he could pinpoint more information which told him the cotton ball was not an adult, more likely a teen and male.
It took a while but then the barking died down and Brett risked a glance over the wall. He found Cotton Ball sitting a few meters away, staring up at him and looking almost disappointed.
Brett was satisfied with the new blissful silence and went about his afternoon snooze until the sun went away and it was time to go. Before he left he saw Cotton Ball curled up and staring at the wall.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
This went on for a few more days before Brett couldn’t deny his curiosity. He had even purposefully walked past that house a few times in his human form, hoping to maybe figure out more about the mysterious appearance of Cotton Ball but to no avail. The yard was hidden in the back and the house did not look much different from before.
All he could figure was someone new must have moved in - but who?
And what was the dog’s problem?
Brett didn’t know what he wanted from him, what barking at a cat would accomplish but with each passing day he grew more and more curious. Of what exactly he didn’t know but staring at the dog from afar was not enough.
The next time he left his room to go on an afternoon adventure he snuck up onto the wall in a low crouch. Cotton Ball was there, busying himself with some branches on the ground.
Brett assessed the situation and decided the small shed on the property would get him closer. He jumped onto the roof which was a bit lower than the wall and sat down at the very front.
It took a few moments but then Cotton Ball noticed. This small diversion from their established routine sent his tiny brain into frenzies and he went crazy with barks at first. This time Brett did consider just leaving because this was downright ridiculous but then, like a switch, Cotton Ball perked up and his demeanor changed.
His tail was no longer stiff but wagging with excitement and his posture was more open. He rose up onto his hind legs in a silly attempt to get closer and then twirled around a few times.
Brett had no idea what this meant so he just settled down and continued observing.
Cotton Ball calmed down after a while but he kept on looking back as if to make sure Brett was still there and when it was time to leave he made some soft whining noise which Brett had never heard from him before. He stared in confusion and then still left because what the heck?
That night he laid in bed and wondered if Cotton Ball and he could get along.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
Two more days passed and it did appear as if Cotton Ball had grown accustomed to his presence and was actually happy to see him. Comparing his behavior now to a week ago was a massive difference and Brett found himself sort of fond of the silly displays of excitement.
Which is why he did something unusual.
He was sitting atop the roof of the shed and Cotton Ball was rolling on his back in a patch of grass. Brett wondered if that actually felt good and something in him wanted to try it. Without much thinking, he walked to the edge of the roof, gauged the distance to the porch fence - and jumped down. Now he was barely a meter above the ground and if Cotton Ball wanted to get to him, he could.
Brett only realized this when said dog perked up, stared at him in wonder and then came rushing over.
Maybe this had been a stupid idea but Brett wouldn’t back down. He could feel his hackles rising and back curling a bit to appear bigger but Cotton Ball was silly and couldn’t interpret body language.
He came over, bright eyes, wagging tail and curious snout. Way too over-enthusiastic considering he was several times bigger than Brett which he didn’t like at all. When the curious snout came too close to his liking he hissed and raised a paw in warning. His claws were nothing to laugh at.
Cotton Ball jumped back with a spooked expression, big eyes staring at him in wonder and something like newfound respect. Their standoff lasted for a few tense moments where neither of them moved. This was unfamiliar territory for both of them.
Brett then relaxed, signalizing it was okay to try again but careful this time.
Cotton Ball heeded the warning and sneaked closer, head ducked and tail low. This time the snout didn’t almost knock Brett over but approached carefully. Cotton Ball had to jump up onto the porch with his front paws to reach him and leaned against the fence.
Up close Brett could familiarize himself with the now known scent properly and he let the dog do the same. It took a while of sniffing which went on way past what Brett was comfortable with so he pushed against the black snout with a paw after a minute or so.
Cotton ball didn’t get the message until Brett pinched him with the tips of his claws. He got a dramatic squeak in return and the dog shuffled back. Good, learn to respect some boundaries.
Apparently, Cotton Ball thought now was the perfect time to play and started jumping around and barking at Brett. He leaned down with his front, tail up in the air and wagging before jumping around again and getting closer and closer to Brett which he didn’t like at all. He let it go on for a bit but then it got too hectic for him so he jumped back onto the roof and over to his wall where he settled.
Way more relaxing up there.
He got whined at for a while but then Cotton Ball left to sulk.
Serves him right.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
But, Brett being a softie at heart, decided to try again a day later. He joined Cotton Ball in his garden, still sitting on the porch fence and this time when he was noticed, the approach was a bit different.
Cotton Ball still came bounding over with a wagging tail but he slowed down and approached cautiously which was rewarded by no claws and no hissing this time. He sniffed a bit and before Brett got annoyed he retreated a respectful distance and laid down, never looking away.
Brett would have squinted at him but as a cat, he could only stare. Was this an attempt to reconcile? Had this silly dog actually learned within a day? Brett wasn’t sure so he was cautious for now and laid down in wait.
Cotton Ball lowered his head between his front paws and that’s all they did for now. Minutes ticked by until half an hour must have passed. Brett had to admit he was impressed by Cotton Ball’s patience. He had proven he could respect boundaries somewhat and understood Brett liked his personal space and did not fancy being barked at.
Perhaps he should reward this.
He stood up, tail flicking a few times in consideration before jumping down onto the grass.
Cotton Ball’s ears perked up but he remained lying down even as his tail wagged furiously. Brett stalked closer, still prepared to run if this giant, unevenly roasted marshmallow got any funny ideas but he remained put.
Brett stopped in front of him and stared into those dark brown eyes. It’s funny to think a while ago this doofus had just barked at him from below like crazy. It was strange to be so close to him and on eye level as well.
Figuring it was safe to continue, Brett bumped their noses together and Cotton Ball made an excited whining sound. He looked like he was vibrating but Brett chose to ignore that. He would reward patience and Cotton Ball had learned that through trial and error.
He stalked around to the dog’s side, tested the waters, sniffed some more and bumped his head into the soft fur. Yes, this would be comfortable.
Without further ado, he settled down, snuggled into Cotton Ball’s side and decided this would be his snoozing spot for now. Cotton Ball was confused, whining a bit more and twisting his head again but he too settled down after some shuffling and a few pointed looks from Brett.
So they remained lying in the grass, Brett very pleased with himself for finding such a comfortable spot and secretly also pleased that Cotton Ball had grown familiar enough with him to not consider him an intruder on his territory or whatever had been his problem before.
This was actually quite nice, spending time with someone else. Cotton Ball appeared to think the same because he had settled down considerably, eyes closed and also appearing to snooze. His fur was warm and soft, perfect to rest against and Brett wondered why he hadn’t thought of this earlier. Of course, such a fluffy marshmallow would be comfortable.
He was a genius.
Even when the sun disappeared behind trees he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to leave but he knew his mother would have dinner ready soon and she did not like it if not every single family member was home for that. Not to mention Brett didn’t want to give her any reason to monitor him more closely.
She did not forbid him from going out like this but only as long as it worked without reminders and her not having to make sure he took care of his other commitments.
Leaving felt strange, especially with Cotton Ball whining pitifully and overall looking like someone had kicked him into a puddle. Silly, he was the one who had gone crazy about a stranger in the beginning and now he was being clingy.
Stupid, Brett thought fondly as he made his way back home across rooftops and fences.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
It became a routine. Brett would come over, hop into the yard without a second thought by now and he even let Cotton Ball greet him like an overexcited doofus. He indulged in some playing, chased the dog around sometimes which he seemed to love or would annoy him by climbing a tree and not coming down for a while.
He found out he actually liked playing like this with someone else even when sometimes he couldn’t quite keep up with a dog. Nevertheless, they made it work and Cotton Ball made an effort to not overwhelm Brett with his obvious size advantage when they rolled around in the grass or played catch.
He showed not even an inch of his aggression from the beginning, docile like a cloud albeit a bit boisterous at times. Brett learned to counteract this and would swat at his nose if he got too excited in her personal space. It worked quite well and they managed to deal with their rather opposite personalities.
This new friendship was still young and developing but they had their routine and managed to communicate without so much as even a word. What they hadn’t encountered yet was a change in said routine.
Brett made his way over one afternoon a bit earlier than usual, since violin practice had just not worked that day, and hopped onto the shed without even looking into the yard first. When he finally did, he stopped dead in his tracks.
Down there was no fluffy marshmallow to be seen, no Cotton Ball. The yard was void of white fur and wagging tails. Instead, a boy was lying in the grass, spread eagle like he owned the place.
Brett was confused and suspicious but sniffing the air a few times told him that familiar scent was still around. Cotton Ball was there, just not as Cotton Ball.
Interacting in their human forms had never even occurred to Brett. Of course, he knew Cotton Ball was a shifter as well, he obviously smelled like one but still. Neither of them had ever made a move to change anything in their dynamic and suddenly he was confronted with this.
Brett considered leaving, unsure of what to do with this unfamiliar situation but the guy down there was the same as the silly dog he had been snuggling with. This shouldn’t change anything and yet, interacting as two humans or a cat and a dog was quite different. Brett didn’t think he was the worst at social interactions but his handful of acquaintances or friends hadn’t exactly prepared him for unforeseen human encounters. One of the reasons as to why he preferred lounging around as a cat on top of high places.
No one would bother him.
And yet, the thought of leaving didn’t sit right with him. They had never diverted from their usual routine and doing it now just because a small change would be silly.
Therefore Brett steeled himself, gave an internal pep talk and then jumped down onto the grass.
Human ears and senses were not as refined as an animal’s so it wasn’t a surprise that the boy did not notice him. Brett took this chance to take him in first once he was next to him. Yet black, disheveled hair contrary to his fur, and skin that had traces of acne. Even laying down he looked a bit lanky, obviously growing too quickly for his limbs to keep up and build proportionately. He was dressed in jean shorts and a dark grey T-shirt.
Brett couldn’t guess how old he was exactly but assumed he’d be around his age.
His staring session was interrupted. The boy’s nose twitched and he peeled his eyes open sleepily. It took a second but then his gaze trailed sideways and he came face to face with Brett. Even as a human they looked the same, dark brown and attentive in a way.
The boy’s fuzzled brain stalled before processing and when he finally realized who was in front of him, he struggled to sit up with flailing limbs.
“Oh my god.”
Finally seated he turned to Brett properly, eyes big. “I didn’t think you’d stop by,” he said, clearly frazzled.
Hearing his voice was strange. Like reading the description of a person in a book and then meeting them in real life. Whatever your mind had come up with, it would never reflect reality.
“Isn’t it early? Why are you here already? Oh my god, I didn’t even hear you.” He looked around as if Brett had pulled a magic trick and had appeared out of thin air.
Brett stared, unimpressed. Even as a human this boy still had the same aura as Cotton Ball, all over the place and with his head in three different spots at once. It was interesting to see how this manifested in a person compared to a dog.
The boy sighed and seemed to deflate upon realizing he was not about to get an actual answer from a cat. He shifted and flopped down in a slumped sitting position. There was none of that easily excitable demeanor, no wagging tails, no happy face. Something was up, Brett didn’t need to be a genius or even in his human form to see that. The boy knew that he knew something was up.
Brett sat down, showing he was here to stay. It was all he could do as a cat. While communication between shifters, regardless of form, could be easier, nothing could replace words. Especially in such a new bond.
The boy glanced at him, studying Brett and likely realizing what him sitting down meant. Another sigh escaped him and he leaned forward, ripping some grass out of the ground and letting it fall from his hand.
“Just stupid thoughts. I forgot the time and usually I shift before you get here but I was thinking and not paying attention and… yeah,” he mumbled.
It took a moment but then he glanced at Brett again who was still sitting and staring at him attentively. Perhaps he was testing the waters, making sure Brett wouldn’t turn around and leave immediately when he was confronted with this new situation.
It sounded like something he might want to talk about. Brett couldn’t be sure, he barely knew the guy and even then he wasn’t the best at heartfelt talks but something told him to stay. He wanted to stay. Even in a different form, this was still Cotton Ball, the happy-go-lucky cloud of fluff he had never seen in a sour mood before. He always came across as happy and carefree and seeing him this down and concerned about something was quite startling.
If something was on his mind and dragging him down, Brett wanted to know.
Since he couldn’t say so, he just had to wait, keep watching and keep listening. They had never interacted this way before, it was no surprise it took a bit before both parties figured out how to handle the situation.
The boy waited for a while but after seeing Brett wasn’t about to leave the premises, he dared to continue.
“We moved here at the start of summer,” he explained slowly and his unannounced appearance suddenly made a lot more sense. Brett wasn’t his immediate neighbor, he wouldn’t have noticed a moving truck stopping by and while their neighborhood wasn’t the busiest, it still wasn’t rural enough for gossip to spread around quickly.
“I thought it would be cool. We lived in New Zealand before, you know? A lot of sheep everywhere and my dad said Australia has all these cool animals.” The boy made a face. “I didn’t think there would be that many cockroaches though.”
Brett would have laughed had he been able to. He himself had made one too many encounters with the widely-feared roach.
“I thought I’d see a bunch of kangaroos but I haven’t seen a single one. Just cockroaches.”
A kangaroo wouldn’t randomly appear in a fenced-in yard. Brett would be concerned if that were to happen but he let the boy continue his monologue.
“And it’s cool that they speak the same language here, I was a bit scared of that but everyone understands me.” He ripped some more blades of grass from the ground. “But it’s weird. My parents are both at work and my sister is applying for university so she’s super busy all the time and… I don’t know anyone here.”
Brett watched his nose scrunch up. Several expressions flickered across his face, starting with frustration but ending in defeat. His shoulders dropped and while Cotton Ball always appeared big and fearless, this boy made a very different impression. He seemed… lonely almost.
“And it’s summer so I don’t even have anywhere to meet anyone but even then everyone probably already has friends and I’m just the weird new kid once school starts.”
Ah, a problem Brett could relate to. He had been the new kid on occasion and no matter how often you did it, it never got any easier.
“I dunno.” The boy shrugged, holding back although it sounded like it was weighing quite heavily on his shoulders. “I’m just… kinda a loner I guess and everyone is busy. I’m just here.”
He glanced at Brett almost shyly, startling him out of his gloomy thoughts. “It’s… it’s nice that you come to hang out though.”
Brett felt the weird urge to pat his head or do some other soothing gestures. He didn’t know where it came from or what it meant so he just put a paw on his knee.
The boy looked at it in wonder, expression shifting a bit. Brett hoped he wouldn’t burst into tears but instead, he just raised a careful hand, slowly extending it towards him. He had learned not to make rash decisions but rather give Brett the option to accept or deny before he went through with it. This lesson was still effective even when he was in human form it seemed.
Brett honestly didn’t know how to react so he just remained seated, clearly surprised because he rarely got petted in cat form. He often didn’t like how it made him feel and the power imbalance it brought along but this time he did not feel that way. The boy’s hand settled on his back lightly and stroked down before starting from the top again.
It was weird but didn’t feel bad so he let it slide. The shy smile on the boy's face was sort of rewarding as well, better than the sad look he had worn before.
The gentle strokes turned into scratches behind Brett’s ears and under his chin and he would deny it when questioned but it felt really nice. He followed the hand, unwilling to let it go, nudging it with his head when it seemed like the boy would stop which got him small snickers of amusement which he decided to ignore.
He ended up on his side, tail flicking lazily and enjoying both the sun and the free pets he didn’t know he desperately needed. This was just as nice as napping curled up against Cotton Ball, he had to admit. All the playing they did was fun too but the snuggling was still the best thing.
None of Brett’s friends were shifters and while his family was close, he rarely indulged in snuggling with them. His younger brother was annoying at the best of times, his mom had a household to run and his dad was at work. Brett felt silly asking for something as mundane as this when there were clearly more important things to attend to.
He did not like giving people power of his feline form as most tended to abuse that imbalance or it would make the friendship develop in weird ways. Such as people preferring to pet a cat rather than hang out with Brett as a human being. Apparently, a lot of humans preferred the company of an animal more than that of other humans but Brett did not like taking that spot.
It seemed another shifter was more understanding of this. Or it was just this one instance in particular. Brett didn’t know but he did know that this was one of the rare times he did not feel uncomfortable around a person as a cat outside of his family.
Perhaps there was more to their strange little bond they had developed that could be translated to their human forms.
Brett could have spent the rest of the day like this until it was time to go, sun warming his side and his fur being stroked by gentle hands, but today all sorts of things happened out of the norm. He heard steps approaching and rolled onto his stomach so he could see properly. Even the boy raised his head.
A girl appeared, probably having come from the house which was sort of hidden behind trees and untreated shrubbery. She was in flip flops, a shirt and shorts with chest-length, black hair tied up in a ponytail.
“Eddy, I need-” she started before even seeing them properly but then stopped to take in the unexpected scene before her.
Brett needed a moment to figure this might be the aforementioned sister. The age would be appropriate and also her sudden appearance in this yard.
Also, Eddy?
“Yeah?” the boy asked when she didn’t continue immediately, hand remaining on Brett’s back.
The girl looked between him and Brett in confusion but decided not to address it. “I need some help with the boxes for the basement.”
Brett felt as if he was suddenly intruding. He should probably leave. Usually, he didn’t care about hanging around on other people’s property when he was just walking along roofs and fences but right now he felt out of place. Something had disturbed their little bubble and he would have stood up and left it if it hadn't been for the gentle fingers still stroking between his shoulder blades.
But those stopped too as the boy sighed. “Okay, coming.”
The girl, his sister, nodded and turned around without another word.
The boy huffed and stopped his petting session to stand up. “Sorry, mom and dad asked us to organize our stuff in the basement this morning. Was hoping she had forgotten.” He grinned and showed off his front teeth. “But… I’ll see you tomorrow?”
He sounded so hopeful and without thinking, Brett meowed in agreement. The smile he got was enough to get over his dislike of meowing.
Also for the aforementioned reasons of people being weird about it.
“Okay.” The boy bent down to gently pet his head one more time. “See you tomorrow.” He waved shyly and turned to go back to his house.
Brett was left to process all the things he had learned today, only belatedly realizing he now knew the boy’s name. Cotton Ball’s name.
Eddy.
It was weirdly fitting.
And sort of cute.
•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••
Fueled by the unusual events from the day before, Brett did something even more unusual.
He had packed a backpack with two water bottles and his wallet, snuck some crackers and sweets from the pantry, ate a lot at breakfast and then told his mom he’d be out with some people from his class for the day.
As if smelling his lie - she probably could - she gave him a calculating look but some sort of mother knowledge made her decide not to question her older son.
“Alright, you have your phone, yeah?”
Brett nodded dutifully, not daring to show the surprise on his face. He had expected some more opposition but he’d take it.
She handed him forty bucks and told him not to get sunburnt. His younger brother looked at him in envy when Brett put on his shoes at the front door and left. By then it was too late to go back but he still questioned what on earth he had just done.
As he walked along the street, as a human for once, he thought about all the things that could go wrong. Yesterday evening the idea had sounded rather logical and easy but now?
His general plan went something like this. Go to Cotton Ball’s - Eddy’s house - and… go somewhere with him?
Brett cringed at himself. Yeah, that was a really bad plan. He didn’t even know if Eddy was home or if he wanted to go somewhere or if he was allowed to or where they were supposed to go. Heck, Eddy didn’t even know him outside of the interactions they had as a dog and a cat.
They’ve had a little moment yesterday but he might not even be interested in spending time with Brett outside of his yard.
God, he should have put more thought into this. Brett was not the type to do things like this, his mother knew he rarely went out with friends, much less during holidays but maybe he was old enough to be allowed some sort of privacy in this regard.
He should honor this freedom.
Freedom or not, he should have planned it more carefully. If Eddy wasn’t home or not allowed to leave or if he didn’t want to leave then Brett would have to spend the entire day somewhere outside of his home so his mother wouldn’t be even more suspicious. He knew she knew something but he didn’t know what she knew so he didn’t want to give her any reasons to take this freedom away again.
All this back and forth didn’t help. His legs took him to the front of Eddy’s house within minutes and there he stood, staring at the intimidating door and still not knowing what to do.
He figured he might as well try his luck since there was a big chance it wouldn’t even work out anyway, he could worry about the rest of the day afterward.
He rang the bell, a pleasant ding dong echoing faintly and suddenly he felt incredibly nervous. Seconds ticked by. He considered leaving and hiding in a bush. All sorts of weird scenarios played out in his mind. Things such as getting the wrong house which was ridicolous since he knew these streets like the back of his hand.
Yet here he was, nervous as heck with sweaty palms and a million things that could go wrong floating around in his head.
Was it too late to run?
The door opened and Brett held his breath for some inexplicable reason. Eddy’s sister stood in front of him, once again wearing a shirt and shorts and looking awfully confused. She eyed Brett, eyes going up and down but there was nothing to give her a clue as to who he was. Their encounter yesterday had been way too short to establish any kind of familiarity.
The silence stretched. Brett forgot he could talk.
“Yes?” she then asked after some awkward staring without any spoken words. It wasn’t often a random teen came ringing your doorbell.
“Hi, uh…” Brett should have rehearsed this. Somehow he had never thought about these aspects to his glorious plan yesterday. He realized his mistake now. “Is Eddy home?”
The girl’s eyebrows slowly traveled up her forehead and stayed there.
Brett considered a bunch of ridiculous possibilities such as this being a different person who lived somewhere else, Cotton Ball not even being called Eddy, having done something wrong, or having misunderstood something severely.
The girl turned towards the inside of the house slowly. “Eddy?”
Oh, okay, good. So this was at least the right place and Brett had the right name. Small steps.
“Your friend is here?”
A random teen ringing your bell and asking about your brother by name would make most people assume they were involved in some sort of friendship. Knowing what Eddy had told him yesterday about not knowing anyone, it was no surprise his sister was confused. She must have known her brother had not made any friendships yet.
Eddy himself appeared to be confused as he poked his head around the corner and then approached cautiously. “Friend?” he asked.
His sister opened the door a bit more and it took a few seconds before Eddy’s eyes went wide, probably noticing the meanwhile familiar scent, and realization settled in. His mouth dropped open.
No one said anything and just stared at one another in a tense stand-off.
Brett cleared his throat, this time taking the opportunity to speak. “Wanna… hang out for the day?”
Any reaction was delayed due to the circumstances but at some point, Eddy understood what he was being asked and he snapped his mouth shut, looking at his sister expectantly.
Right, she was the adult entrusted with supervising.
Brett also stared at her.
She looked between them, still confused and eyebrows furrowed but then she shrugged reluctantly. “I mean if you don’t do anything crazy and you take your phone… I guess?” Another glance was sent Brett’s way and he did his best to appear like a trustworthy individual who was not about to do anything stupid.
She nodded.
The excitement was instantaneous and Brett could imagine Cotton Ball’s tail wagging at high speed. Eddy squeezed his sister around the middle before pulling back hastily. “I’m gonna get my shoes!”
He raced away and up the stairs.
“Pack a bag!” his sister called behind him and sighed. She looked at Brett again and seemed to connect some dots but didn’t mention it. “Here, come in while you wait.”
Brett entered the hallway and stood on the welcome mat dutifully. His mom always told him to take his shoes off immediately upon entering a house but seeing as they would leave again in a moment, it seemed redundant to do so.
Eddy’s sister walked into the living room, barefoot on the shiny white tiles. “Do you need food or something?”
Brett startled, not having expected to continue the conversation. He briefly wondered if Eddy’s sister had as much a problem with strangers on their property as Eddy did. If so she managed to hide it remarkably well.
“Oh uh… I’ve got some snacks?”
She nodded and disappeared around the corner, her voice still reaching him. “I’ll just pack you an apple and a banana before you starve.” Apparently, some snacks were not enough for the day.
“Oh… thanks.”
He listened to her puttering around, not daring to move from his spot. His eyes trailed along the bare walls, getting stuck on the box labeled ‘shoes’ in the entryway and the plastic shopping bags from a local grocery store full of discarded bubble wrap.
Moving was always a lengthy process, unpacking even more so. He was not surprised there were still a lot of traces scattered around, especially with both parents working. Across the hallway slightly to the left were the stairs. A dark drawer stood next to them with a bunch of picture frames lined up, presumably since there was no place to put them yet.
Sadly from his spot, Brett couldn’t decipher much so instead he listened to Eddy’s sister muttering to herself where on earth they had put the ziplock bags.
The sound of footsteps rang from above, followed by Eddy thundering down the stairs. He had put on a different shirt, a navy one with outlines of a lion head on it, a backpack slung over one shoulder and a pair of black converse in hand.
He looked excited still which made Brett feel a tiny bit better about the whole situation.
Eddy pulled on his shoes at record speed and jumped up. “Okay, ready!”
“Wait!” his sister called and came back with a cut-up apple in a ziplock bag, a banana and a water bottle. Eddy opened his backpack dutifully for her to put the things inside and chirped a sweet ‘thank you’. Brett wondered if he was supposed to do similar things for his younger brother.
“Here.” His sister pushed some money into his hand. “Don’t do anything stupid,” she reminded them again, fixing Brett with a stare that made him nod in agreement.
“Alright, have fun.”
Eddy pulled the door open and all but jumped outside. Brett sent his sister a shy smile and it took a bit before the door finally closed behind them.
What on earth had he gotten himself into?
“So, what are we doing?” Eddy asked with sparkling eyes and the resemblance to Cotton Ball’s behavior was uncanny.
And Brett should really stop calling Eddy in dog form Cotton Ball.
The question also posed a mild dilemma. Brett had not quite planned this far ahead. Usually, he trekked along to whatever other people had come up with. He wasn’t exactly the planning type and especially not when this was the first time he hung out with a guy he barely knew.
His brain sorted through all sorts of possibilities but none of them sounded like something they should do or would even enjoy. Not to mention they did have a bit of money but not enough to do the really cool stuff.
He racked his brain for a quick solution when something from the day before popped into his head. He looked at Eddy who was still waiting for his answer and decided it was worth the hassle.
“You wanted to see a kangaroo, right?”
Eddy’s eyes almost bugged out of his head as his entire face lit up. “Yes!”
Brett nodded. “Okay, then we’ll go see a kangaroo.”
Eddy threw his hands into their air and cheered. “Kangaroo!”
Brett wanted to facepalm but resisted. The other’s enthusiasm was kind of endearing.
“I’m Eddy by the way.”
“I know, your sister called you that.”
Eddy’s smile turned a bit embarrassed at the reminder. Brett thought he looked cute.
“I’m Brett. Do you have a bus card?”
Getting Eddy onto public transport was a bit of an act. Brett couldn’t remember the last time he had bought tickets but they managed and he also found out Eddy was almost exactly one year younger than him which means he still got the child fare. Brett absolutely teased him for it.
“Have you lived here for long?” Eddy had asked when Brett had managed to navigate the bus system with ease.
“Five years or so I think,” Brett had said.
Eddy had nodded in wonder.
Currently, they were headed towards Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Brett had been there once before, years ago with his dad and brother and he could remember they had a lot of local animals, especially kangaroos.
Even better, you were allowed to enter the habitat to feed and pet the kangaroos if you wanted to.
It was a pricey excursion but he felt it would be worth it. Eddy looked just as excited on the bus only a few minutes away from the sanctuary as he had back at home. He must not have seen much of the city until now since he was mostly focused on the outside, eyes following buildings and streets curiously.
Maybe it was a dog instinct to want to look at everything. Brett wasn’t sure, this was the first time he had known a dog shifter but it was interesting to watch Eddy’s eyes try to soak everything in. Interesting and distracting enough to make him miss the other tuning to him when a sudden idea struck.
“Are they big?”
Brett was shaken out of his thoughts, blinking his eyes and remembering where he was. “Hm?”
Eddy crooked his head. “The kangaroos.”
“Oh… Well, I think the male ones can get pretty big. I’d say they go up to your chest maybe?”
“And do they actually punch people?”
“They can. Or they kick you but usually, they aren’t dangerous. Just don’t provoke them.”
Brett hoped Eddy wouldn’t try to fight a kangaroo. He wasn’t sure who would win but chances were the kangaroo would.
The system announced their stop and they got off with roughly three couples and four families. They stood out a bit as two teenage boys but Brett quickly guided them towards the ticket booth where they had to show their students IDs - or an ID in general because Eddy didn’t have a student ID just yet- before they got their tickets 12 dollars cheaper and were let loose on the sanctuary grounds.
They took a long look at the map where Eddy turned into a full-blown tourist because not only were there kangaroos but also dingoes and koalas and wombats and crocodiles and platypuses.
“Holy shit, this is awesome!” he said. “Let's go all the way around, I want to see everything.”
They started their tour and Eddy's enthusiasm was infectious. Brett didn’t think the animals were particularly amazing, cool for sure but seeing Eddy so enchanted with everything made him appreciate it more.
He went to read the information cards at the exhibit and then proceeded to recite them to Brett as if he were an expert on all animals. Brett nodded along, actually a bit interested in the nerdy facts Eddy filtered from those cards. He has never had much interest in them before but he agreed that getting to know the animals’ habits and such was more meaningful than just staring at their existence.
The kangaroo exhibit was relatively close to the entrance and it was only when Eddy realized people were inside of the fenced-in that he completely lost it.
“You can pet them?”
Brett smiled at the amazement in his voice. “Yeah, if they let you. We can get some food for them.”
They both got a bag of food for the roos and got in alongside a bunch of people. The area was large so the crowds from the entrance soon dispersed. Eddy had a bounce to his step as he approached his first kangaroo that was unaware of the bundle of excitement coming its way.
As boisterous as Eddy could be in dog form, he was rather cautious with these animals. He stepped closer carefully, said hello in a light voice which amused Brett to no end.
He offered some food, waiting in anticipation and grinning widely as the kangaroo ate from his hand. Once that connection was established he reached up and slowly settled his hand on the roos’ neck to stroke the dusty fur.
His face was full of amazement as he turned to Brett. “This is so cool,” he said in awe and returned to petting the kangaroo with a starstruck face.
There were a few more gathered around so Brett tried his luck as well. The roos were pretty chill, letting people dance around them and either nibbling on the grass, the offered food or simply staring off into space like it held the answers to all questions of life. Brett could relate since he as a cat was prone to doing the same thing. Except for munching on grass. Unless he wanted to experience the taste of sadness and then puke his guts out.
One kangaroo hopped away to join another group, an emu strode past them and a few ducks quacked out a disagreement a little distance away. They were probably only here for the free food anyway.
Brett pointed out a kangaroo with a baby’s head poking out of its pouch which was both cute and slightly disturbing. Eddy thought it was fascinating.
He touched at least twenty different kangaroos, some small, some big, some greyish and some redder. A tall one hopped past them at some point. It must have been a male and would have easily reached Eddy’s height standing up straight.
They stayed away from that one-
Bretty also offered Eddy the last bit of his food, content to just watch him feeding the animals with a pleased smile on his face.
They stayed in the exhibit for a long time, close to two hours when Brett remarked they might want to get going if they wanted to see the rest of the sanctuary. Eddy was reluctant to leave but when Bretty mentioned koalas, he was all ears and quite eager to follow.
They exchanged little pieces of anecdotes and information along the way. Both of them discovered they were originally from Taiwan and both their mothers sent them to Chinese School on weekends. They both had siblings, they both took an interest in classical music and played the violin, they both loved bubble tea and most glaringly obvious of them all, they were both shifters.
“Sorry that I freaked out when I first saw you,” Eddy said out of the blue at some point.
Brett was in the middle of chewing on a cracker so he could only furrow his eyebrows in response, unsure why this had suddenly come up.
Eddy rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “It’s a bit of genetics. I tend to feel very protective of what I consider mine and I… don’t really like strangers and you kind of spooked me a bit but you just kept on coming back. Took a while to figure out you weren’t actually… a threat, I guess.” Eddy realized as he said this that no sane person would consider a cat chilling somewhere a threat. “I’m a bit slow to get that sometimes.”
But Brett got it, shifter instincts were hard to ignore and hard to rationalize. He nodded while chewing. He had already moved past it and hadn’t taken it personally anyway. Okay, at first he had but then he had moved past it. He might be a cat himself but he still knew a little bit about dogs and strangers coming close to their property was often considered some sort of threat they had to scare away.
“Just thought I should apologize.”
“All good,” Brett said, finally having swallowed his cracker. He was grateful for the apple slices Eddy’s sister, Belle, had packed them because only crackers quickly got boring. “I thought it was funny.”
Eddy gave him a pouty look.
“I was just confused because that’s been my spot for a long time and hadn’t realized new people had moved in. The yard still looks like a piece of work.”
“Yeah, my parents don’t have time, Belle is busy and I honestly don’t see the point.”
“You rather carry sticks around and dig holes?” Brett teased and this time Eddy was comfortable enough to shove his shoulder.
“Shut up. I bet you’d chase a mouse too if it crossed your way.”
“No comment.”
“That’s a comment of its own.”
They got along great. Not that Brett had expected them to hate each other with how well they got along in animal form but it was nice knowing even as humans they were on the same wavelength.
Eddy was not childish, even being a year younger. He got quite excited about some things but Brett didn’t feel as if he was babysitting. He also learned that Eddy was either very smart or studied a lot because he had skipped a year in school. His parents were quite focused on his grades which Brett could relate to.
Must be an Asian thing.
The rest of the day was spent looking at animals, they caught one bird show and spent a long time in the gift shop knowing fully well they wouldn’t buy anything. The stuffed animals were cute but sadly way too overpriced. Besides, their fur pales in comparison to Eddy’s fluff which Brett obviously didn’t say but it was even more of a reason not to purchase one when he had a perfectly soft cloud he could cuddle with.
They were both rather tired on the bus ride home, slumped in their seats with Eddy occasionally nodding off and hitting his head against the glass. Each time he'd startle half-awake, readjust his position and then do it again shortly thereafter.
At some point, Brett pulled him more towards his side so the next time his head lolled forward it landed on his shoulder and not against the glass. His head tilted more to the left as well the longer the ride went on, at some point almost resting on Eddy’s.
They actually missed their stop but quickly realized and got off on the next one. A bit unfortunate because now they had a longer walk home but Eddy had a genius idea.
“Let’s get bubble tea.”
“Haven’t we spent enough money today?” Brett asked after a moment. Granted, his mom had given him money to spend and he still had some left but…
“Yeah, but bubble tea,” was Eddy’s brilliant argument and honestly, Brett could not and would not say no to that.
“Alright, fine. There is one close by, I think.”
They spent a little while searching for the store but when they finally found it Brett agreed it had been an amazing idea. They both got the same bubble tea, less ice and 50% sugar. One more reason to get along.
Now the walk home appeared only half as inconvenient as before. After only having water to drink the whole day, bubble tea felt like heaven and it might have been an ordinary drink with nothing special about it but it tasted better than ever before.
The streets were quiet and for once Brett did not miss the convenience of trailing along rooftops and cutting his distance in half. He genuinely enjoyed Eddy’s company and reflecting on the day, he came to the conclusion that it had been more than worth it.
With an unspoken agreement, they got back to Eddy’s house. A car Brett hadn’t seen before was parked in the driveway which meant at least one of his parents was home already.
“Do you want to stay for dinner or something?” Eddy asked, reluctant to part ways.
Brett thought about it for a second but meeting Eddy’s parents sounded a bit daunting after an entire day of walking around and he had only just gotten to know him properly so maybe it was better to save this for another day.
“Maybe not today,” he said. “My mom’s probably wanting me back for dinner as well so I should head home.”
Eddy’s smile lost a bit of its vibrance but he nodded. “Yeah, of course.” He hesitated, fingers curling around the almost empty cup of bubble tea. Brett didn’t know what was going through his head so he was surprised when he suddenly received a full-on hug.
“Thank you,” Eddy said softly. “For hanging out with me.”
Brett smiled and hugged back They were almost the same height with him only a few centimeters taller. He had a hunch Eddy might catch up soon though.
“Of course. We still have half of summer left.” He didn’t know where this had come from but it felt right to say it.
Eddy looked at him curiously. “We’ll do this again?”
“Well, maybe not the sanctuary because that’s expensive but we’ve been hanging out every single day anyway. I don’t see why that would have to change.”
Eddy’s brilliant smile was back, bunny teeth and everything. He squeezed Brett one more time, even more tightly, and then bounced back. His dampened mood from three seconds ago had evaporated. “Alright then, see you tomorrow?”
Brett nodded. “Yup, see you tomorrow. Don’t go digging in the yard.”
Eddy went to slap his shoulder but missed by a mile because Brett had already started walking back up the street towards his house. “Bye-bye.” He wagged his hand and got one last look at Eddy’s smile before turning around and heading home.
Unbeknownst to him, this would be the start of a deep and very important friendship.