Chapter Text
Today started out like any normal day. Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, birds sang sweet songs outside, and Claude woke up with his face planted in a book.
He let out a soft groan as he lifted his head off the pages. A book definitely wasn’t the least comfiest thing he could sleep on, but he was more concerned about accidentally ruining it. Either by drooling on it, making creases with his tossing and turning, or, if the book consisted of his own notes, smearing freshly penned words all over his face. Gods knows how often he gained new facial tattoos overnight.
Unfortunately, his worst fears were proven true when Claude spotted the ominous green stain all over the page, washing out most of its text. His heart quickened when he followed the stain to its source, a glass flask that was knocked over. Surrounding it were several other flasks filled with varying levels of liquid, as well as a mortar and pestle, a burner, reagents both crushed and whole, and a strange shiny rock with a white stripe down its center.
Oh yeah. Now he remembered what he was doing with all this stuff. Claude had been experimenting with a potions book he found in Abyss, and last night’s recipe purportedly gave its recipient enhanced senses and agility. You know, things that would come in handy once he perfected it, except he was nowhere close to perfection. In fact, Claude instead faced several very big and important problems.
A.) He somehow spilled the potion during its creation, and now he had none left.
B.) He somehow spilled the potion all over his book, rendering it illegible.
C.) He somehow spilled the potion all over the book and his face .
Claude’s hands flew up to his cheeks. They were coated with a thin and sticky layer of potion residue, as he suspected. So was his hair, for that matter, and these… strange furry things on the top of his head? That were soft and sensitive to the touch? And come to think of it, his normal human ears on the side of his head seemed to be missing?!
This can’t be happening. This must be a nightmare of some sort. Claude scrambled towards his full-length mirror in the corner, terrified yet desperate for the answer that awaited him. He was greeted by a reflection of himself, plus a pair of dark brown cat ears that matched his hair, one of which sported the earring he usually wore.
Shit. Were these real? He gave them a sharp tug, and winced at the pain that shot down his back and his… tail?
Fuck, he had a tail now too?! Well, what else would he call the long and fluffy thing that stuck to the base of his spine?! Claude grabbed onto it and brought it around his front to take a closer look. Yep. This was definitely a cat tail. His cat tail, since it was the same color as his new ears, and responded to turbulent emotions by poofing up and flicking about in an irritated way. His ears were just as reactive too, with how they pressed against the top of his head in frustration, perked up in eagerness, twitched and swiveled to pinpoint any curious noises… Claude learned how to control both his tail and his ears quickly enough, but sometimes, they moved on their own accord.
That wouldn’t do at all. None of this would do at all, actually. When he picked out this potion in his new textbook, he only wanted cat-like senses and reflexes! Not cat-like everything else! Speaking of that, did he gain any other feline attributes? Claude approached the mirror to examine himself from head to toe. Thankfully, the only other differences he noticed were his slightly pointier canine teeth and his pupils that occasionally narrowed into slits.
Still, these changes, combined with his ears and tail, were far too drastic for his liking. How was Claude supposed to live like this? He already got enough shit for being an outsider. Adding non-human characteristics to himself only made things worse. The easiest way to deal with them would be to cook up an antidote, but that would require more time and effort. Precious things that he didn’t have enough of right now, judging from the chiming of Garreg Mach’s bells.
Which were a lot louder than he remembered, because his tail shot straight up and his ears flattened at the raucous noise. Ugh. Until he could fix this mess, he needed to attend classes like normal to avoid arousing suspicion. But he couldn’t go out like this! He had to hide his new cat parts, at the very least!
Claude glanced around his room for something he could use, and eventually laid eyes upon a bright yellow headscarf. Normally, its color was way too attention-getting for his tastes, but desperate times called for desperate measures. As he wrapped it around his head, he was relieved to find that it was big enough to comfortably tuck his ears under its folds. There was no strange bumps in the fabric to give them away either, as his glance-over in the mirror would suggest. From there, all Claude had to do was shove his tail into his pants, and he looked like a normal human being again. With an obnoxiously yellow scarf, but eh. You can’t win them all, especially during times like these.
On that note, Claude shoved his school stuff into his bag and headed out the door without a second thought. He was used to hiding big secrets from everyone he met, so he shouldn’t have any trouble hiding these unfortunate side effects too. He just hoped that they weren’t permanent, that they could be removed by another concoction or with the simple passage of time. Or else…
As Claude made a fashionably late entrance into the Golden Deer classroom, a multitude of eyes were drawn to his stupidly bright scarf. All of the attention made his tail inside his pants twitch, and he fought the urge to check if his ears were still hidden. Gods, he only just arrived and he was already losing control of himself.
“Hey, Claude! Nice scarf!” Raphael waved at him. His booming voice made him flinch, even though the sound was muffled by his scarf. If Claude reacted this badly with a scarf over his ears, he’d hate to think of how everything would sound without one…
Claude forced a smile onto his face and waved back. "Hey, thanks!"
"Why are you wearing it though?" Lysithea asked next. "For a special occasion?"
"Nah. Nothing like that." Claude laughed at his white lie. "I just didn't feel like getting my hair in order this morning. That's all."
"Wait, you mean to say that your unruly hairstyle was intentional all this time?" Lorenz scoffed.
Claude would've retorted with a smarmy remark had Byleth not interrupted him to keep the peace. She rapped a pointer on her desk as she said, "That's enough. It's time to start today's lesson. Claude, please take a seat."
"Sure thing."
The only empty desk left was in the front row, in plain sight of Teach and everyone else. Had he shown up sooner, he might've been able to secure a spot in the back, but it was too late to ask for a switch without raising too many questions. All he could do now was sit down and make himself inconspicuous. And maybe, just maybe, he could get through the day and get back to fixing his feline problem, one way or another.
If only life were so simple. Not long after the professor started droning on about catapults or something, Claude’s mind started to wander. Which wouldn’t be so bad if he didn’t also have enhanced senses to distract him further. His ears, despite being tucked under fabric, amplified the smallest of noises, such as the scratching of chalk against the board and the swish of fabric as his classmates shifted their legs. His eyes followed subtle movements that usually wouldn’t be of any interest to ordinary people, like the dance of quills across parchment and the moving shadows outside the window.
But the worst offender was probably his nose. Even though it looked completely normal (last he checked), Claude was assaulted by all the different scents around him, some more offensive than others. There was the reek of sweat and maintenance oil from Leonie, the mouth-watering smell of meat from Raphael, the odor of other animals from Marianne… And of course, he couldn’t forget the exceedingly strong floral perfume from Hilda and Lorenz. Seriously, how did those two manage to live with such a pungent scent?! He could barely look at them without wanting to gag!
Yet he found himself staring at Hilda anyway. Or to be more specific, on the half-finished beaded bracelet she discreetly worked on during Byleth’s lecture. He just couldn’t help himself! The glass beads were too shiny to ignore! Luckily, Hilda didn’t notice his intense stare and kept on going, the facets of those beads glimmering in an alluring manner.
“Oh!” She let out a gasp as a bead slipped out of her fingers.
In a flash, Claude jumped out of his chair to pounce on it. The bead only bounced once on the floor before he grabbed onto it with both hands. He was so elated by his catch, he didn’t realize that all four of his limbs were planted on the ground, body twisted into a strange and vaguely cat-like pose, until he realized that everyone was staring at him.
With the most casual smile he could muster, he stood back up, walked over to Hilda, and placed her dropped bead on her desk.
“I believe this is yours.” He said, while suppressing his distaste for Hilda’s perfume in his voice.
“It… is. Thanks, Claude.” Hilda replied back, some parts grateful and some parts meek. He supposed that as much as she appreciated its retrieval, she didn’t like how much spectacle it caused.
And his hunch was proven right when Byleth cleared her throat. “Hilda, please pay attention during classes.”
“Yes, Professor. Sorry about that.”
Relieved to have some of the attention taken off of him, Claude returned to his chair and pretended that nothing happened. That his new instincts didn’t override his human brain just now. Gods, why did this potion affect his mind too?! If these side-effects were really part of the package, then his enhanced senses weren’t worth all the trouble. But perhaps that was why the potions book was in Abyss’s library in the first place…
Well, whatever. Now that was made painfully aware of yet another change to his body, Claude was better prepared to deal with it. He had to, if he was to survive today. Although he was lucky that his cat ears and tail didn’t pop out during his little stunt, he felt them twitching in excitement. Another lapse in self-control may see them breaking free of their confinement, unveiling themselves for the whole world to see, and sealing his fate…
Focus, Claude. Doomsaying was just as bad of a distraction as shiny beads. He kept his eyes trained on the professor and her chalkboard, now filled with cryptic calculations, in an effort to ignore everything else around him. And he would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for the fly that suddenly appeared in the classroom.
At its faint buzzing, Claude's ears twitched and twitched some more. He placed a hand on his head in an effort to control them, but they still wriggled in his grasp. The fly entered his peripheral vision, exacerbating his ears' movements and inciting his tail to wiggle too. If Claude wasn't sitting on it, he was sure they would've stuck straight up and out of his pants.
He had hoped that the fly wouldn't come any closer, but nope. It instead veered right in front of him, buzzing and darting about and stoking the pent-up feeling in his chest into a fevered pitch.
Gah! That does it! He couldn't take it anymore! Claude let go of his ears to swat at the pest. He missed the first time, and the second, and the next several attempts. If he was more cognizant during this moment, he might've realized that he looked like he was batting at thin air, but his raging instincts blinded him to everything else besides his target.
Finally, he caught the fly right before it flew out of his reach. Claude brought his hands and his prey down on his desk with a heavy slap.
“Claude?” Byleth shot him an incredulous look. “What was that?”
“... Nothing. Just getting rid of a fly.” Clauda grimaced, first at the professor’s callout, then at the smudged remains on his hand. He stealthily wiped the latter away, but he couldn’t wipe away the embarrassment from the former, augmented by the Golden Deer’s whispers behind him.
Great. This was just great. Although Byleth accepted his explanation and moved on, Claude’s face still burned with embarrassment. On the bright side, it seemed like no one noticed the strange movements under his headscarf. There would definitely be no way to talk himself out of that .
But that was enough self-pitying. Morning lectures were almost over. Once they breaked for lunch, Claude could find a way to deal with these bothersome instincts. All he had to do was get through the rest of classes and not succumb to any more urges…
A flutter on the windowsill behind Byleth caused his ears to perk up. Claude mentally scolded himself for breaking his promise so quickly. Once he flattened them again, he did a quick check to make sure that nobody saw that, then refocused his gaze back on Byleth. Or rather, on the bird perched behind her.
It was right there! Just sitting there! Why was it there? Why did it have to be so close, yet so far away, thanks to the glass barrier separating it from Claude? The bird was practically taunting him, that’s what. Maybe Teach wouldn’t mind if he opened the window or if he went outside to catch it. Anything to get his hands on that feathery, hapless creature-
“Claude?” Byleth’s voice interrupted his thoughts. “Did you have something to say?”
“Hm?” Claude blinked. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes you did. I couldn’t understand you though.”
“To me, it sounds like a bunch of high-pitched noises and clacking teeth.” Hilda chimed in. “Were you trying to sing?”
“That would be a poor attempt at singing then.” Lorenz muttered.
“Oh, actually, he sounds just like a cat that spotted prey right outside a window!” Leonie piped up. “You know, like hunting chirps.”
“Hunting chirps…?” Claude repeated after her, cheeks ablaze with mortification. He never heard of a cat doing that before, but judging from everything else that happened today, he wouldn’t put that past himself. As much as he wanted to…
“Yeah! Your impression is pretty spot on!”
“Impression. Right.” Claude mumbled under his breath. He glanced backwards at his classmates, who bore expressions of varying degrees of befuddlement and concern, then turned his gaze back towards Teach (and the bird that was still there). She didn’t look as baffled as the others, but underneath her stoic veneer laid even more worry for her once-star student.
That, more than anything else, prompted Claude to give up on maintaining his facade. He couldn’t keep going like this. He had to find a solution now , before anyone found out what happened to him and he got ridiculed even more. Or worse…
“Can I be excused? I don’t feel well.” Claude raised his hand to ask.
A beat passed. Claude’s heart raced with the idea that Byleth wasn’t going to let him go, that he would have to endure more humiliation, but she eventually put those thoughts to rest by nodding.
“Go ahead.”
“Thanks.” Claude smiled, despite his heavy heart. With permission granted, he proceeded to pack up his things and walk out of the classroom, all while refusing to meet the curious gazes of the Golden Deer.
(And the worst part was that he still couldn’t catch that bird. It flew away when he tried to approach it.)