Chapter Text
Tim was tired. He had been awake for almost 30 hours. It was far from his record, but the more time passed, the more difficult it was to stay awake for days on end like he used to do. His body seemed to be failing him. It wouldn't be the first thing that gave out on him in his life.
Tim returned to his house after a hectic patrol. Despite his battered and tired body, he wasn't sure he would get any sleep. As he undressed, he noticed that there was something on his couch. A sort of black stain. There were two blue beads in the middle.
He blinked several times. He thought he was hallucinating and went to his room.
Tim woke up with a start several hours later. He wasn't sure exactly how long he'd managed to sleep, but it seemed like enough time to at least get up right away, without having to wait on his bed for at least five good minutes for his headache to subside.
VLAM.
Tim frowned.
Someone was in his house.
He sighed.
He grabbed a taser that was lying on the floor among his clothes. It was better to take a weapon that might be more "traditional" for a civilian to have in his home than one of his Red Robin weapons. He opened the door to his room quietly and quietly made his way to the source of the noise. From the hallway, Tim could see that a glass had fallen on the floor. He moved closer until he reached the end of the hallway, just outside his living room.
No one was there.
Tim walked into the living room on guard. He looked carefully at all the corners. Nothing seemed to have changed its place. His gaze went to his open kitchen. It was then that he saw the intruder.
Their eyes met. This thing... had very light green eyes.
The thing blinked several times as it looked at him. Then, the thing stretched out its entire length and began to lick its paw. The thing was ignoring him!
Tim blinked several times. He sighed in exasperation.
There was a black cat with green eyes on his kitchen counter.
And this little monster had already broken several glasses.
Tim went back to his room, retrieved his phone. The first thing he did was to check if one of his brothers had already sent him a message announcing the prank. There was nothing. A new sigh escaped his lips.
He headed back to his living room. The cat was still on the counter. This time, he had comfortably rolled himself into a ball to take what looked like a nap in the exact spot where the glasses had been the day before. He then took a picture with his phone and sent it to the family chat group.
From Tim to FAMILY Chat group
[Sent cat picture]
“Which one of you jerks put a cat in my house?!”
Chaos ensued, with everyone denying responsibility and Tim feeling like he was losing his mind.
Tim decided it was time to catch the little troublemaker and find out who was behind the prank. He snuck up behind the cat, trying to grab him before he could dart away. But the cat was too quick for him. It darted away, knocking over a vase in the process.
"Hey, come back here, you little devil!" Tim shouted, chasing after the cat.
The cat ran under the couch, and Tim tried to grab him from underneath. But he misjudged the cat's position, and his arm got stuck. He struggled to free himself, but the cat just sat there, looking at him with amusement in its eyes.
"Okay, this isn't funny anymore," Tim grumbled, trying to wiggle his arm free.
Just then, the cat jumped up and sprinted across the room, knocking over a lamp in its wake. Tim chased after it, but the cat was too quick. It ran up the curtains and perched on the windowsill, looking down at Tim with an air of superiority.
"You may have won this round, cat, but I'll catch you eventually," Tim said, panting.
The cat simply meowed and licked its paw, unimpressed with Tim's efforts.
Tim tried to lure the cat down with treats, but the cat just turned its nose up and yawned. He tried to corner it, but the cat was too agile, leaping over his head and running circles around him. Tim was left dizzy and disoriented, while the cat continued to wreak havoc around the room.
In the end, Tim gave up and collapsed onto the couch, defeated.
The cat began to stare at him from his new perch on top of his closet. The creature seemed to be looking at him with a surly expression. He squinted.
How in the world did this beast get into his house?
As he stared at the animal. The creature stretched and lay down to observe him.
Since no one in his family seemed willing to help him out, he tried his luck with his group of friends.
The problem was that instead of trying to help him, they started suggesting cat names and incidentally making fun of him for being " bossed around by a cat".
Tim rolled his eyes at his friends' teasing. "Very funny, guys," he muttered sarcastically.
"I'm glad my suffering amuses you."
Tim jumped back in shock, nearly dropping his phone. The cat simply sat there, completely unfazed by his reaction. It seemed to be staring at him with an almost judgmental expression. Tim couldn't help but feel a little ridiculous for being scared of a cat.
"Alright, you win," Tim said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I give up. You can stay here for now, but don't get too comfortable."
The cat simply blinked and continued to stare at him. Tim couldn't tell if it was satisfied with his response or if it was plotting its next move.
As Tim sat down to enjoy his coffee, he couldn't help but feel like he was being watched. He looked over at the cat, who was now grooming itself on the table. Tim shook his head and chuckled to himself. He never thought he'd be the kind of guy to have a cat, but here he was, being bossed around by one.
"Well, I guess you need a name," Tim said, looking at the cat. "Any suggestions?"
The cat simply continued to groom itself, ignoring him. Tim rolled his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. He had a feeling he was going to be stuck with this cat for a while.