Work Text:
You’re exhausted as you come home from work, locking the door to your apartment behind you and shrugging off your coat. As you kick off your shoes, you call out to your wife, who should be home by now - though you’re met with silence.
Frowning, you take a step towards the kitchen, nearly tripping over something at your feet. Your frown turns into a playful smile as you begin to laugh. Sitting at your feet and staring up at you is a large, fluffy cat, white as snow with wide, crystalline eyes. It meows as it begins to weave between your legs, rubbing against your calves.
“Riss, you’ve gotta stop almost tripping me,” you say with a laugh - your words are met with a soft meow as Larissa blinks in apology.
You’d known about Larissa’s shapeshifting abilities since the beginning of your relationship. Usually, she used them for more mundane things - becoming taller to reach the top shelves in your living room, or shifting her makeup on when she was running late.
One day, however, you’d come home to find your wife nowhere in sight - instead, a fluffy white cat was curled up at the center of your bed and dozing away. At the sound of your footsteps, the cat had startled and jumped off the bed, quickly shifting back into a very embarrassed looking Larissa. Once you’d managed to calm her nerves enough to stop blushing and stuttering out apologies, she’d explained that sometimes, when she’s alone, she likes to take the form of a cat - she can escape her worries about her stressful job and simply
exist
for a few hours.
Since then, and with a little encouragement from your side, she’s been shifting more frequently around you - she usually shifts back into human form soon after you come home, but occasionally she’ll stay as a cat for a little while longer, enjoying the way you can’t help but dote on her and snuggle her.
Today is no different.
You kneel down, reaching out your hand for her to sniff. You know it’s still your wife, but you can’t help but treat her as you would a normal cat, and she seems to like it. She sniffs your hand then throws herself against you, rubbing her head against your knuckles and narrowing her eyes. In turn you begin to scratch behind her ears, drawing a soft purr from her throat.
Picking her up, you hold her close to your chest - she rubs the top of her head against your jaw, a deep, satisfied purr rumbling from her chest. You have to admit, as you carry her to the bedroom, that she isn’t the only one getting some stress relief from the situation - her purrs instantly manage to calm and ground you, washing away any lingering thoughts about work or responsibilities.
Sitting on the bed, you set Larissa down beside you - she instantly curls into your side, looking up at you with wide, expectant eyes as you tell her all about your day. Every so often, she’ll let out an indignant mewl at something you’ve said, blinking slowly to show understanding - Larissa’s always been a good listener, and her cat form is no different.
You run your fingers through her silken fur, gently scratching behind her ears and watching as she tilts her head to the side to allow you better access, her eyes narrowing to slits. With a loud purr, she rolls onto her back, allowing you to stroke her fur and gently scratch her belly.
“You’re so
cute,
you know that?” you tease, your urges getting the better of you as you poke at the soft, pink pads of her paws. Larissa’s eyes widen and she swats at your hand, causing you to giggle and tease her more - she kicks her back legs at your hands and bites gently at your wrist.
“Ow! Okay, okay, I’ll stop,” you say with a laugh, withdrawing your hand as Larissa rolls back onto her stomach and glares up at you, looking very human in that moment. As you lean down to press a kiss to the top of her head, she instantly melts, pressing her forehead against you. When you pull away, she chirps gently and gets to her feet, stretching out and arching her back into the air before hopping from the bed with grace.
Within seconds, the cat is replaced by Larissa’s human form. You grin up at your wife, sitting at the edge of the bed and parting your legs to allow her to step between them.
“Hi, darling,” she coos warmly, resting her fingers underneath your chin and pushing it up as she leans down to steal a kiss.
“Hi, baby.” You giggle into the kiss, drawing a chuckle from Larissa’s lips.
Your hands come to rest on her waist and you push her back a step so that you can stand up, drawing her close once again and kissing her deeply, flicking your tongue against hers. “Rough day?” you guess - it usually is when she greets you in her cat form.
“Much better now,” she counters, smiling against your lips as she wraps her arms around your neck.
“I gotta say, I
love
you in every shape and every form… but I really do miss how soft your ears were, I just wanna pet them.”
Larissa laughs and rolls her eyes, a loving and playful smile plastered on her face as she looks down at you.
“Maybe we just need to get a cat or something…” The immediate furrowing of Larissa’s brow has you in stitches - you figured she’d react like this, and it’s adorable.
“Absolutely not,” she says with a faux-frown. “You’d have me competing for belly rubs in my own home?”
“You know I’d never do that to you, Riss.” You’re grinning as you place a tender, lingering kiss to her cheek, your eyes closing in bliss. When you pull away and open your eyes again, you find she’s shifted snowy white cat ears onto head, and you blush as you reach up to touch the silky fur with the tips of your fingers - they twitch beneath your caresses and Larissa hums in pleasure.
“Happy?” she asks with an amused smile, her eyebrow raised.
“Happy.”