Chapter Text
The little cat liked the spot she’d found. She’d spotted it– spotted them – When they’d come speeding in on their roaring machines. The other cats had flinched and scampered away to hide, but this little cat wasn’t scared. She was never scared. As the runt in her litter, the only one whose belly was white and not fully brown, the only one with strange purple eyes, she was left outside to die. The little cat had no other option but to survive.
The little cat was not scared. She approached the machines with their wheels and pipes, the sun warm on her back. They smelt like the other machines that came through. Cars, the humans called them. But this didn’t look like a car. The little cat sniffed at it. It didn’t make that noise, this time. Not when the humans were gone.
The cat meowed. The machine stayed quiet and because the little cat was not scared, because she was brave, she jumped up on top of it. It was hard at the back, but a little bit in the middle that dipped down was soft, and still warm. The little cat sat down. It really was comfy, this spot. She curled up in a ball, eyes growing heavy. Up here, the others wouldn’t bother her. Not when they were too scared to approach. This spot was the perfect place for a little nap.
They weren’t stopping for long, but the squad was hungry so they had parked the bikes outside of a diner that Imogen claimed had the best burgers. Xaden decided that he would be the judge of that, but it turned out Imogen was right and they did a pretty good chocolate cake, too. But now with their bellies full, it was time to leave.
“Oh my god,” Xaden heard Bodhi call out from in front of him, a huge smile lighting up his face. “Look at that,”
Imogen gasped. “Kitty!”
Frowning, Xaden looked over. On top of his bike was a brown and white cat, curled into a ball. The cat yawned. “Aww, look at him.” Liam cooed. “Can we keep him? Or her? Whatever it is.”
Xaden sighed. “No,” he said, at the same time that Garrick said the opposite. “How do you propose we get it back, hmm? And it probably has an owner, anyways.”
Regardless of his protestations, Imogen and Liam were already at the cat’s side. It opened its eyes and meowed at them. Imogen cooed. Liam tugged off a glove and raised his hand to stroke the cat. “We’ll tuck it inside one of our jackets," Garrick suggested. “I think it’s a stray, anyways. Doesn’t have a collar. If anything, we should find it a shelter.”
Liam was clearly enamored, letting the cat rub up against him. “C’mon Xaden, we’ve gotta keep it. Look at–” He paused, checking the cat’s underside. “Her.”
Xaden approached the cat himself. She did have to admit that the thing looked pretty cute sitting atop of his bike. And her eyes. Her eyes were striking. He reached out a hand towards her, not bothering to remove his glove because regardless of how cute the thing looked, it still probably had fleas or something. The cat also reached out. With a paw, she slapped Xaden’s arm. “Did she just bap me?” He asked, moving back. The little cat did it again. Xaden shook his head and shoved the cat off his bike. “No, no. We're not keeping it, we can’t. Let’s go.” The rest of the squad protested, but Xaden ignored them. The cat had no manners. “C’mon, let’s go.” He climbed on and started putting on his helmet.
This was her spot. The little cat had bonded with this machine, and these stupid humans weren’t going to just leave her there. They were not allowed to discuss taking her with them and then just push her off like she was nothing. They were not allowed to just leave and take her comfy spot with them.
The little cat meowed and climbed up the human’s leg. That’ll show him. If he tries to push her of, she’ll just climb right back on. The cat wiggled onto his lap. “What does it–” the little cat interrupted him with a meow. She lifted her paw and bapped him with it again. “Oh my god, stop.” The human said, pushing her paw away. The humans on the other machines were laughing.
“Oh, come on we have to take her,” said the one with the pink hair, “she loves you.”
The human groaned and pushed her off again. True to her promise, the little cat climbed right back up. Into his lap. “Okay, okay.” He said. “We’ll take her.”
He tucked her inside of his jacket. There wasn’t much room, but she was warm. The machines started growling again, and the little cat felt like they were moving. But she was warm and secure in her new spot, just as comfortable as before. The little cat fell asleep.