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Dashing behind a nearby tree for makeshift cover, you pant as you try to catch your breath, reloading your guns before heading back into the fray. You’re against a wanderer you’ve never seen before, and though its powers were briefly described to you before heading out, you’re still not entirely sure how it works.
Taking one last breath, you run out from behind your cover, sweat dripping down your skin, to face the wanderer once more. You’ve almost got it beat when it rushes at you at a speed you didn’t think possibly. It stops right in front of you and slashes your arm, a burning sensation starts spreading throughout your body the moment it makes contact, but you can’t think of that right now. Taking one final aim, both guns point at the creature, you shoot until it’s dead, vanishing into smoke as it blows away in the wind.
The burning, prickling sensation under your skin worsens as you report back to Jenna that the mission was completed. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the familiar mechanical crow sitting on a branch of a tree, tilting its head to the side in question at your injury.
Smiling at the crow, you lower your wrist to your side, your other hand grasping the open wound of your arm, and you nod in acknowledgement. “I’m okay, Mephie, just a minor cut.” Even as you say this, you know it’s more than just a cut.
Overcome by the sudden pain surging through your entire body, you fall to your hands and knees and let out a scream that’s heard only by the dense trees and Mephisto as he leaves his perch in search of his master most likely. Clutching at your head, your hands feel something that wasn’t there before: two furry ears. Your eyes widen in surprise, before another burst of pain shoots out from your backside. Reaching your hands around, you feel what has to be a tail sprouting from behind you.
After a few moments, which feel like pure agony, the pain finally subsides, leaving you panting and trying to regain your breath. You fall to the side to lay down instead of having to support yourself on your knees any longer. A few deep breaths help calm your inner turmoil before everything goes to hell again.
Your (new, cat-like) ears twitch as they pick up every little sound, the wind blowing, various woodland creatures stepping on the fresh grass, occasionally speaking to each other, the sound of the leaves swaying in the wind and branches hitting against each other. And everything is so loud. Then the smells start making themselves known. The different types of trees carrying their own unique scent to your overly sensitive nostrils, each animal has its own smell that lingers in the woods, strong enough to be able to follow if you weren’t so overwhelmed.
You curl into a ball, the wound on your arm forgotten, and press your hands to your feline ears as an attempt to block out the sound (it doesn’t work). The feel of your tail curling around your body is a new sensation but compared to the overstimulation from the multitudes of new and pre-existing sounds, it’s a welcome feeling. The addition of crickets chirping in the night, breaking through the poor barrier of your hands blocking your hyper-sensitive ears, is what causes a few stray tears to slide down your face unwillingly.
It feels like hours have passed before a new scent, a familiar one, enters the surrounding area, followed by the sound of even more familiar footsteps. Your ears perk up, trying to locate the man who had, no doubt, been sent by Mephisto after the scene he witnessed not long ago.
The footsteps stop a few feet in front of you, and the scent is so strong you can’t stop yourself anymore. Without thinking, you quickly jump up from your position on the ground and into the man’s arms (who thankfully catches you with his quick reflexes). You grab onto the front of his jacket and bury your face in his chest, just breathing him in. Sylus. Your legs wrap around behind him, hooking your ankles together as your hands move to his back and clutch at his jacket tightly.
Sylus chuckles at your enthusiasm, still shocked at your appearance. He stands still, feeling the tension ebb away from your frame the longer he holds onto you. Noticing your new ears and tails, a devious smile appears on his face as he whispers, “Hey there, kitten.”
You groan, not in the mood for his jokes, especially after the traumatic changes you just went through, yet a small smile still forms on your lips at being able to breathe in the comforting scent of Sylus. A low rumble sounds from your chest, signaling your contentment, and your face flushes with embarrassment. Sylus chuckles, but stops when you finally lift your face to his, meeting his eyes.
Concern immediately fills his eyes as he sees the tear tracks on your face. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”
A bird flies by overhead, letting out a shrill call that causes your ears to twitch and ache. You gasp, pulling your hands from Sylus’s shirt to cover your ears once again. Understanding crosses his face as he holds you closer. “Too loud?” he whispers.
You nod in response. “The s-sounds and, and the smells, Sy…” He shushes you, not needing you to explain to understand what you’re feeling.
“Come on, let’s go home,” he whispers, continuing, “Luke and Kieran have the car running.”
Your head shoots up, shaking side to side vigorously. “No! Please, I can’t… I don’t want them to make fun of me.”
Sylus kisses the top of your head, holding back his amusement at how your ears twitch in response. “Don’t worry about them. I’ll take care of everything for you, sweetheart.”
Sinking into Sylus’s arms, you let him carry you out of the forest, letting the presence of being in his arms comfort you for the time being. After a few minutes of walking, the steady rhythm of being held while walking lulls you to sleep, the purring in your chest starts up again. A smile pulls at Sylus’s lips at the sound, one of his arms holds you up by your thighs, and the other is playing with your hair. The purring sounds grow louder in contentment, your face subconsciously nuzzles into his neck as you continue napping.
Sylus walks up to the car the twins are in, but before he gets in, he walks up to the passenger side door and motions for Luke to lower the window. When he does, Sylus says in a whisper, “Do not comment on their appearance. Do not talk on the way back to base. Do not laugh at them. Understood?” He waits for both of them to nod before walking to the backseat of the car. He slowly readjusts you so he’s holding you bridal-style now, so you can sit comfortably in the car. The slight jostling wakes you briefly before Sylus shushes you and continues combing through your hair. Once you’re both in the car fully, and sitting comfortably, Kieran starts driving back to base.
The car ride is silent, save for the rumbling from your chest that you’re oblivious to as you nap on Sylus’s lap. He takes this time to examine the wound on your arm that he noticed earlier. It’s not deep, but he’ll have to clean and bandage it when you arrive. Luke and Kieran keep to their word of being silent, but that doesn’t mean they don’t sneak glances at your adorable sleeping form on their boss’s lap.
A caw from outside the car startles you awake, a scream rips itself from your throat, your eyes shoot open, and your hold on Sylus tightens painfully around his shoulders. If Kieran wasn’t used to driving in erratic situations, the car would have crashed for sure. Sylus orders Mephisto to fly back home ahead of them, and he’s out of sight and earshot within a second.
Sylus holds your shaking form, rubbing soothing circles into your side as he whispers that you’re okay. Sylus pauses for a millisecond before he gently guides your head to the nape of his neck, forcing you to breathe him in, the smell comforting and bringing you back to reality.
You sniffle. “I-I’m sorry. I couldn’t c-control myself,” you whisper into his neck, trying to curl in on yourself, your tail wrapping around your stomach.
“You have nothing to apologize for, sweetheart. You’re overwhelmed, and you’re adjusting to new instincts and sensations. It’s only natural.” He places a kiss on the top of your head to accentuate his point. A few moments pass before you nod slightly, and loosen your grip on Sylus’s shoulders.
Luke and Kieran glance at each other, but remain silent lest they have a death wish. The remaining drive to the base is uneventful, though you refuse to fall back asleep after the scare you had.
Kieran stops the car outside the front entrance, allowing Sylus to carry you out of the car before going to park in the underground garage. He carries you through the front entrance, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. He sits you down on the bed and begins to pull away, much to your chagrin.
He smiles reassuringly, saying, “I just need to grab the first aid kit. I’ll be back before you know it.” He retreats into the attached bathroom to retrieve the medical kit.
As soon as he’s out of arm’s reach, you curl in on yourself again, pulling your legs up and wrapping your arms around them, your tail doing the same. Before your mind can begin to wander, and before the various scents and sounds can begin to overwhelm you, Sylus returns with the med kit.
“See?” He smiles, holding the kit up for you to see. He sits down on the bed beside you, and you waste no time in crawling into his lap again, seeking comfort and familiarity. He huffs out a laugh as he gingerly takes hold of your injured arm. “This is going to hurt, sweetie, but I need to clean your wound.”
You nod, gripping onto his shirt with your uninjured hand. Your tail moves of its own accord, snaking around Sylus’s waist, holding him close to you. You close your eyes, bracing yourself for the pain. Sylus takes out the needed materials from the kit and holds onto your arm gently as he begins cleaning your wound. He pauses briefly upon hearing your pained gasp but continues nonetheless to get the wound cleaned and bandaged quickly.
Once the bandage is placed properly, he lifts your arm up and presses a soft kiss to the palm of your hand. “All done.” A pause, before he lowers his voice to whisper, “What happened?”
Opening your eyes, you see the concern, with a slight bit of curiosity, in the red gleam of his eyes. You loosen your grip on him again, this time wrapping your arms loosely around his waist. “I was on a mission,” you begin, trying to recall how you got here, “And, and it was going well, until it lunged at me out of nowhere. It gave me this cut, and then this happened.” You gesture to your ears and tail the wanderer’s attack caused.
Before Sylus can say anything, you continue on, starting to ramble as the reality sinks in, “And now I can’t handle hearing noises and smells, and everything is so intense, and I was so scared when Mephie showed up outside the car, and–and I don’t know what to do, Sylus.” A sob escapes your throat as you finish, a few stray tears dripping down your cheeks.
Sylus wipes away your tears, having stayed quiet to let you get it all out in the open. “It’s okay now, I’m here with you.” He takes out his phone for a minute to text Kieran, telling him to look into a wanderer that can transform someone into a partial cat with an attack, before putting his device away to focus on you again. He had let you watch him type out the message to ease your anxiety. “Now that’s settled, let’s get you to bed, sweetheart. You’ve had an eventful day.” He pauses, a playful smirk playing at his lips. “Want to come with me to get our night clothes?” He already knows the answer, yet he’s still asking. This bastard.
You look up into his eyes, and to him, you really do look like a small kitten. “Yes, please,” you mutter. He chuckles and repositions you so you’re straddling him before moving to stand up. You wrap your arms around his neck again and bury your face in his neck. You can feel his body tense slightly in shock, so you look around trying to find the cause. Your face reddens as you realize your tail has wrapped itself around Sylus’s waist and ventured underneath his shirt slightly. “Sorry, I can’t control it much,” you say, embarrassed.
Sylus’s tension fades away quickly, and he smiles down at you as he continues walking towards the closet. “It’s quite adorable, actually. I don’t mind it one bit.” A kiss on top of your head punctuates his sentence. Inside the closet, he finds a pair of sweatpants for himself, and lets you pick out your own sleepwear. You decide on one of Sylus’s t-shirts, and a pair of shorts you’ve left here at some point.
Walking back out of the walk-in closet, he sets you on the bed to get changed while he does the same. Upon seeing him wearing only sweatpants and no top at all, your face brightens once more, tail swishing behind you in interest. Sylus quirks a brow as he catches your gaze, a smirk gracing his lips. “Like what you see, darling?”
You huff and cross your arms, looking away. “Why aren’t you putting on a shirt?” You glance at him out of the corner of your eyes, waiting for his response.
Surprisingly, a light flush creeps onto his ears. He meets your gaze as he says, “I thought it’d make you more comfortable to have that extra contact.” You can tell he’s being honest, his eyes shine with adoration towards you.
You turn to face him head on, continuing eye contact. “Y-you did that for me?” He nods his head, coming towards the bed more now that you’re both dressed properly for sleep.
He lays down on his back, a hand behind his head, as he looks at you expectantly. When you don’t move, he sighs and leans forward. In one swift movement, he picks you up and lays you down on top of him. Though startled, as soon as you’re situated on him, you start purring, a smile on your lips and your tail swishes back and forth contentedly. Sylus lays one hand on your back, and the other in your hair.
A few moments of silence pass before curiosity gets the best of Sylus, something that usually doesn’t happen. Unbeknownst to you, he reaches out as if to pet your tail, but he stops before he makes contact. “Sweetie?” he asks. You hum in response, waiting for him to continue. “Can I pet your tail?”
Your head whips up as you stare at him in shock. He meets your gaze, showing you that he’s being sincere with his question. You think about it for a minute before nodding your head hesitantly. “Yes.”
He smiles reassuringly, though with a bit of mischief glinting in his eyes. “The ears too?” He’s pushing his luck, he knows it, but you trust him. You nod again, more relaxed, and lay your head back down onto his chest, the rumbling in your chest from before continues again.
You feel his hand gently petting along your tail, and you did not expect it to feel so good. You melt against Sylus’s body, a content sigh leaving your lips as you nuzzle into his bare chest, the purring sounds filling the room as they grow louder.
Sylus chuckles at your reaction, unable to help himself. He takes in the feel of your tail, the way it moves on its own when he applies the slightest amounts of pressure. Not wanting to overwhelm you any further, he pulls back his hand from your tail, stifling a laugh at the disappointed noise you make in response, and lays his hand on your head to feel your cat-like ears.
Carefully and gently, he rubs his fingers against the ears, feeling the soft hair leading to a point on the top of your head. You gasp at the feeling of his caresses, though gentle, they become too much for you to handle.
You shake your head against your chest and mumble to him, “T-too much, Sy, p-please stop.” His hand retracts immediately. Instead, he places his hand on your back, tracing up and down your spine in the way that he knows you like.
Whispering, he asks, “Is this better, sweetheart?” The way you relax instantly against him is the answer to his question.
The sound of a knock at the door, followed by its opening, sets you back to high alert. Your body tenses, ears twitching, and your tail curls around yourself protectively. Sylus glares at the door, making the figures standing there freeze so he can calm you first.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s only the twins. You’re safe,” he whispers so only you can hear. Upon hearing it’s Luke and Kieran, you relax again, letting the tension fade from your body.
Sylus looks back to the twins who are standing in the doorway, and motions for them to come in the room. Quietly, they enter, careful to not make any sudden movements or sounds. As they approach the bed, a specific scent reaches your sensitive nose, making you sniff at the air and your ears begin twitching in anticipation. You open your eyes to look at the twins, mouth practically salivating, as you see they have brought a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, still warm.
Everyone’s eyes are on you, but you only have eyes for the plate of cookies. Before you can stop yourself, you reach out to the plate, grab a cookie, and inhale the scent before taking a bite. Pure bliss crosses your features as you savor the taste of the melted chocolate on your tongue, the purring intensifying. Luke sets the plate with the rest of the cookies down on the bed for you to eat from.
Sylus’s soft smile doesn’t leave you as he addresses the twins. “Kieran, what did you find?” he asks quietly, not wanting to disturb your moment of joy. You finish the first cookie, and reach with both hands to grab another cookie in each hand. Sylus chuckles and slightly grasps one of your wrists. “Don’t eat too quickly. You’ll get an upset stomach.” His words snaps you out of the daze and back to reality again. Smiling sheepishly, you put down one of the cookies, taking small bites of the other one remaining in your hands. Satisfied, Sylus looks back at Kieran, awaiting his response to his question.
Kieran rubs the back of his neck anxiously before whispering, “There’s not much information on this type of wanderer, Boss. It’s definitely new, having just appeared recently for the first time. According to past run-ins with the wanderer, the effects seem to wear off within 24-48 hours. The side effects of this, erm, experience are the growth of a tail and ears and sometimes whiskers, heightened senses, particularly to sound and touch, general confusion and panic, and other feline-related instincts and habits.” He pauses again, letting the information sinking in. “That’s everything, Boss.”
Sylus nods, listening intently while rubbing a soothing hand down your back as you finish the second cookie and resist the urge to have another to lay back down on Sylus. His gaze drifts to your form, eyes softening and smile forming again. “Did you hear what Kieran said, sweetheart?”
You lift your head and slowly blink at him, Luke and Kieran are trying so hard to remain calm at how adorable this scene is before them, and tilt your head to the side. You yawn. “I heard his voice, but I didn’t hear the words.” You look at Kieran with an apologetic smile. “Sorry.”
Sylus lets out a chuckle as Kieran says, “It’s alright, no need to apologize.”
You look back at Sylus again, silently asking him to tell you what you had missed. He sighs, a fond smile on his lips and adoration in his eyes. “The effects should wear off in 24-48 hours.” A whine immediately leaves your throat, and your face reddens at the noise you heard yourself make. That was definitely not meant to come out of you.
He caresses your cheek as he turns back to the twins. “Luke, Kieran, clear my schedule for the next 48 hours. Dismissed.” They both nod, and take their leave to do as they were told.
Once they leave, you reach over to pick up another cookie. This time, however, instead of eating it, you hold it in front of Sylus, gesturing for him to take a bite. He raises his brow at you in question, a soft smirk on his face. “What?” you ask. “They’re good. I thought you would want to try it too.”
Before you can change your mind, Sylus slowly leans up to take a bite out of the cookie still in your hand. He hums thoughtfully, and nods. “You were right. Those two are getting better at baking.”
Smiling, you continue feeding him the cookie until it’s gone. Sylus slowly moves the plate from the bed and places it on the bedside table, careful to not alarm you with any of his movements. Once he’s settled again, he guides your head back to laying on his chest so you can hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “Rest now. You’ve had a long day.”
You didn’t realize how exhausted just now. You nuzzle into his chest, your tail wrapping around you and resting against Sylus’s bare side. You breathe in his scent again, your eyelids drooping closed as his hands continue to rub soothingly on your back and in your hair.
Before you drift to sleep, you hear Sylus softly whisper into your hair, “Goodnight, my beautiful kitten.” The nickname makes you smile into his chest as you drift off, knowing he’ll be there when you wake up again.