Chapter Text
Kayden knew he had overexerted himself. From the moment he had acquired this new form, using his powers became impossible. He was still figuring stuff out, and managing his force control had slowly become easier. But it was still not enough, and attempting to use his force control to transform back had him doubling in pain. He needed a professional healer, for sure. For the past two months, he had wandered the streets in this current form, and – although it proved to be quite efficient at concealing his identity – he still missed his human form. Random people would often approach him, attempting to pet him and rub his belly (why did he have to choose such a fat cat? ). Some would also offer leftovers, placing them on their palms and offering them for him to eat.
It was weird to say that despite the obvious changes, he was growing accustomed to this new life. His old life hadn’t been the best, but at least he wasn’t going through trash cans and dumpsters looking for extra food. Sometimes he’d manage to steal some food from convenience stores when the employees weren’t looking, but it still didn’t manage to replace the human food he loved so much.
He sighed, using his claws to rip open the last bag of trash. He scanned for anything edible, groaning at the sight of moldy leftover fish and what looked like rotten eggs. Gosh, didn’t these people throw away any actual food? He sniffed the food ( if it could be called that ) one last time and hopped down the trash can, heading towards the main street. It was past midnight, and at this point he doubted he’d find anything to have for dinner. He’d probably have better luck the next day.
He sighed again and, before he could head down to the bench he’d been using lately as a bed, he heard the screech of a boy. Or what sounded like a boy, anyway. He turned his head towards the sound, finding himself in front of a boy no older than 18. Blond, messy hair almost covered his eyes in their entirety, and honey-brown eyes looked at him with silent fascination.
“Awe, hello kitty!” the boy exclaimed, crouching down and beckoning him closer with his hand, “Are you hungry, little guy?”
Kayden opted not to respond, carefully observing him. He did not feel like humoring this boy, but he was also rather hungry, and this seemed like a great opportunity to get some free food.
“It’s okay if you’re a little shy. Don’t worry. I couldn’t sleep so I decided to come here and get some food for you guys. I don’t like seeing you all hungry, you know?”
The boy took off his backpack and opened it, taking out some cat treats, a can of tuna, and a small bowl, where he poured some fresh water from a bottle. He placed them in front of him, making sure to do it slowly so as not to scare him away.
“Here you go. Eat up!”
Kayden sniffed the offered food, and after determining that there was nothing out of the ordinary, he dove in. The pace at which he ate the food was a little embarrassing, but the boy did not seem to mind, smiling at him and watching him with glowing eyes. He continued eating, and only flinched away when he felt the heat of a hand petting his fur.
“There, there. Are you here by yourself? It’s a little cold, isn’t it?”
The boy went back to his backpack and pulled out a soft wool sweater, slowly putting it around Kayden. He smiled once again, resuming petting his fur.
“Maybe I should take you back home, make sure you’re warm.”
That made Kayden stop, his head lifting to meet the boy’s eyes.
“Oh, I mean only for the night. Unless you want to stay longer there.”
It was interesting to see how the boy talked to him as if he were a person. He knew most people talked to their pets like that, but he’d never been victim of such an interaction. He did not offer a response, only licking the last of the food off the tuna can and drinking some water.
The boy took the empty bowl and placed it in his backpack, throwing away the empty can. “Okay, buddy. Let’s go home, okay? I do not want to leave you out here like that.”
He reached to grab Kayden, but he instinctively flinched away, putting some distance between him and the boy. He’d offered him food, but he still could not trust him. What if he secretly knew it was him and attempted to kidnap him? His powers were basically useless now, and going back home with a stranger seemed too risky.
“Oh, I’m not going to hurt you, I swear!”, the boy put his hands up in fake surrender, worry flashing through his eyes, “I’m only trying to help you. I have some more cats back home you can play with! They’re very friendly.”
Kayden only stared at him in response.
“C’mon, let me help you, okay?”, the boy attempted to reach out once again, and Kayden hissed at him, hoping that it’d be enough to make him go away.
“O-Oh. It seems like you really don’t wanna come, right?”, he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, “I understand. You’re scared. I can come back tomorrow and bring you some more food if you’d like! I just need to make sure you stay around here, though.”
The boy looked around, scanning the area around them. “I’ll meet you here again tomorrow, okay? Just make sure not to run away! Otherwise, I might not be able to find you.”
The boy stood up, closing his backpack and placing it on his back. He turned to leave, only stopping to look at him one last time. “My name’s Jiwoo, by the way. Jiwoo Seo.”
The boy smiled, finally walking down the street. Kayden looked at the boy’s figure, watching it disappear in the dark. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that he realized he still had the boy’s jacket wrapped around him. He headed back to his usual spot and lay down, wrapping the soft sweater even tighter around himself. Before sleep could reach him, he thought back to the boy, Jiwoo , and that childish smile of his, coming to the realization that he looked forward to seeing him the next day. Maybe becoming his acquaintance wouldn’t be too bad.