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"I need food for Rafayel..." You casually comment under your breath, slowly ambling towards the isle full with cat products and toys.
"Why does your cat have such a human name?" Tara giggled, her crackly fits of laughter spilling out of your phone and into your ear.
Eyes slowly analyzing the shelves stacked with cat food, you idly shrugged before remembering you're on the phone and Tara can't quite see your response. "I had the bright idea to write out some names on little pieces of paper and for some reason he really liked the name Rafayel." A small smile ghosts your lips at the cute memory. "He wouldn't stop pawing at the piece of paper." A giggle of your own flutters past your lips.
"Tara, you should've seen how his gorgeous eyes lit up when I said Rafayel for the first time!" You had to suppress a squeal that was threatening to crawl out of your throat, but the sheer adoration that dripped from your words was enough conformation for Tara to know that Rafayel had you wrapped around his little paw.
"How weirdly human." Tara amusedly huffed out, slight shuffling sounding from her end. "I know right?" You press your phone further into your ear with your shoulder as you grabbed a particular brand of cat food that you'd hope that Rafayel was going to enjoy. Through many attempts of trial and error, you had come to find out that Rafayel had an affinity for cat food that had anything seafood related. He'd chow down anything that has fish but the minute his rosy nose catches a whiff of anything but that, he's turning his fuzzy head moodily away from his bowl and sauntering off into his seashell shaped cat bed with so much attitude that it always leaves you laughing.
You tried to ignore the bubbling irritation in your stomach when you realize that this isn't a joke and that you spent a few pretty dollars on his food to accommodate his expensive palette just for him to turn a blind eye to it.
Ungrateful…
But that's beside the point.
There isn't a day where you're never not laughing with Rafayel around. He has such a loud and bright personality that it's hard not to smile or giggle at his silly antics. You don't think you've ever met a cat quite like him.
Snatching a few you're sure Rafayel was going to delightfully enjoy, you plopped them into your basket. "It's so cute how that little kitty turned your life around. Maybe he's what you needed after everything." Tara says softly.
A light tremor of ache rattles through your heart at Tara's words.
The passing of Caleb had threw your whole world up on it's head that you hadn't even realized how far you've driven yourself into your own little self deprecating hole until little Rafayel pounced onto your life.
He had planted himself on the cushy chair right beside your bed—(How he went unnoticed for so long? You have no idea) one gloomy evening while you had bundled yourself in a roll of blankets, quietly sobbing onto your pillows. Something had reminded you of Caleb that day, you can't remember exactly what, but it was enough to sour your mood and render you into a wailing mess for the rest of the day.
It wasn't until you heard Rafayel's soft cries, effectively pulling you out of your head, that you noticed the blurry figure of him perched on your chair. You remember wetly asking how did he managed to enter your room, too caught up in the throes of your grief to wonder if you had left the front door open during your emotional stupor.
The instant he had titled his fluffy head curiously at your question, beautiful sunset eyes peering at your wrecked expression, you had quickly grown a soft spot for the cat. The rest of the evening was full of Rafayel lapping at your salty tears with his rough tongue and kneading your skin with his paws. You've never had a cat watch you so intently before.
Rafayel made his visits—before you had fully adopted him into your home—frequent. He stopped by whenever he caught you too wrapped up in your own work, failing to realize that the afternoon had melted into the earliest hours of the night.
His technique was always the same when it came to stealing your attention. All he had to do was sit himself on your desk, curl his fuzzy tail around your arm that held your head and paw at your scrunched up face.
In a second, your dull eyes sparkle with life and for the remaining hours that you could will yourself to stay up are filled with delightful belly scratches and coo's. You could feel the smugness radiating off of him when he successfully distracts you from your work.
And whenever you'd find yourself full of grief, heart squeezed and twisted with sorrow, Rafayel would always be there to distract you from your pain. With a little bump of his nose on your leg, his large eyes slowly blinking at you when you peel your head off your tear stricken arms. He doesn't stop meowing at you until you smother him with attention and forget all about who you were crying about.
It wasn't until a few months had passed that you finally allowed yourself to keep your furry companion and let him become apart of your life. From then on out, your life had considerably gotten better that even you were shocked at your old habits you'd grown accustomed to before Rafayel's arrival. To say that he's been helpful would be undermining the genuine hope he had, and is instilling in you. Even if he's the most sassiest cat you've ever got the pleasure of knowing, he still has his ways that warm your heart and soothe the ache in your chest.
Rafayel's your partner in crime and best friend.
…Is it weird to call your pet cat your best friend? It probably is to some, but to you. It makes perfect sense.
"Maybe he is." You reply with the same gentle tone. Your heart clenched at the thought of Rafayel. "Stop, thinking about him right now makes me want to cry." Your words wobble with emotion. "I miss my cat." You lightly pout, walking further into the isle when you stumble across a section that's brimming with cat toys and collars.
You need to get something for Rafayel from here.
You were almost overwhelmed with the multitude of selections you have right before you.
"You'll see him soon. I bet he's missing you more than you're missing him." Tara says. "I think." She adds.
"No he most likely he is." You affirm quickly. "He cannot stand a second without me. He's such a velcro cat." Your eyes zero in on a little ocean themed collar with a little fish as the bow tie and you don't waste a second snagging the collar off it's hook and dropping it in your basket. "You know, he opens my doors by himself."
Tara lightly gasps. "What? How?"
"He literally jumps up and with his little paws, he pulls down the handle. The minute he hears the door click and slightly open, he's shoving his big head through the gap and walking in my room like he owns it or something." You scoff playfully. "He's done it so many times that he literally broke my door. I can't even close it properly. I have to push my door close. He's so fat that he broke it."
The cackles that spew out of Tara's lips was unheard of. You had made her laugh plenty of times, but this one came so deeply from within her that you were wearily revisiting what you had just said to understand exactly what it was that made Tara bust out laughing. "So you weren't lying about him being a velcro cat!" She finally manages to say in her fit of giggles.
You let out a snort. "Why would I lie about that?"
"And he's not even fat. He's so skinny!"
"Why are you defending him? You have to see him laying down. He literally puffs up."
Tara giggles. "Yeah, yeah."
Grabbing a few new toys to occupy Rafayel with, you find yourself at the cash register paying for what you'd got him. It had gotten a little over what you'd originally intended to spend, but while tapping your card on the screen to pay, you couldn't bring yourself to care about the amount of money you threw away when you have a little kitty at home who'd thoroughly enjoy what you bought him.
Most likely.
He oddly finds more interest in art materials. The amount of times you've found Rafayel either covered in paint or attempting to draw something with a pencil tightly clenched in his jaw was endearing.
He's a very special cat you realize.
Bidding your goodbye to Tara, you slump the bag full of goodies into the passenger seat and drive your way home.
To your pleasant surprise, traffic wasn't nearly as bad as it usually is on your way home around this hour, so you had made it back earlier than you normally do. Unlocking the front door, you step in and announce your presence.
Rafayel making a beeline towards you while meowing his head off is what usually happens when you arrive, but today, his rowdy presence was missing. Chalking it up to Rafayel being asleep on your bed, you rest your belongings on the counter and pull out Rafayel's favorite bag of treats.
"Raffeeyyyy!" You call out, rattling the treat bag as you slipped off your shoes and padded over to your bedroom. Pushing open the door comically slow, you peeked your head in your room expecting to find Rafayel sleepily slumbering atop of one of your pillows, but to your dismay, the ball of fur was nowhere to be found.
That was when fear began it's slow approach. Eyebrows creasing with worry, you discard the treat bag on your dresser. "Rafayel?" You call out, voice pinched with concern. He tends to hide himself under your bed when he knows he's done wrong. Globs of paint were always matted into his fur accompanied with colorful paw prints staining your floors leading to the space under your bed. That was the state you'd find him in without fail. But this time, there was no rainbow trail paving the way to your bed. Maybe this was the beginning of a new habit of his? No longer sticking himself into your art materials and finding solace under your bed? Maybe his mischievous streak was lulling to an end?
"Are you here?" Kneeling down, you peered into the gaps under the bed in hopes to find him, but he wasn't there creating his usual mischief under the bed.
Genuine fear rooted in your chest, it's icy cold tendrils wrapping around your heart in a iron grip. Where could that cat be?
"Rafayel, stop messing around." You begin your ceaseless search around the house. Checking under small gaps he could've found himself stuck or napping in. You also checked the washer and dryer, hoping he hadn't jumped into them like he did that one time, nearly giving you a heart attack. You even checked through the kitchen cabinets and even drawers. It doesn't make sense on why you wasted time checking that particular area when you look back on it, but at the moment you were desperate and you were willing to check anywhere that sly cat could've been hiding in.
Plopping yourself back down to your bed, you let out a groan, hands finding their way into your hair. Did he run away? Were you not treating him the way he wanted to be treated? He was desperately needy and sassy, sure, but you were giving him enough attention, right? He wouldn't run away because of—
A soft humming emitting from your bathroom pulled you out of your thoughts.
Another sense of fear struck within you like lightning. The tears that pooled at your eyes quickly dissipated as you blinked them away.
"My love, will you…" A soft murmur could be heard before the voice melted back into its humming.
There's someone in your bathroom…
The continuous humming was undeniable. How hadn't you noticed this before? You were probably to busy in your mental crisis looking for Rafayel that you neglected to check the bathroom or even hear the running water and surprisingly good humming.
Getting up from your bed, you quickly snatched a bottle of your lotion mindlessly and slowly made your approach to the bathroom.
Hot steam from the shower seeped out from under the door, unfurling into the cold air of the hallway and ghosting your toes. The humming had gotten louder and music that you hadn't heard before accompanied his soft singing.
From the deep hums, you could gather that it was a man currently showering in your bathroom. How he got in your house was beyond you. You made sure that you locked every single part of your house closed. There was no way he could've gotten in. Unless…Rafayel had somehow unlocked the front door. It sounded unbelievable but the chances were never zero when it came to him. Maybe this random man offered Rafayel something?
…Or did you have a robber at your hands.
Did this robber kidnap Rafayel? But before he could snatch Rafayel away with all his stolen goods, he had gone to take a quick shower?
…Is Rafayel in the shower with him?
You imagined him screeching with fear, nails scratching against the bathroom wall as the water pelted his fur. But knowing your cat, he was probably laying on his back and soaking up all the water. He loves water a little too much for your liking. He's jumped into your bathroom more times than you could count while you were taking a bath. Watching him paddle around was so stinking cute.
But this isn't the time to think about how cute he is right now. He could be in grave danger.
Without wasting a second, you quietly open your bathroom door. You were instantly hit with the aroma of your favorite body wash and shampoo swirling in the humid air.
…Was he really using your stuff?
Anger burned in your chest at the image of the intruder wasting all your products with no care in the world, lathering himself in your body wash that you had spent your precious money on. Not to mention, your shampoo that was everything but cheap. He's probably so delighted that he smells so good because the girl he decided to rob has good products. He's most likely going to steal them from you too after his last minute shower is over!
Closing the door behind you gently, you immediately starting searching for Rafayel. Unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found.
The steam from the shower clung onto you, stuffing your head with heat and slightly constricting your airways. He was also wasting your hot water too by taking such a scalding hot shower.
Who does this guy think he is?
Curling your fingers on the curtain, you counted down to one in your head before yanking the shower curtain open with so much force that droplets of water scattered around and splattered onto your face.
Not bothering with the water trickling down your face, your mouth gaped open at the naked man showering before you. He's absolutely…gorgeous?! On pure accident, you eagerly watch the way small soap suds travel down his deliciously chiseled abdomen and trail down his perfectly sculpted legs.
Oh, god.
Goosebumps riddled his skin at the sudden splash of cold air. Hands faltering down from his soap covered hair, he snaps his head over to you. "Cutie!" The naked man yelps, dipping his hands low to quickly cover his lower half. "W-What are you doi—"
You don't allow him to utter another word. You chuck the lotion bottle at him with a yell you don't mean to let out. It bounces of his head and clatters to the floor noisily. "Ow! Seriously?" He lifted up his hand to rub soothing circles on his now aching head. "Did you seriously need to throw our favorite lotion bottle at me?" He pouts. "And who said you could see me naked?"
Without giving you a second to respond, he closes the shower curtain.
"W-What?!" You sputter out, your hand reaching out to open the curtain. You don't miss the way he flinches when you pull the shower curtains open. "What do you mean our? Who are you and what have you done to my Rafayel?" Snatching a hairbrush from the sink counter, you threateningly hover it over your head. "I'll beat you with this if you don't answer me!"
The purple haired man's face deadpans. "You're not actually going to—AH!"
You make the motion as if you were going to wack him with the backside of the brush, only to falter right before it could make contact with his gorgeously shaped body. "I will do it! Tell me where's my cat!"
The purple haired man's familiar sunset colored eyes dart from the hairbrush to your face. You could see the cogs in his brain set in motion as he conjures up an idea.
"Uh…Meow?"
Silence follows.
"Is that supposed to be a joke?" You bark, whacking him on the head with your brush hard. The man hisses out in pain, cat ears that you only just noticed wetly flop down on his head. Oh, so he planned this out, didn't he?
"Can you not hit me!" He whines, rubbing the new sore spot on his head. "That hurt…"
"What do you mean not hit you? You're literally a naked guy in my bathroom!" You counter, returning your brush near him. "My cat is nowhere to be found and all I was able to find was you, so tell me right now. Where is my cat." You somehow found yourself inside the shower, pressing the brush against his neck and effectively cornering him into the bathroom wall. You so desperately tried to ignore what a stupid move that was while also hastily trying to ignore how completely and utterly naked this weird man is.
"Can't you see that said naked man in your bathroom has cat ears and a tail!" He huffs out in annoyance. "Can't you connect the dots already?" He juts out his lip in a pout.
You narrow your eyes at him. "You're just cosplaying as a weird cat boy! You're doing this cause you're a sick man who likes breaking into people's homes and pretending to be their cat!"
His ears droop at your words. "Did you even hear what you just said?"
"Says the man who's butt booty naked in my shower claiming to my my cat!" You argue, pressing the brush further into his neck as if it'll do anything to him. The only thing that it's doing is making you look like a fool, and you have a burning feeling that the smirk on the man's face was because he can't exactly take you seriously when your threatening in with a brush to his throat.
"I wouldn't be butt booty naked if it wasn't for you pinning me against the wall!" He shoots back, his tail realistically swaying in the same pissed manner Rafayel would do when he was ticked off. "I can show you that I'm Rafayel." He said softly.
"How?" You press, eyeing him in a scrutinizing gaze.
"As much as I looovee you being on top of me, I kinda need you to get off of me to properly show you."
You felt your face warm up in embarrassment. "My bad…" You mumble. Stepping out of the tub, you plant your soaked feet on the bathroom mat. Somehow that was the only thing drenched from being near running water.
"Okay, show me."
He stares at you indecorously as if you'd said the most outrageous thing ever. "I can't with you looking at me!"
Oh, right. He's naked. Grabbing a towel from nearby, you throw it at him. He effortlessly catches it and wraps it around his mid waist.
"Okay…so change into Rafayel in three… twoonego!" You rush, snapping your fingers as if that would activate his transformation.
"I don't think I can do it with an audience right now. Can you turn around for me?" A pretty frown pulls at his pink lips. "Please?"
If you could narrow your eyes suspiciously any further, you would have done so at his words. "Why should I? You're probably going to kill me when I turn around."
He lets out an offended scoff and steps out of the bathtub, causing you to shuffle back and step off the bathmat. Water drips off his muscular form and splatters water onto mat and floor. Without giving you any time to process, his damp hands find their place on your shoulders and in one swift motion he turns you around despite your delayed protests.
"Hey, what are you—" Snapping your head back, your mouth falls open when the naked man had vanished entirely. Lowering your gaze, confusion knitted at your eyebrows at the sight of your towel crumpled to the floor.
"Meow!"
Your jaw makes contact with the slippery bathroom floor when the towel rustles to life, Rafayel's familiar fuzzy tail prodding out and swaying mischievously side to side. His ruffled paws dart out from under the towel and burrowed his sharp nails into the material, yanking it off of him. A light mewl of displeasure escapes his small mouth when a string latched onto one of his nails.
Flapping his paw about, he let out a theatrically desperate meow. His large eyes snapped at you for assistance. He meowed once more and you could've swore it almost sounded like he said help.
"Holy shit!" You slapped a hand to your mouth. "You weren't lying." You don't mean to start poking and prodding at him. But it was hard to resist. Finding out that your sweet precious kitty was secretly harboring his human half away from you was enough to render you stupid.
Rafayel lowly mewls, using his free paw to slap your finger away. A small giggle rumbles in your chest as you pull your finger back. He then directs his attention back to his caught nail, his tail swishing angrily behind him.
"Okay, okay. But after I help you, you have to explain everything to me." You sternly tell him as you kneel down to the ground. Bringing his paw to the center of your palm, you unhook the string off his sharp nails—you make a mental note to lightly file down those ferocious claws of his later, and plant his now free paw gingerly back down.
Rafayel's quick to tend to his paw, lapping his prickly tongue against his fur. Normally you'd coo at the sweet display of him pampering himself, but right now, you have a handful of questions swarming inside your head and the more you waited, the more they eagerly festered inside your head.
"Okay. You're going to turn back to a human, but after I get you clothes." You squint your eyes when he thoughtlessly looked at you with those large adorable eyes. "Do you understand?"
He meows in response before dipping his head low and raising one of his back legs high. His pink tongue darted in and out as he began to groom himself. "Where are your manners!" You huff out, standing up from the floor and wandering back into your bedroom.
This is absurd.
You had been technically taking care of a man this whole time without even knowing. How long has he been doing this? Wandering around your house in his human form, snacking on your food, watching TV on your plush couch and using your body and hair products? That could explain the mystery of how certain things tended to run out faster than before, but you shrugged it aside thinking you weren't being as mindful with your portions as you used to.
Turns out, you were flat out wrong. You had a cat boy—er, cat man…? Leeching off your stuff for who knows how long! Pulling open one of your cabinets, you threw an oversized long sleeved sweatshirt over your arm, gray sweatpants that were definitely going to fit him and boxers. Closing the drawer with a bump of your hip, you march back into your bathroom.
Opening the door, you let out a bloodcurdling shriek at the sight of Rafayel—oh, this is so weird—in his human form, naked and sitting down on the floor with his towel cover his midsection.
"Do you not know how to knock?" Rafayel playfully scoffs, running his hand through his hair. "Well, sorry. I'm not used to having a man in my bathroom." You chuck the clothes at him with a glare.
They splat on his face and crumple down to his lap. "Yeah, thanks." He sarcastically replies, eyeing the selection of clothes you chose for him. "I didn't know you had clothes like these laying around."
"They're not mine." A faint glint of sadness washes over you. "It's Caleb's clothes."
Rafayel's ears hang limp against his messy curls, his usually moving tail impossibly still. He doesn't respond, only sharing a sorrowful look of his own that matches yours.
A minute blows by before Rafayel's tail picks back up, now moving tantalizingly slow. "Are you going to watch me get changed ooorr?"
You don't need to be asked twice before you're spinning around on your heels and darting right out of the bathroom. It doesn't take long for Rafayel to clothe himself. He emerges from the bathroom within a few minutes, a playful smile dancing on his lips.
"Thanks for the clothes, cutie." He sends a dazzling wink your way. One that you narrowly dodge with a glare.
"Sit." Even if your expression and body language spoke that you were beyond upset. Your words held no malice. You uttered those words like how you'd normally talk to Rafayel when was passing by your living room in hopes to find something to occupy himself. Whether the he listened to you and snuggled up to your side or not was left up to him.
"As you wish." He curtly replies, wasting no time to flop down on your couch and rest his head on your lap. You tense, shoulders hitched up high and eyes blown wide. "Um?"
He closes his eyes, acting unaware and nuzzles into your thighs. "I'm waiitiinngg." He sings out, his tail curling forward and faintly brushing past your hip.
Snagging your lip with your teeth, you anxiously chewed on it. "If I ask you to get off my lap, would you?"
"Nope!"
Groaning, you keep your hands to your sides as you allow yourself to droop your shoulders back down. "So, um…have you always been half, uh human and cat?" You start off unsteadily, unsure where to tread in this myriad of questions you have laid out before you.
"Yup!"
"Are there…" You swallow thickly. "More cat people like you?"
"Yeah. A whoole bunch of 'em."
"Where you going to tell me anytime soon that you were um, not entirely a cat?" You can feel your sanity slowly trickle away. This wasn't entirely out of the ordinary considering your line of work, you've seen some very strange things, but you don't think anything could top off your cat—who was now a human man, nuzzling into your lap as if this was your regular tuesday evening.
"Maybe." He's now flat on his back. The back of his hairs ever so slightly tickling your thighs. "Maybe not." He grabs your hand, and for some reason you don't try to wrench your hand away from his grip as he rests it on top of his head. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be okay with seeing me like…this."
Unconsciously, you rake your nails across his scalp, the way you know he'd like. A barely audible hum vibrates in Rafayel's chest, the light rumble seeping into your bones. "Ar-Are you purring?!"
"Obviously..." He mumbles out, voice barely above a whisper.
"Um, okay then…now that I know you're human. Are you going to stay like this?"
"Depends." His ears twitch in response from you scratching behind them. "If you want me to. I could…buuut, unfortunately for you. I like alternating between the two, so I won't stay in one form forever. If not, I'll just do what I always did. Stay as a cat when you're around and when you're gone, I can stretch out my limbs and be human."
"I, uh…" You look down to your lap for the first time and meet Rafayel's sweet gaze. His eyes are so beautiful, that was one of your favorite things about him, and it seemed like it still remained true even in his human form. His long eyelashes brushed against his cheeks as he slowly blinks at you in the exact same way he does when he's in his cat form, patiently waiting for affection or treats.
This was going to be a weird adjustment for sure.
"I'm fine. You can do whatever you want. It'll just take sometime to get used to the new you." You watch in amusement at how Rafayel's eyes twinkle in surprise. Lurching up from his spot on your lap, he sets his back against the couch and burrows his nose into your neck, sniffing in your scent loudly. "I'm so glad that you're fine with this!" He chirps, his tail snaking past you and curling around your waist. "I've been dreaming of being able to be with you like this."
"Sure being a cat is fun and all, but having you in my arms is completely different from napping on your lap." He purrs, his flickering ears grazing the underside of your jaw. A ticklish shiver rattles through your spine. You don't think you've processed any of this just yet. The shock too much for you to fully wrap your mind around your whole situation.
But what you do know is that despite all of this. You do really love your Rafayel.
"You are so needy." You coo at his nuzzles, petting his fluffy ears. "I'm not that needy." He whines, tail moodily flicking against you. “Don’t lie now.”
Even if he can turn into a human…