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Now, look, Hinata Shouyou considered himself a sane 16 year old. He was turning 17 in a month. He was in his second year of high school.
Hinata Shouyou was logical (kind of), completely sane, and no, he was not picking a fight with a cat. That was beneath him and his volleyball-obsessed butt, thank you.
The problem, however, was the cat. His name was Panther ( And the little piece of crap was nothing like the lithe black panthers, completely different to its name. ) and Shouyou’s mum had brought him from outside a week ago.
In a week, this stray cat had ripped Shouyou's curtains, bit Shouyou’s hand, and nearly broken Shouyou’s mum’s favourite vase. The one Shouyou was sitting right next to and could easily be blamed for.
It loved Natsu, always rubbing against her leg.
It never growled and hissed at Shouyou’s mum.
Hell, even Shouyou’s dad was loved by the damn cat!
But no, as soon as Shouyou enters a room, he’s the target. The problem. And the cat has it out for him.
It’s beady yellow eyes and annoyingly soft black fur.
A menace. Shouyou knew it was a menace.
“Kenma, it won’t stop. Just an hour ago, it clawed my pillow. My pillow, Kenma!”
Kenma, Shouyou’s ex-best friend, just chuckled softly. “Hmm, the infamous Greatest Decoy, bested by a cat?”
Shouyou grit his teeth. “This cat is a menace, Kenma. I’m telling you! It’s trying to kill me! The next time I miss our weekly call, it’ll be because I’m in hospital, and it’ll be the cat’s fault. Just you watch, Kenma.”
Kenma hummed, pressing something on his Switch.
Shouyou grumbled and continued writing for his English homework.
He heard his mum calling and placed his pen down. “Gotta go, bye Kenma!”
“Bye, Shouyou. Do tell me if you survive the cat fight,” he added dryly.
Shouyou ended the call with a groan.
Shouyou legs burned, the stupid cat bit his leg this time. It didn’t merit hospitalisation, and his mum said it was the cat’s way of showing love, but Shouyou knew. Oh he knew, when that cat’s scheming little ears perked up and it smirked—Yes, it smirked!—at Shouyou.
Now, Shouyou couldn’t play volleyball because his leg was hurting a little too much. The bite had been shallow, but the scratch. Yeah, did he mention it? The cat scratched his leg as well.
“Morning, Coach,” he murmured, placing his bag down. “I can’t practise anything major today. Kaa-san’s cat clawed my leg.” No, he was not overstating! The cat clawed his leg and he was in pain!
Ukai nodded. “Just help around, don’t worry about it.”
Shouyou nodded, already done because what did he do to the cat?! Why did it hate him?!
Kageyama came over fifteen minutes into training. “What happened?”
“A feral creature attacked me.” Yes, it was feral. This pain was almost as bad as when he got sick during the Kamomedai match in January.
Almost.
Nothing could beat that pain, but this problematic beast was damn near close.
Kageyama blinked. “…a feral creature?”
“Yes! A feral, demonic cat!”
“…a stray cat?”
Shouyou froze. “It’s not just a stray cat. It’s a devil in fur. It’s Panther. And Kaa-san’s trying to adopt him.”
“Panther,” Kageyama repeated flatly.
“Yes! Panther is its name.” He lowered his voice, looking around like the cat might hear him through the gym walls. “It’s planning something. I know it. It’s been trying to assassinate me since it entered the house.”
Kageyama gave him the same expression he usually did when Shouyou explained math homework. “That’s stupid.”
Shouyou narrowed his eyes. “Oh, you’ll see. One day, you’ll believe me.”
That evening, Shouyou made good on his silent promise.
He dragged Kageyama home with him after practice, chattering the whole walk about setting up a “sting operation” to prove Panther’s crimes. Kageyama mostly grunted in response, but he didn’t leave, which meant he was curious—or just too polite to say no.
The moment they stepped inside, Natsu (his devilish little sister) greeted them with a wave. “Hi, Kageyama-kun! Are you here to see Panther? He’s been napping all day, it’s so cute.”
Shouyou stiffened. “Cute? He’s storing energy. Don’t trust him, Natsu.”
“Shouyou-nii,” she sighed, rolling her eyes.
And then—like it had been summoned—the little demon padded into the hall. Black fur sleek, tail flicking with calculated menace, yellow eyes glowing in the dim light. Panther locked onto Shouyou immediately, ears twitching, and Shouyou swore it smirked.
Kageyama followed Shouyou’s glare toward the cat. “That thing?”
“Yes,” Shouyou hissed. “That’s him.”
Panther ignored Shouyou entirely and slinked closer to Kageyama. The air thickened. For a single, glorious second, Shouyou thought maybe—maybe—it would hate Kageyama. Maybe he’d be spared.
Then Panther, the black mass of destruction, pounced.
A blur of black fur and claws flew at Kageyama’s shin, digging in like a volleyball player spiking at full power.
“WHAT THE—?!” Kageyama yelped, staggering back as Panther latched onto his sweatpants, hissing like a demon straight from hell.
Shouyou burst into maniacal laughter. “I TOLD YOU! SEE?! IT’S EVIL! IT HATES YOU TOO!”
“Get it off!” Kageyama flailed, trying to shake Panther loose, but the cat was unrelenting. Each movement only made it dig deeper.
Natsu rushed over, scandalized. “Panther! No! Bad kitty!” She scooped him up effortlessly, and the cat transformed into the picture of innocence, purring against her chest.
Kageyama stared, wide-eyed, at the unassuming furball now cuddling in Natsu’s arms. His pant leg was shredded. His ankle had a fresh scratch.
Shouyou pointed triumphantly. “See?! SEE?! It’s targeting us! You’re not safe either, Kageyama!”
Kageyama looked from Shouyou, practically bouncing with vindication, to the sweetly purring cat, and muttered, “…you’re both insane.”
But Shouyou didn’t care. For the first time since Panther arrived, he wasn’t alone.
Shouyou was home alone. His mum and dad were in Tokyo for something, Shouyou was pretty sure they were having a fancy dinner after dad’s business meeting. Natsu was at a friend’s house for a sleepover.
So Shouyou was alone. That was why he invited Izumin and Kouji.
The doorbell rang. He smiled, running to the door and greeting his friends.
“Izumin! Kouji! Movie night is so on!”
“Shou-chan! It’s been too long, so good to see you!” Izumin immediately replied, grinning.
Kouji smiled. “Do we get to meet the infamous Panther tonight?"
Shouyou’s mood soured immediately as they entered the house and headed for the living room “Don’t even get me started on Panther. That…that little fur demon is plotting my demise as we speak!”
Izumin blinked, tilting his head. “You’re…worried about a cat?”
“Worried?!” Shouyou practically shrieked, flinging his arms dramatically. “I’m terrified! It has beady yellow eyes that pierce your soul. It scratches, it bites, it hisses like—like a tiny ninja of doom!”
Kouji snorted. “Sounds…cute?”
“Cute?! CUTE?!” Shouyou’s jaw almost hit the floor. “Do you see this hair-brained beast of terror? Yesterday it tried to assassinate my homework! My homework! And don’t even get me started on my leg—”
Just then, the room grew quiet. Panther had arrived.
The cat slinked into the living room like a shadow with purpose, tail high and sway smooth as silk. Shouyou froze mid-rant.
“Oh no. Oh no oh no oh no.”
Izumin and Kouji barely had time to register the arrival of the little black terror before Panther leapt onto the couch—and, in a move that made Shouyou’s heart stop, curled up in Izumin’s lap.
Izumin froze, hands resting gently on the cat. “Huh…he’s…really soft,” he murmured, stroking Panther’s fur. Panther’s glowing yellow eyes slowly closed. Shouyou’s jaw dropped.
“He likes him …” Shouyou whispered, horrified. “No. This is a betrayal. This is unnatural!”
Izumin hummed, looking up with a satisfied smile. “I think he likes me. Isn’t he sweet?”
Shouyou’s thoughts spiraled. That’s it. That’s the betrayal. Panther’s going around choosing favourites. And I…am…enemy number one.
The situation took a dark turn when Izumin stood to make some tea. Panther, displeased at the interruption, leapt gracefully to the floor. His beady yellow eyes, now eerily glowing in the dim light, locked onto the nearest available targets: Shouyou and Kouji.
“Uh…Shou-chan…” Kouji started, squinting. “I think he’s—”
Too late. Panther pounced.
Shouyou screamed, tripping over the couch in a flurry of limbs. “NO! WHY?! I AM HIS ENEMY!”
Kouji yelped as Panther’s tiny claws raked across his jeans. “WHAT THE—HE’S CRAZY!”
Izumin spun around, almost dropping the teapot. “Wait, he’s attacking you now?!”
Shouyou tried to crawl backward, but Panther was relentless, tail flicking, eyes gleaming with unholy intent. The little black menace hissed and skidded across the carpet like a possessed curling stone.
Shouyou and Kouji ended up cornered near the TV stand, shrieking in unison. “GET IT OFF!”
Izumin, wide-eyed and laughing now, finally managed to scoop Panther up again. The cat transformed instantly into a purring ball of angelic softness, staring at Shouyou and Kouji like they were minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of his feline empire.
Shouyou sank to the floor, panting. “I…we…are doomed.”
Kouji rubbed his scratched jeans. “I—uh—we…this cat…we’re going to need backup.”
Panther, purring innocently in Izumin’s arms, blinked once. Yellow eyes glowing faintly in the lamplight.
Shouyou buried his face in his hands. “I knew it. I KNEW it! This is the end of everything I hold dear!”
Izumin looked at him, sighing fondly. “Shou-chan…maybe he just doesn’t like you.”
Shouyou raised his trembling head. “Not ‘maybe.’ Definitely. Panther has declared war.”
Kouji groaned. “We’re all doomed.”
Shouyou’s birthday party was supposed to be nice. Tsukishima, Kageyama, Yachi, Yamaguchi, Tanaka, Nishinoya, Ennoshita, Narita, Kinoshita, Kenma, Izumin, and Kouji were there. Along with some of Shouyou’s other friends.
They were in the backgarden and Shouyou’s mum was bringing out the cake.
Two tiers, one chocolate and the other some other filling Shouyou had been told was a surprise.
It was supposed to be a cause for celebration.
Until the damn cat jumped from the window of Natsu’s room and barrelled into Shouyou’s cake. Icing caked the grass. Panther was not pure black, he was a myriad of white and brown and some sparkly sprinkles.
Shouyou groaned. “This is the third time he’s attacked my food! My food!”
“Shouyou, I’ll go grab the extra cupcakes and minicakes, how about you go and grab your sister to take and clean Panther," his mum said.
Shouyou gaped. “He attacked my cake,” he whispered.
Kenma, because of course Kenma found this interesting, chuckled. “This sidequest is fun, Shouyou. Tell me when the cat and you end this civil war.”
Shouyou glared at the golden eyed, cat-like boy.
Damn him and his pretty eyes.
The breaking point came when Panther peed, or kind of.
In Shouyou’s room.
On his bed.
Look, Shouyou could kind of ignore the socks going missing and returning with holes. He could kind of ignore the cat hair (barely, but he tried). He could maybe ignore the beady eyes.
But this was the worst. Because, not only did Panther pee in Shouyou’s room, on his bed, but he punctured Shouyou’s volleyball.
He. Punctured. Shouyou’s. Volleyball.
Shouyou grabbed the offending ball of fur. It meowed and screamed as he held it by the scruff of its neck, taking it all the way downstairs to the kitchen, and trying to keep it away from his wrist despite it writhing uncontrollably in his hand.
He placed it on the floor, gently, and shut the kitchen door.
No escape.
“The cat goes.”
His dad looked up from his coffee. “Shouyou, it’s a cat, calm down.”
“Calm down?! Tou-san, this troublesome feline just punctured my volleyball and peed on my bed! My bed!”
“Shouyou-nii, that’s ridiculous, Panther’s an angel. He’d never do that.”
“Then go to my room and check it out, Natsu,” Shouyou shot back. “The cat goes. I’m done. He’s bit me. Scratched me. Attacked my friends. Kept me up at night. Nearly broke your favourite vase, Kaa-san. And again, hindered my work by eating my homework. Do you know how embarrassing it is to look at my teacher and tell her that my cat ate my homework!? I had to show her pictures, Kaa-san, pictures!”
Natsu was laughing, the traitorous sister she was. So unhelpful. Shouyou was going to ruin her curly hair routine tomorrow.
Shouyou’s parents exchanged looks, before Kaa-san sighed. “I’ll keep him away from you, I promise, but he is a sweet cat.”
Shouyou gaped. “Kaa-san! It’s either me or the cat!”
She regarded him carefully, looking him up and down like she was genuinely debating whether to keep her son or the cat she picked up out the trash a couple weeks ago.
Her seventeen year old son? Or the stray, feral problem from the outside?
And she was debating?!
Shouyou’s jaw was on the floor.
“I can’t believe it, Kenma! Kaa-san legitimately”—Shouyou expertly ignored the mocking “Big word there” Tsukishima said as they left afternoon practice—“debated between me and a cat! Me, her own son. Or a stupid cat!”
“How… unfortunate,” Kenma murmured dryly.
Shouyou put his phone to his right ear, leaning to hold it between his ear and shoulder as he moved his bike to get onto it.
“Kenma, he attacked my food. My cake. My birthday party was ruined. And Kaa-san is actually debating this entire situation. Me or a cat! Me! I am allowed to be offended and angry. Of course this is unfortunate,” Shouyou exclaimed, ensuring his bag was on his shoulder securely as he just sat on the bike, not moving. “It bit me this morning. I tried to get a water bottle from the fridge and it bit me.”
“All I’m hearing, Shouyou, is that you’re spending too much time on a sidequest of a cold war between a cat and a grown boy.”
“I am not!” Shouyou waved to his classmate, Sakamoto Michi, who giggled about something with her friend from another class she waved. “If you don’t want me to keep complaining, help me, Ken! It’s committing psychological warfare. Constantly hitting my pencils off the desk so I bend down to pick them up and I find my papers either ripped or also on the floor.”
Kenma chuckled again, much to Shouyou’s severe annoyance. Where was his nice friend who cared about him? (Okay, slightly dramatic, but seriously, Kenma was being too relaxed about Shouyou dying because of a satanic cat.)
“I’ve biking now, so we’ll talk later, Kenma. Bye!”
“Bye, Shouyou. Stay interesting.”
Shouyou smiled at the familiar saying as he placed his phone in the front pocket of his bag and, once again ensuring it was secure on his shoulder, set off home. Dreading it all the way.
Ultimately, Shouyou’s dad turned out to be allergic and the cat had to go.
Shouyou celebrated. He, Kouji, and Izumin got boba. He and Kouji celebrated, cheering that the cat was gone.
Izumin bemoaned the loss.
But Shouyou was riding the wave of victory. Oh, he was free of the menace!
He’d never have to look over his shoulder twice again!
Until, three weeks later, Izumin introduced him to his new cat: A black domestic long hair with soft, long black fur, and very familiar, dangerous yellow-green eyes.
“Izumin, why the hell—”
“Yuki, what in the name of all that is holy—”
Izumin grinned, interrupting Kouji and Shouyou as he held up his “new” cat. “Meet Panther, he’ll be staying with me now.”
“No! No! Oh hell no! Goodbye! Die without me.” Shouyou turned and left.
Kouji followed. “Shou, wait up. Yuki’s trying to kill us.”
Izumin, naturally, laughed as he closed the door to his house behind him, locking Panther in the house too.
“Guys, wait, no seriously, I was kidding. Guys, he isn’t Panther, it's a different cat! Guys!”
“Shouyou, there’s a cat in your room,” Pedro informed Shouyou in Japanese because his Japanese was actually good. Better than Shouyou’s Portuguese.
Shouyou paused, placing his coconut water down. “I’m sorry, there's a cat in my room?”
“Yeah. A black one. Soft fur. Yellow-green eyes. Seen it before?”
Every memory of second year flashed in Shouyou’s head.
“No! Throw it out the window, now! I don’t care how hard it fights, Pedro, get rid of it! Immediately!”
Pedro gasped. He actually gasped like the cat in Shouyou’s room wasn’t Satan in disguise. “Shou, it’s a cat. A harmless animal. What on earth do you want to throw it out the window for?”
“Pedro, it is a curse,” he hissed.
“I’m placing it outside the building, but I am NOT throwing a cat out the window. Honestly, Shou, have some common decency,” Pedro scolded.
Shouyou bit his lip, but that was the best he could do. At least the cat was out of his room.
Would he never be free of this monstrous creature?
“Shouyou, I got a new cat,” Kenma said as a way of greeting as Shouyou entered their house.
Shouyou smiled, placing the groceries on the kitchen table and starting to put them away. “Cool. Another calico like Spotty? Or a maine coon like Fluff?”
He heard Kenma’s footsteps entering and Shouyou’s back remained turned as he continued putting away the food. Pasta in the cupboard, different shelf to the rice. The butter in the fridge.
More and more entered the empty spaces.
He felt Kenma’s hand snake around his waist, leaning against Shouyou’s broad back. “A domestic long hair.”
A memory stirred in Shouyou’s mind. Old. long-forgotten. A bad feeling.
He dismissed it.
“Cute, Ken. How are you feeling?”
“Good. My viewers were disappointed you weren’t on stream today,” he replied, still leaning against Shouyou’s back.
Shouyou laughed, until he stopped because on the counter, by the sink, a black body lay. A dangerous, lithe body.
Ears perked up. A pink nose.
Eyes open and wide with those gem-like yellow-green eyes, so perfectly cold and sharp and gleaming.
Black fur. Pure black fur.
A domestic long hair.
No, Kenma wouldn’t. Would he?
“Kenma…” He was afraid to ask. “What's the new cat’s name?”
He felt Kenma’s smirk pressed into his back. “Panther.”
Shouyou actually screamed.