Archive of Our Own ^beta

Taking another bite of his lunch, Zee chuckles as he looks at the new picture he’s just set as his lockscreen – two wide cat ears peering at the camera owlishly, mounds of bubbles placed on top of his head.

Whenever Max and Nat are out on a date, Zee offers to bathe NuNew in his cat form. And, pretty much every time, he says yes. Which then leads to photos like this.

Unlike many full cats, and even a lot of hybrids, NuNew seems to like having baths as a cat. Even if he is particularly insistent on Zee getting into the tub with him.

It had taken Zee a little while to get used to bathing fully naked with a cat, eyeing NuNew’s claws with caution the first time. But it's been months now – approaching a year since they first met, and about half a year since Zee first bathed his precious kitty cat. By this point, Zee has come to realize that his… package isn’t in danger. Kitty NuNew is usually more interested in curling up on his chest or just standing in the water, hanging out, so Zee can relax fully and play with NuNew in the tub without worrying.

Piling bubbles high on NuNew’s head has become one of Zee’s favorite hobbies. He always tries to build new shapes on top of his small, furry form before rinsing the shampoo away, like the ‘snowman’ he’d built between his ears last time. Hence the new lockscreen.

“Whatcha looking at, P’Zee?” Nat asks around a mouthful of mango sticky rice from across the cafeteria table.

Since it’s just the two of them, no one else really sitting close enough to pay them much mind, Zee doesn’t see any harm in answering truthfully: “Nhu in the bath.”

He spins his phone to show Nat, who is already turning away with a squeal and his eyes squeezed shut like Zee's showing him something far more explicit than–

Oh.

Zee gets it now.

"Kitty Nhu," Zee clarifies. As if he'd show off naked pictures of NuNew in human form!

One eye squinting open, Nat peeks at the phone screen through his fingers. He visibly relaxes at what he sees, eventually lowering his hands and properly opening his eyes to admire the photo. It doesn't take more than two seconds for Nat to start cooing at the adorable black cat on Zee's screen.

But then Nat's brow furrows.

“Wait…” Nat starts, lips pouted, “Jelly lets you bathe him as a cat?”

Considering how close Nat and NuNew are, Zee is surprised that Nat doesn’t know this. He nods his head slowly. “Mm.”

Tutor and Yim appear out of nowhere at that moment, their greetings and the noise of their lunch trays being placed down muffling Nat’s muttered, “He never lets me bathe him.”

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

There is something weird going on with Nat, and NuNew isn’t sure what or why. All he knows is that, over the past few weeks, Nat has become obsessed with the idea of giving him a bath.

It started innocently enough – NuNew returning to their dorm room after a couple of hours prowling around campus in his cat form, and Nat asking if he got any dirt in his fur that needed washing out. To which NuNew said no. Because he wasn't really that dirty. Zee bathes him plenty often enough, and changing form somehow helps him stay pretty clean, too.

Nat had offered again the next day.

Again, NuNew said no. He even explained why he said no.

But now Nat keeps asking if he wants a bath and it's getting a little ridiculous. NuNew could do the most simple thing, even in human form, and Nat will offer to give him a bath.

“Ugh, I got caught in the rain between classes.”

“Do you want a kitty bath?”

“I finished my assignment for tomorrow, yay!”

“Do you want a kitty bath?”

“Hia and I went shopping! I got you this!”

“Do you want a kitty bath?”

Every time, NuNew says no. And, every time, Nat seems upset by the refusal.

It’s bugging NuNew enough to keep him up tonight, looking across the room at his snoring best friend in the dark. He's not annoyed about the fact that Nat keeps asking, and it's not like he'd mind if Nat gave him a bath, but he's just confused.

What caused Nat to suddenly be so hellbent on giving him a bath? And why?

NuNew only says no because there's no need. His fur is kept clean enough, so why make his roommate wash him? Most cat owners would probably say that bathing a cat isn't the most enjoyable experience in the world, and probably wouldn't do it for fun. Sure, he lets Zee do it, but that's different. They're a couple. They can hang out in the tub afterwards, when NuNew is back in his human form, wrapping their limbs around each other.

But this is Nat – his best friend, yes, but just a friend.

Why would Nat want to bathe me so badly?

NuNew tries to go through the possible options in his head. With how frequently Zee bathes him, it’s not like he smells bad. Plus, he’s never seen Nat sneeze or wheeze when he’s been around him as a cat, so it’s unlikely he has an allergy. Nat has his own cat back at his family home, anyway, making it even less likely that he’s allergic.

But maybe that’s it…

He takes in how his friend is curled up around a pillow, holding it tightly.

Maybe he misses his cat, so he’s trying to look after me instead.

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

The next time Nat asks if he wants a bath, this time after NuNew – fully human, wearing shoes – steps in gum, NuNew says yes. Nat squeals with joy, and gets up from his bed like he wants to get started immediately.

NuNew complies.

He expects Nat to be a pro at this, so he's already starting to transform when Nat stops him with a hand on an elbow. “Wait, wait, wait!”

“What is it?” NuNew asks, standing unsteadily on legs that are halfway between human and animal.

“Sink or tub?”

NuNew has to fight the urge to blush, thinking about his baths with Zee. How he, in human form, snuggles up to his boyfriend for warmth while Zee dutifully refills the tub with clean water. And if they then… occasionally… fool around while they’re in the water… Well, that’s their own little secret.

“Sink,” NuNew blurts out before transforming the rest of the way.

Emerging from a pile of his human clothes, NuNew does his best to ignore the way Nat is talking to himself, apparently needing to hype himself up for the task of bathing him. NuNew calmly makes his way to the bathroom, carefully jumping from the floor to the toilet seat, and up to the edge of the sink from there.

The sound of rubber gloves smacking makes NuNew whip around to face Nat.

The man in question looks much less like his best friend right now and more like a mad scientist – wearing a large apron, goggles, and rubber gloves that go up to his elbows. NuNew doesn’t know whether to find his attire funny or terrifying. Nor does he know why Nat owns this stuff, or how long this apparent 'cat bathing outfit' has been sequestered away in their room.

Just what is he planning to do to me?

“Okay…” Nat says, still half talking to himself. “All I gotta do is put some water in the sink and, um… some in a bowl or jug or something to pour over you? And use some products on you?”

NuNew shoots Nat a look that’s meant to say, “You have bathed a cat before, right?” but Nat doesn’t seem to get the message, instead just staring at him wide-eyed behind his goggles.

Wanting to encourage Nat to get on with the bath already, NuNew paws at the tap until water starts to run. He’s all for indulging his friend’s whims, but he does actually have things to do today. “Ma-a,” NuNew meows. Bath. Chop chop.

Nat steels himself, bouncing on his toes a little and clenching his hands into fists. His lips pull into a tight, somehow serious smile. “Let’s do this!” he exclaims.

NuNew prepares for the worst.

Well, that was… okay.

It had become pretty obvious pretty quick that Nat had no idea what he was doing, but between Nat’s guessing and NuNew attempting to instruct through head movements and meows, they’d gotten there in the end. The only minor hiccup had been when Nat used too much shampoo on him, NuNew’s whole body coated in bubbles above the water. If it wasn’t for how panicked Nat had become – “Is it bad for there to be this many bubbles? Will they hurt you? JELLY, what if they get in your eyes???” – he’s pretty sure Nat would have taken a picture of the soapy clouds of bubbles.

Still, even if it wasn't half bad, NuNew was ready for it to be over once Nat came at him with a fluffy towel after finally rinsing all the bubbles, the man cooing at him like NuNew was a baby. He’d withstood it just long enough to no longer be a sopping mess before he’d jumped from the sink and skidded away to the bedroom to transform, hoping Nat wouldn’t be too quick to follow.

So, yes, now he's cowering human and naked behind Nat's bed. It's the best place he could think of to transform without easily being seen.

“Jelly?” Nat calls across the room.

He sticks his arm in the air to signal his location. “Towel, please!”

It’s a relief when a towel, luckily larger than the small hand towel Nat had been using on him in the bathroom, collides with his hand. “Thank you!”

“So…” NuNew ties it around himself and stands. “Feel better now?” He’s hoping that this has cured Nat of missing his cat. At least enough that this won’t have to happen again for a while. Being bathed by Zee is definitely a more peaceful experience, even if Nat didn't do a terrible job.

“Yes.” Nat beams. “I’m finally part of the exclusive ‘Kitty NuNew Bathing Club’!”

An eyebrow shoots up NuNew’s forehead. “Huh? But… you just wanted to bathe me because you miss your cat, right?” NuNew can feel that reasoning becoming flimsy, even as he says it. Nat definitely didn’t know what he was doing in the bathroom a minute ago. And, again, how many cat owners actually like bathing their cats?

“What? I mean, yeah, I miss her, but that's not what this was about.” He peels his rubber gloves off, struggling with them a little before they ping off of his fingers. “This was about proving that I’m as close to you as P'Zee.”

NuNew blinks once. He blinks again. He blinks another couple times for good measure. “You wanted to give me a bath… because you were jealous?”

Rolling his eyes, Nat removes his stupid goggles that he really didn’t need. “Duh!”

Thinking about it, NuNew's not really spent that much time with Nat lately. At least, not just the two of them. They’re only alone together these days when they’re either sleeping or studying, and that can’t really be considered ‘hanging out’.

He missed me.

“Thank you for giving me a bath, Jelly.” NuNew fiddles with the edge of the towel. This bath is probably the most time they’ve spent doing anything sort of fun together, just Jellies, in a while.

I missed him, too.

“Do you wanna maybe watch a movie together? Just us?” NuNew asks.

Nat’s eyes light up. “I’ll order pizza!” He’s already reaching for his phone excitedly.

Chuckling, NuNew heads over to his dresser to get some pajamas. “I’ll just go put some clothes on and then…” He looks up, meeting Nat’s eye with a smirk. “It’s Jelly time!”

“Jelly tiiiiiime!” Nat squeals after him, grinning from ear to ear.

Grabbing his phone, NuNew quickly sends Zee a message:

NN: Hanging with Jelly tonight. Not sure how much I’ll be checking my phone. Have a nice evening, Hia x

It’s time for NuNew to put some effort into the other relationships in his life, not just the one he has with Zee. Despite how difficult it’s going to be to ween himself off of his Hia addiction, he knows it’s for the best.

In fact, NuNew is sure this evening is going to be perfect, even without Zee.

“Hawaiian pizza and Mean Girls?” Nat asks.

NuNew smiles. “I knew you were my best friend for a reason.”

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

"So, Nong Nat said he gave you a bath a couple of weeks ago," Zee says softly, though the timbre of his voice still echoes off the tiles.

NuNew twitches one of his kitty ears in response and makes as curious of a hum sound as his cat form will allow. He is trying to pay attention to his boyfriend, even if said boyfriend is currently lathering shampoo along his spine and it feels divine. It's different than his usual method, somehow. More like a massage.

"I bet he didn't do this, huh…"

Zee rubs between NuNew's ears in a way that has his eyes rolling in his skull. He's grateful for Zee's other hand under his body, holding him up so he doesn't melt into a pile of black fur in the water.

He sure didn't, NuNew wants to say.

It's like Zee understands this anyway, chuckling in response.

Whether it's a minute or an hour before Zee declares he's done, NuNew honestly couldn't say. All he knows is that Zee's hands have relaxed him to no end, and before he knows it, he's human again and nuzzling into Zee's neck in fresh, warm water. Well, he's mostly human. He's too relaxed to pull in his ears, and his tail refuses to uncurl itself from Zee's wrist.

"How was that?" Zee asks.

NuNew can't even bring himself to feel embarrassed how he merely moans in response, his mind floaty and his body blissfully tension-free, even in his human form.

Zee's answering laugh is breathless and content.

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

It just so happens that Zee is unavailable to help NuNew take a kitty bath today. Kind of unfortunate that he’s gotten some kind of sticky residue on his arm, and is now a bit hesitant to go back to his room where he knows Nat is studying.

If Nat found out, he would absolutely offer to help, but he knows Nat would be too excited and want to give him a full bath. Which he doesn’t want or need right now. A wet sponge or something on the sticky patch would be enough. A quick rinse off at most.

But NuNew doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Not with Zee being off campus for some project he has to work on. And there’s no other place he can go to wash off.

Hopefully, Nat will have stepped out of their room momentarily – to get a snack or something. That way, he can just jump up through their window and get cleaned up before Nat returns. It'll be a lot quicker than a proper bath from that (lovely, caring) madman.

Glancing around, NuNew doesn’t see anyone wandering around outside their dorm building, so he hops up onto the first branch of the tree. As he climbs, he prepares himself for if Nat is actually in their room.

Getting Nat to bathe me won't be that bad, he tries to convince himself. It's not like I've got any assignments due tonight, anyway.

One more hop through the window and NuNew looks around the room, not seeing his friend anywhere.

I just have to fill the sink up a bit, wash it off quickly, and then I’m done.

NuNew trots his way to the bathroom and jumps up to the sink, struggling a little to turn the tap on. As he waits, NuNew starts licking at his arm, completely concentrating on the task. He’s so focused that he doesn’t hear when his friend steps into the bathroom.

It's as he’s in mid-lick that he feels his presence.

With his tongue still sticking out, NuNew slowly turns his head and flinches back when Nat’s face is only a couple inches from his own, a wide, excited smile on his face.

“Can I help you again?” Nat asks, hands clasped together in hope.

NuNew calms his heart and surrenders himself, nodding once.

Nat squeals, as expected, and takes out the kitty shampoo from where it now lives under the sink. He can't remember when it went from being stored under his bed to being here, but it's been nice not to have to carry it back and forth every time.

“Why didn’t you ask me to help you?" Nat asks NuNew. "I was just lying on the floor behind my bed, taking a break from studying.”

Oh, no wonder…

NuNew merely meows before he’s pushing against the faucet until the water stops. He steps into the sink and hands the paw of his dirty leg to Nat.

Hopefully Nat just washes this and I’ll be able to–

“I promise I’ll do a better job this time.”

It seems Nat really is set on giving NuNew a proper bath, soap explosion and all.

NuNew isn't sure why this is happening, but now his friend is asking to take a picture of him after having set a bubble hat on his head.

Did Hia show him the pics and now he needs one, too?

“Please, Jelly? Just one?” Nat’s wide eyes gaze at him until he relents, staying still as Nat tries to find the perfect angle. The shutter goes off and then NuNew is pawing at Nat to finally rinse everything off so he can get out.

Luckily, Nat stays true to his word of 'just one', putting his phone away and helping NuNew finish up.

Once they’re done and NuNew changes back to his human form, he puts his clothes on and thanks Nat.

He’s not certain, but he's pretty sure he heard Nat mumble something like, “Wait until I show P’Zee this.”

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

"P'Zee, wanna see what I have?"

Zee looks up from his lunch tray to see Nat sitting down across from him, alone. He was already aware that NuNew wouldn't be joining them for lunch today, texting him that there was something he had to discuss with one of his teachers, but it still feels odd to spend time with Nat alone. They really don't do that often. The last time would have been when Zee showed Nat his new lockscreen.

Nat's got a smug smile on his face as he waits for Zee to answer, and Zee looks suspiciously back at him.

"Sure?"

Nat has his phone out, immediately turning it to face Zee, and showing a photo of a familiar cat. A familiar cat with a hat made of bubbles on its head.

"I have one now, too. And it's my lockscreen," he says proudly.

Zee regards him for a moment, eye twitching a little at the fact that he doesn't have this particular picture for himself – that Nat has a type of photo that Zee thought was a boyfriend exclusive.

Of course, he didn't mind Nat giving NuNew a cat bath, but there was something about Nat trying to flex his own kitty privilege…

Zee huffs a humorless laugh to himself.

It's impossible for Nat to beat my collection. And, I already know I give NuNew the best baths.

NuNew hasn't explicitly said as much, but Zee knows. There's no way Nat does all of the stuff Zee does.

Zee hums, nodding in a mock-impressed way that has Nat's smile slightly wavering.

"That's a cute picture. I just changed mine to another one I have with him as a bubble dinosaur." Zee sighs long and dramatic, gazing at his own phone screen. "I just have soooo many to pick from every day."

In Zee's peripheral, he sees Nat's hand lower slowly.

"O–Oh yeah?" Nat stutters, his voice small, and Zee almost snorts at how dejected he sounds.

There's no way that Nat has anything he could compete with.

Zee waits.

Nat shifts in his seat, like a cat preparing to pounce.

"Well… I also have a lot of photos to choose from. Soooo many cute ones of him sleeping in his cat form…"

And? Zee thinks. I've got an album specifically for that.

But then Nat goes in for the kill, his chest puffed out and smile bright as he finishes, "On my bed."

Zee's head snaps up at that.

That damn eye-twitch is back. Zee internally groans, knowing it is actually impossible for him to get pictures of NuNew as a cat in his own bed because Max is scary. Sometimes. Max is aware that there's a "stray" black cat on campus, and that Zee sometimes pets that cat, and even that is enough for Max to get pissed off – the occasional black cat hair making its way to their dorm room. Zee can no longer count the number of times Max has warned him not to get too close to the "dirty stray."

So, no, NuNew can't be a cat in Zee's room.

He can only be a (sexy, adorable, incredible) human when he's in Zee's bed.

Yes, Zee knows it's weird that he's getting jealous about this.

Gritting his teeth, Zee tries to think of an advantage he might have over Nat.

He doubts NuNew would let Nat see him naked. Even more so, naked in his human form with Nat in the bath. And, Zee remembers NuNew mentioning that Nat never fully rinses the soap out of his fur, so NuNew usually changes form to shower afterwards.

Nat probably doesn't get post kitty bath snuggles, which means–

Nat takes a bite of his lunch, looking like he's won this battle, but…

I'll win this war.

Zee lets him bask in his victory for a moment, unlocking his phone to search for a specific photo.

"Yeah, it's a shame he can't sleep like that in my room," Zee starts, finding what he was looking for. He smiles down at his screen, giggling.

He’s patient as he waits for Nat to take the bait.

“What’s so funny?” Nat finally breaks.

“Oh, just a picture of a cat burrito.”

It's obvious he doesn’t mean just any cat wrapped up like a burrito.

“Bu–Burrito cat?!” Nat yells, smacking a hand over his mouth, apologizing to the tables of people around them.

Cheeks pink in embarrassment, Nat calms down a little before he looks at Zee again, leaning in and talking a little quieter.

“He lets you wrap him up like a burrito?”

“Sometimes after a bath, yes.” Zee locks his phone, putting it away without showing Nat, deciding it's the best tactical move even if he wants to gloat. He can still gloat without physically revealing the picture. For now.

This isn't over. This is an ongoing battle. He can't reveal his hand just yet.

Nat just stares in shock as Zee picks up his spoon and continues to eat.

˗ˏˋ ꒰🐈‍⬛꒱ ˎˊ˗

NuNew doesn't realize it's become a competition of who bathes him better, who he's closest to, until it's too late.

Nat is washing him again. In the sink, wearing all the gear that makes him look like a children's TV presenter doing a science experiment, when Zee walks in.

"What are you doing?" Zee asks, and NuNew's kitty eyes go wide from his spot in the sink, chin deep in suds.

"Giving my best friend a bath," Nat replies. His lips are curled up into a smug smile, the apples of his cheeks pronounced enough to push at the dumb goggles he insists on wearing for kitty bathtime.

Nervously, NuNew glances between the pair.

Zee is awfully quiet for a long moment, before he nods his head subtly, seeming to come to a decision.

"Well, you're doing it wrong. This is how you bathe Nhu."

And with that, Zee pulls his shirt over his head and struts past Nat to start running a bath. If NuNew were in human form, all the air would have left his lungs in one long wheeze of shock. As it is, his small kitty lungs work overtime to keep breathing, not helped by Nat's scrubbing turning extra vigorous.

"Nuh-uh!" Nat continues smushing soap into NuNew's fur, somehow ignoring the fact that Zee is stripping down to his briefs right next to him. The shorter man starts to rinse the soap from the cat, the water hitting him with a forceful splash.

"Yuh-huh!" Zee sasses back, reaching into the sink to pick NuNew up.

Nat maintains his hold.

Zee's eyes narrow, the man refusing to back down. "Look, Nong Nat, I know you're trying to do something nice for Nhu. But I wash him like this all the time. This is what he likes. Let me do it properly."

"Well…"

NuNew squirms in their hands, the awkward way he's being held out of the sink meaning he's uncomfortable and cold.

"Well, then, that's how I'll wash him now!" Nat blurts, and suddenly NuNew wishes Nat's hands were still on him. It would be better than having to watch his best friend throw off his apron, his goggles, his gloves, and start stripping off his t-shirt and pants.

Now held against Zee's chest, NuNew wiggles with renewed purpose, wanting out of this situation. Zee normally bathes with him naked. He doesn't want to find out if Zee plans to do that now, and if Nat will follow in his footsteps if he does.

It's lucky for him that Zee loses his grip, possibly in shock when Nat is down to his own heart print boxers and mismatched socks, letting NuNew fall to the floor and scamper towards the door.

"Nhu!" Zee calls, grabbing a towel to at least dry him off, but NuNew is out of here. He's done. He needs to transform and talk to them about this, properly, before it spirals into something weirder than it already is.

His feet slip and skid against the floor.

The bathroom door swings open before NuNew even gets to it.

"Seriously, what the fuck is going– ah!"

Max's question cuts off with a scream when the black cat, still soaked, slams into his legs.

Everything goes eerily still.

NuNew doesn't remove himself from his spot against Max's ankles.

Zee and Nat freeze – the former crouching down to Max's crotch level with a towel in hand, Nat caught leaning down to remove a sock, his other foot already in the bathtub.

The only sound is that of the tap still running, the bath still filling.

Slowly, Max raises a hand towards the men, his finger swirling in the air to point between them. "What are you doing? What is this?"

"Um…" Nat finds the confidence to speak up first, though his gaze keeps flitting to Zee for approval. "Nu– The cat needed a bath… So we were bathing him… Right, P'Zee?"

Zee nods, his lips refusing to open. He's a terrible liar and he knows it.

"The cat? What, a stray? Why would you bathe some random stray cat?"

If NuNew wasn't feeling quite so panicked, he would probably take offense at being referred to as a 'random stray'.

"He needed a bath," Zee argues weakly.

"And you're both basically naked because…?"

Zee and Nat both blink at him owlishly, with the former suddenly realizing his undress and using the small towel in his hands to cover his tight, white briefs.

Silence.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Max squeezes his eyes shut for a second, clearly exasperated by the situation. Then he looks down, studying the bundle of wet fur still pressed to his legs.

"Wait. Fuck. Zee, is this the cat that's on your lockscreen? How long have you been… Why have you been…"

"HeEe…" Zee's voice breaks. "…Needed… a bath."

"Okay. Sure," Max says eventually, irritation dripping from every word. "If neither of you want to tell me what's actually going on, fine. That's fine."

Reluctantly, but sensing that there's no other way out of this, NuNew unsticks himself from Max's legs. He pads over to Zee, paws at him until Zee lets him get hold of the small towel with his teeth, leaving Zee standing awkwardly once more.

NuNew trots out to the bedroom, dragging the towel along with him. He only pauses when he hears the three men try to follow him, having to drop the fabric from his mouth to hiss in discontent.

"Sorry. We'll, um… We'll give you a minute," Zee mutters in response, ushering Max further into the bathroom and pulling the door shut behind him with a resounding 'click.'

In the quiet of his dorm room, the small black cat flops down on the towel, rubbing against it to get the worst of the wet out of his fur. He takes his time – processing the situation, coming to terms with what he might have to do next. The soundtrack is the rustle of the towel being moved. There's no noise from the en-suite bathroom. Someone must have switched off the tap on the tub.

NuNew's hair is still wet when he transforms, clinging damply to his forehead, but he dries his human form as much as he can with the small towel.

Silently, he dresses in a simple t-shirt and shorts.

He pads back over to the bathroom door and opens it.

Immediately, Max leans forward to look past him, scanning the room.

"Where's that damn cat?" he mutters, almost to himself, before pushing past NuNew to investigate the bedroom more thoroughly. Under beds, behind drawers – Max checks every space while ranting. "Honestly, you guys are so irresponsible. And what if it had bitten one of you, hah? Don't you know how many diseases that little fleabag could have? Even just having that cat in here is… Nong NuNew, surely you agree with me, right?"

Everyone's eyes go to NuNew, who's still standing next to the bathroom door, Zee and Nat close behind him.

"So… about that…"

Seeing is believing, right?

There's only one way to tell Max, really, that will make him believe.

NuNew lets his cat ears pop out from his hair.

Max stares at him, slack-jawed.

"You… How are those… Surely you're not…"

For good measure, NuNew lets his tail and whiskers out. The hybrid's face pulls into a cross between a grimace and a polite smile at the look of shock on Max's face. He shrugs. "I guess the cat's out of the bag."

Max takes a moment.

His gaze drifts to Nat.

"This still doesn't explain why you're naked."