Chapter Text
the honking of cars broke through the night. the bridgeway was crowded with vehicles, the heavy traffic arousing people's road rage as blinding lights from each car polluted the dark street.
as if the stress of an ending weekday's not enough, it started to pour.
amidst the chaotic scene, a person holding an umbrella calmly walked on the walkway. he adjusted the strap of his bag as the click-clacks of his leather shoes echoed through the pavement, soon immediately drowned by the noises of human life.
just then, the man's footsteps paused.
in front, almost on the edge of the bridge, a wet, opened box was in the way.
it stirred slightly, and when the young man approached and lightly folded one of his knees to check what's inside, a flurry of white leaped from the box and flew into his vision.
the man startled and fell back on his butt, his umbrella falling not far beside him.
he instantly felt the damp wetness on his bottom when it collided with the pavement.
for the meantime, though, the man didn't pay it much attention as he focused on the mass of white that now clung to his bossom. he held it up slightly, feeling its dirty white fur tickling his skin, as both it and he start getting soaked by the strengthening rain.
a pair of pitch-black eyes met him.
"a cat?" he mumbled curiously. he turned the item around as it desperately tried to escape his clutches.
it was difficult to figure out - what kind of creature it was - with the abundance of long fur basically covering its entirety. but when the immense rain dampened its hair down and finally revealed the actual form, the young man figured it out.
"a cat." he finalized, his own hair sticking to his skull.
the young man didn't realize he's been blocking the whole walkway until an elderly tapped his shoulder with their walking stick. "young lad, don't block people's way! can't you see the traffic's so bad already and you're not even letting people walk?"
the young man scrambled up to his feet as he shifted his hold on the cat. he removed his umbrella that had landed on the roadside - enciting more of the drivers' rage, smiled and apologized properly, before then walking away.
amidst the people cursing at him earlier for being a hindrance, he felt the cat in his arms shiver continuously as it tried its best to burrow into his bossom as if to hide from the world.
was it cold from the rain, or did it fear people? the young man couldn't quite figure out.
the cat had come out from the box abandoned on the side of the road. when the young man checked it again, he didn't find anything but a few untouched cat food grains scattered around. thus, he decided to bring the cat with him.
walking to a familiar side of the streets, the young man - who had been completely drenched - looked as pitiful as the dirty stray cat he held. even so, he still brought his umbrella up to prevent more rain on the cat lest it catches a cold.
he made several turns inside the alleyway before stopping in front of a shabby apartment. he went up the rickety stairs, pushed his key inside a door with the cat held in one arm and pushed it open.
he closed the door first before turning on the lights, and his humble apartment finally came into view as the air conditioner quietened the rain outside.
cream-colored walls. small sofa on the side and a bean bag. a flat-screen tv. a double bed by the corner and the kitchen wares alongside a small table on the far side.
it was simple and open, just how the man liked it. afterall, comfort is best when you live alone. and on a budget.
"this is my home." the man put down the cat. he kicked off his ruined shoes on the entrance before following the cat. it jumped on his sofa and lightly massaged the cushion with its paws, as if testing the softness. "oh, wait, don't - "
too late. the cat's dirty paws already left mud-stained paw prints on his yellow-sofa, the evidence strong and unmistakable even from a distance. the cat flicked its tail and jumped next to the bean bag, doing the same.
the young man physically ached at the amount of washing he's about to do.
while the young man surrendered that the place had a new owner and merely retreated to the showers, the cat continued its rounds in the small but breathable space, curiousity at its peak. then, it watched with its pitch-black eyes as the young man, dressed now in comfortable clothing, go around the room to wash the sheets the cat dirtied. after doing all that, the young man, who had tied his hair to a pineapple ponytail, looked back at the white cat lying lazily on the floor. as if realizing, the cat ran away and ultimately struggled with a "meow!" as the young man carried it to the bathroom.
"you. need. to. wash - ack!" the young man, holding the panicking cat inside a bathtub with no water, dodged to the side when the cat lunged with its claws, "hey! easy with the claws!"
it was a hassle. by the end of the hour-long shower, the young man had been utterly drenched yet again with several bite and scratch marks - none of which fortunately drew blood. he had to shower again, however. and the white cat got clean, finally.
after drying the cat with a blower - who miraculously stayed still throughout as if enjoying the hot wind - the young man was shocked to see the cat's original appearance.
full-white fur, with no spots of other colours. pitch-black eyes that seem to see through the very soul of people. and pink nose.
the cat looked back at him boredly on his lap, a majestic, unbothered look on its face. below its face, originally hidden by its mess of dirty fur, was a grey collar with a shiny silver nametag in the shape of a paw.
the young man gently held the nametag, reading what was written, ".. qin. your name is qin?"
the cat, qin, didn't respond whatsoever.
the young man happily petted the cat, "well, hello, qin! my name is duang. we'll live here together from now on, okay?" then, as if realizing an important matter, duang's face showed a confused look, "but are you a girl or a boy? why don't i check.."
before duang could even lift the cat to take a look, the cat used its paws to brutally push at his face with a sharp "meowr!" and leap away.
"ouch!" duang held his face as qin the cat leapt naturally onto his bed, circle a bit, stretch and then lie down. due to this, the cat will continue to be called "it" until further progressions.
duang didn't manage to cuddle his new cat when he went to bed. it simply refused and took its own spot right in the middle of the mattress, leaving the young man nothing but a few centimeters of space. so all duang did was gaze at qin lovingly until he fell asleep.