Of Humans and Courtship

Chapter 1

Black Fur heard the knock as he lay curled up on the sofa.  It was a sunny afternoon and light came streaming in from the window, making his spot the perfect place for a nap.  Jiwoo looks up from where he's talking with Mr. Kayden, the big tabby cat.  Mr. Kayden is different from the other cats.  Although he is kind enough, if a little intimidating, he has many odd habits including his ability to speak the human language.  Black Fur has often wondered how he picked it up.  No matter how much he tries, his most impressive attempts at speaking human sound only like strangled hisses.

Jiwoo leaps up, looking surprised, and goes to the door.

"Oh!  I wonder who it is.  I'm not expecting anyone..."

Mr. Kayden mutters something under his breath before lying back down. Jiwoo opens the door, revealing a human who is very familiar to Black Fur and the other cats.  Black Fur has learned this human's name, Wooin, from the many times Jiwoo has used it to call him over.  Usually, Wooin comes with the two other humans, Jisuk and Subin, but today he appears to be alone.

Jiwoo smiles at Wooin as he ushers him in and Black Fur can sense the happiness radiating from him like heat from a fire.  His nap forgotten, he watches them curiously as they sit side by side on the sofa with their knees brushing together.  Jiwoo strokes Black Fur's head lightly as he turns his body to face Wooin.  Wooin fidgets slightly, his fingers rubbing against his lap. He glances down at the gray bag he brought with him and back at Jiwoo. Finally, he says something.

"Jiwoo, I brought something for you."

The corners of Jiwoo's mouth turn up in the human expression that, apparently, is called the "smile." 

"Oh, really? You...you didn't have to."

Wooin reaches down into his bag. He takes out a white bundle, folded in a square. Looking down at the bundle, he gives it to Jiwoo.  

Black Fur's eyes widen slightly at this.  He is curious about what the bundle is, but more than that, he wonders what this might mean.  Thinking back, he can't remember anyone ever giving something to Jiwoo.

"It's a T-shirt. With cats on it. I saw it at a store and thought you might like it. I didn't know your size so I just tried to guess."

Carefully, Jiwoo unfolds the bundle. It's plain white except for two colored blobs, one gray and one yellow. After a moment, Black Fur recognizes the object as a human pelt. Tilting his head slightly, he studies the blobs.  They look vaguely cat-shaped and he thinks he can make out whiskers and eyes on the cat-blobs.

Jiwoo's face brightens and he makes a joyful exclamation. 

 "Wow! It's so cute! I really like the cats on the front. Thank you so much, Wooin!"

Wooin's gaze continues to point downwards and his face appears to be turning pink. Yet another odd feature of humans. Black Fur had noted that Wooin's face seemed to do this the most often out of all the humans he had encountered. And, for some reason, it was always when Jiwoo was near him. 

Wooin mumbles quietly. "I'm glad you like it."

Jiwoo runs his fingers gently over the pelt before hugging it to his chest. "It was so nice of you to do this! Thank you. This means a lot to me."

Head slightly bowed, Wooin looks nervous although Black Fur doesn't know why.  Perhaps he's worried about whether his offering is good enough?  Jiwoo is obviously happy with it though.  It's probably something else.

Although Wooin isn't facing him, Black Fur can still see that the strange flush on his face appears to be growing darker.  The color reminds him of the tuna treats that Jiwoo often buys them.  Looking closer, he notices a small smile on Wooin's face.  So he isn't worried then.