his muse ; reader imagines

Secret cat lover ~

Pairing: Xavier Thorpe x reader

Warnings: fluff, like a cats fur :)

~

''Absolutely not.''

''We could keep him in your shed until the end of semester and—''

Xavier shook his head, refusing to hear any more. ''No. Absolutely not.''

You cradled the small stray kitten against your chest. ''Look at his cute face, we can't leave him without a home. He chose me to be his mommy. He needs me, he'll die outside. He's gonna get eaten by the monster— Do you want to live with the guilt of sending this cat to his death, Xavier?''

You were pushing for the dramatics, but you weren't entirely wrong. There were so many possible dangers outside for a kitten. And with the monster still out there, it wasn't safe.

Xavier glanced at the kitten, watching him rub his face against your hand. The semester was ending in less than two months — seven weeks. If he said 'no', you would keep him in your dorm and there's no way you won't get caught. He sighed, giving in. ''Alright... But I am not taking any responsibility for this cat. If Weems finds out, it's all on you.''

The biggest grin formed on your lips. ''Got it.''

In the morning, you went to Jericho and got some things like cat food, a collar, a few small toys, a blanket with paws all over and a bowl for water. Xavier even helped you set up a box to turn into a bed. You were surprised by his involvement, but didn't complain. It was sweet of him.

''You're going to be so loved, little kitten—'' you mused as you sat on the floor of the shed and played with the feline.

Xavier was sitting before you, painting the box for the cat he didn't like. ''You haven't told me what his name is. I have cohabit with him and I don't even know my roommate's name.''

''He doesn't have one,'' you admitted, watching the black kitten aggressively play with his toy mouse, rolling on himself and hitting it with his paws. ''Salem is overused, so definitely not that. Maybe...Licorice?''

''You can't name him after one of the worst candies, he's gonna get bullied.''

''He's a cat, who's gonna bully him?''

''What about...Girlfriend Stealer. Murder Mittens—''

You threw the mouse toy at Xavier and he laughed.

''Don't listen to your cat dad,'' you told the kitten, ''he's just jealous that my attention is on you and not on him.''

Xavier raised his eyes from the painting to glare at you. ''I am not his cat dad.''

The funniest thing about cats is that if you voice your dislike for them, they will purposely rub against your legs and beg you for pets and attention.

Xavier was trying to paint, but Binx — like Thackery Binx — kept rubbing against Xavier's leg and meowing for his attention. He even dipped a paw in blue paint and got it all over the floor. Xavier kept shooing him off, but Binx was obsessed with him. He even curled on his hoodie for a nap and refused to get off.

Two weeks later, you went to the shed to feed Binx his breakfast, but the kitten was nowhere to be found. You checked under all the tables, behind all the canevas and even in the shelving unit where he kept his paints. Sadly, there was no Binx.

You began to worry and panic, making scenarios in your head and thinking the worst. Where was he? Did he slip between Xavier's legs when he locked the shed last night? It rained a lot during the night, if Binx was outside—

You grabbed your phone and call Xavier.

''Pick up. Pick up.''

Unfortunately, the call went straight to voicemail.

It was 8am on a weekend, he must be still sleeping. Your problem couldn't wait until the woke up though.

You returned to the academy and snuck past the house master while some students were walking out to head to breakfast.

''Xavier! Wake up!'' you hissed through the door between knocks. ''Bin— There's an emergency! Xavi—''

The door opened slightly, a very sleepy Xavier rubbing his half opened eyes appeared in the ajar space. Through his sleepy state, he pulled you inside and shut the door behind you.

''Binx is gone. I went to the shed to feed him and—'' Your state of panic was cut when your eyes caught the small ball of black fur curled on Xavier's bed, sleeping soundly by his pillow. An immense relief washed over you.

''It was cold last night when I finished painting so I hid him in my jacket and brought him here. We might not get along, but I wasn't gonna let him die of cold,'' Xavier explained, his voice hoarse from sleep.

You walked past him, going right for Binx who stirred and meowed when you sat on the bed. ''I was so worried about you,'' you said to him. ''I thought you had gotten lost in the woods around the academy or died of cold, but it was just your daddy who took you in for a night of cuddles.''

Xavier groaned, crawling back on his bed and into the warmth of his covers. ''Again, I am not his cat dad.'' He pulled on the comforter and turned his back to you. ''Since you found him, Murder Mittens is getting all the attention and cuddles. When I accepted him in my life, I didn't think I would lose my girlfriend.''

You wanted to laugh and call Xavier jealous, but then you realized he wasn't wrong. Maybe his reaction was dramatic, but Binx had taken your entire schedule since you found him. All of your nights were spent with him in the shed, playing and petting him. Xavier was there too, but your attention was mostly on Binx.

Your eyes shifted away from Binx and went to Xavier. Seeing his back instead of his face made your heart clench. He had turned away from you on purpose — and it hurt. You put your hand on his shoulder, but he didn't react.

''I'm sorry, Xavier. I didn't realize what I was doing, but now I see it and I am so sorry. I don't want Binx to replace you — no one can replace you. I love you so much baby, don't ever doubt that.''

His shoulders started shaking and you thought he was crying, which broke your heart.

''Baby, please forgive me, I—''

You were falling so hard for his act it was getting difficult for Xavier to keep his sulking face. And your sweet words were not helping.

A small laugh spilled from his lips, betraying him.

That's when you realized that he was not crying. He was full on grinning and trying to hide from you.

You slapped his side over the comforter so hard it echoed in the room, making Xavier laugh harder. ''You're an ass, Xavier Thorpe! I was genuinely feeling bad for making you feel neglected and replaced— You were playing me all along!''

He rolled back to face you, dimples poking through his cheeks. ''You think I would get jealous over a cat?''

You shrugged. ''You've made your hatred for him pretty clear.''

''I don't hate Binx,'' Xavier corrected with a sigh, reaching for the kitten and kissing the top of his head sweetly as he cradled him to his chest. ''He's alright.''