Cat's Rule the world.... since when?!

Morning Run

I can't sleep. 

Not with everything spinning in my head.

The room was way too quiet, way too big, and way too fancy. The bed felt like I was sinking into a cloud, which sounds great, except it wasn't. I missed my own bed, the creaky, slightly-too-small one in my cramped room. At least there, I knew where I was and what was going on.

Here? I didn't even know where to start.

The early morning light was creeping in through the heavy curtains, and I'd been awake for hours. Finally, I just gave up. If sleep wasn't happening, then maybe a walk would help.

I slipped out of bed, quietly as possible. No way was I putting on that collar, so I left it sitting on the bed, taunting me. I wasn't some animal.

If I start hearing barking next, I'm done.

The mansion was eerily quiet as I stepped into the hallway. No one else seemed to be up yet. Good. I didn't want to deal with Bakugo's barking orders this early. My footsteps were light, barely making a sound. Parkour training, I guess. I could move quietly when I wanted to, and I wasn't trying to wake anyone up.

I wandered through the massive halls, still trying to wrap my head around everything. The marble floors were cold beneath my feet, and the paintings on the walls watched me with creepy, old eyes. I half-expected them to start talking.

Eventually, I found my way to the entrance hall, where the huge double doors led outside. I peeked through one of the windows, looking out at the sprawling garden that stretched beyond the mansion.

A run might help clear my head. 

It always does.

I needed to move, needed to feel something other than the weird knot in my stomach that had been sitting there since yesterday. But just as I was about to head out, I heard a voice behind me.

"Hey ahm...."

I turned around and nearly gave Kirishima a heart attack. He flinched, his red eyes wide with surprise. I guess I was quieter than I thought.

"Kirishima," I said, trying not to laugh. "Didn't mean to scare you."

He rubbed the back of his neck, still catching his breath. "Geez, man, you're like a ghost! What are you doing sneaking around?"

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I was thinking about going for a run outside. Needed to clear my head."

Kirishima blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Oh, uh, you mean in the garden?"

"Yeah," I said. "Just... need to get some fresh air."

Kirishima hesitated, glancing toward the door. "Well, technically, I'm not supposed to let you wander around on your own, but... I guess it wouldn't hurt if I came with you. We could turn it into some morning training."

Sure, if you want to call it that.

I smiled. "Yeah, sounds good. Let's go."

We headed outside, and I took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. The garden was massive, full of winding paths, tall hedges, and all kinds of plants I didn't even recognize. It looked more like a maze than a garden, but I wasn't planning on getting lost.

Kirishima stretched his arms over his head. "Alright, man, show me what you got. I could use a good workout."

He has no idea.

I nodded, keeping it cool, but the second I started running, I didn't hold back. My legs moved on instinct, my feet barely touching the ground. The air rushed past me as I picked up speed, muscles remembering every chase, every sprint I'd ever done back in the human world.

Back there, running was survival. 

Here? 

It just felt good.

Kirishima kept up with me for about ten minutes. I could hear his heavy footsteps behind me, his breathing getting faster. But I wasn't slowing down. My body knew this pace, knew how to push through. I didn't even realize I was pulling ahead until the sounds of Kirishima's footsteps started fading behind me.

Eventually, I stopped, catching my breath and looking around. I'd run a full lap around the garden, ending up back where we started.

And Kirishima? He was still halfway back, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"Dude," he wheezed, stumbling over toward me. "What... what kind of training do you do?!"

Just life training.

I smiled, a little breathless myself, but nowhere near as winded as he was. "I've... been running like that for a while. Had to, growing up."

Kirishima collapsed onto the grass, still gasping. "Man... you're insane. I thought you just wanted a light jog!"

I chuckled, wiping sweat from my forehead. "Yeah, sorry about that. I usually run faster when I'm... stressed."

"Faster?" Kirishima repeated, staring up at me like I was some kind of alien. "How much faster could you go?!"

I could probably show him... but I don't want to give him a heart attack.

"I've had a lot of practice," I said instead, shrugging. "You get used to it after a while."

Kirishima shook his head in disbelief, still lying on the ground. "Man, I'm glad you're on our side. You're a freakin' beast. Catching you would be more than hard..... "

I laughed at that. A beast—yeah, if only Bakugo could hear him say that. I could practically see Kacchan's face twisting in anger. It was almost worth the collar talk again just to hear it.

After a few minutes, Kirishima finally managed to stand back up, still rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, I guess that was training for me, at least. You good now? Feeling any clearer?"

Clearer? 

I don't know about that, but I'm definitely feeling better.

I nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Thanks for coming with me."

Kirishima grinned. "Anytime, man. Just... maybe give me a heads-up next time you plan on running like that."

We both headed back toward the mansion, Kirishima still shaking his head in disbelief. I could tell he was impressed—and a little freaked out. But hey, I guess a lifetime of dodging bullies had to pay off somehow, right?

Now if only I could dodge this whole 'pet' thing...