Cat Mania

4. Human Again

"Hey Cale." Kayden approached him.

Cale was lazily resting on the couch, watching the other cats play around. "What is it?"

"Don't you want to return to your human form?" He asked.

Cale thought for a second, then responded, "nah."

Kayden was a bit taken a back. "I can teach you, if you promise me something."

'Promise what? I don't have anything to give.' Cale wondered. "What is it?"

Their interaction seemed to bring a crowd of curious cats. They looked at Kayden specifically, as if they sensed something.

Kayden, furious, shooed them away.

They scattered into an incoherent mess, but they still watched cautiously from afar.

"Teach me your powers." Kayden spoke suddenly.

"Huh?" Cale let an audible sound out.

Kayden became unreasonably flustered, "it's not like that! I just.. felt an unfamiliar power inside you, so I wanted to know what it is."

"Can't." Cale rejected immediately. It wasn't like he could just teach it.

"What? Why not? Don't you want to return to your human form?" He asked again. "Aren't you tired of being in the form of a cat?"

"I already said no. Plus, it's more peaceful this way, I can continue slacking." Cale nonchalantly said.

'Huh?' Kayden seemed surprised, 'I thought humans were full of greed.' Kayden gritted his teeth, feeling defeated at rejection.

"Cale.." Jiwoo called out.

"What is it?"

"I wanna see your human form." His eyes lit up with sparkles. "We've been together for so long yet I've never seen your true form." He became a bit shy, like a puppy.

Cale scrunched his face, 'he looks like Choi Han.'

Jiwoo looked up at Cale, with pleading eyes, "please?"

No, he reminded Cale of his children more than Choi Han. Cale couldn't say no at this point, "but I can't."

"Why can't you?" Kayden asked.

"The power you want, I can't teach it to you."

Kayden began brainstorming, about to give up.

Jiwoo looked towards Kayden, still pleading.

Kayden's mind ran loops, debating whether he should or should not. "Fine.." he agreed, "but only because I want to!" Kayden blushed, not letting anyone ahead of him.

Jiwoo cheered, "thank you!" Then he calmed down, "so how does it work?" He asked, a bit confused.

"Just reverse the power." Kayden said, like it was obvious.

"But how do you do that?" Jiwoo was still confused.

"I'll show him how, so stop asking me!" Kayden walked towards Cale, "sit down."

"Ok."

Kayden placed his paw on Cale's back, a slight glow emitted out of him.

'What's happening?' Cale thought.

'Woah!' Jiwoo was impressed seeing such a glow.

Cale felt something seeping inside him, no, something moving inside him.

"Do you feel it?" Kayden asked.

"Yes...?" Cale said, unsure whether he did or didn't.

"Try replicating it on your own."

'How? You want me to mentally imagine it or what?' Cale spoke to himself, dumbfounded by his unclear teachings. Still, Cale attempted it, he closed his eyes and imagined.

Poof!

'Huh...?' Cale opened his eyes, seeing his hands with fingers and not paws. 'It worked...?' He still couldn't grasp the logic behind it.

"Uhh... Cale..." Jiwoo spoke, hands covering his eyes, blushing heavily.
(A/N: not a ship)

"What is it?" Cale asked.

"You're naked..."

Cale's eyes widened, he instinctively took the nearby blanket and covered himself. "Sorry.. I didn't think that'll happen." He said, defeated by embarrassment.

Kayden didn't say anything, he just sat there, face painted in pink.