Cale's Kitties!

Chapter 9

'Aigoo...' Ciel sighed helplessly as he glanced at the amused woman beside him. Jour was sipping her tea and is well aware of what the black panther cub is thinking.

They were in the Henituse gardens having a small picnic. It was Jour who proposed the idea after breakfast. She said that it is in Ciel's best interest that he should at least get some fresh air, sunlight and to be outside for once in a while, rather than always sleeping inside Cale's room.

Ciel, who desperately wanted to protest, could not utter a word. First, he didn't want to be anywhere near the woman as she poses a threat to him. Second, HIS SLEEP! NOOOOOO!!! AND FUCK GRASS! Instead, he stared intently at Cale as a sign for help, but the adorable red-haired boy just stared at him with a clueless smile. Leo and Ray snickered at their dongsaeng's silent pleading.

And so here he is, outside, and silently sipping his... ugh, lemonade that Ron made for him. Its healthy for him, he says! Bullshit, more like torture!

'Sadistic old man.' He grumbled in his thoughts. His panther tail swished around in annoyance.

Jour who practically see his displeasure despite assuming a stoic and indifferent face, thanks to the tail and his aura radiating off of him, giggled at how adorable Ciel looked. "Oh come now, Ciel!" The red-haired woman petted the cub's head endearingly. "I don't see why you abhor being outside so much."

"...I prefer to sleep in bed, Countess." 

"Hahaha! Truly embodying the ways of a lazy cat!"

Ciel simply nodded as he grabbed a muffin inside the picnic basket and took a bite out of it. That was his plan basically, to laze around and become the future trash's pet panther... well, seeing as he is a beastman instead of a normal panther cub, the plan changed a lot. Still! Nothing will deter his dream of being a slacker!

Jour watched as the panther cub ate (more like nibble) on the muffin and could not help but coo at him. She went ahead and pinched Ciel's plumpy cheek, cooing more, while the panther beastman grew more annoyed. He only wanted to enjoy his muffin! Enough with the stupid pigeon noises!

Unintentionally, Ciel let out a growl, causing him to still and flinch.

"Oh?" Jour, who was equally surprised, grinned in amusement. "Did you growl at me?"

"..." Ciel remained silent and avoided her gaze.

"Oh dear... what will I do? I don't think I can allow my son to keep you and your siblings here..." The red-haired woman dramatically sighed as she looked away and acted all hurt and heartbroken. The panther beastman's ears and tail perked up in alarm. Jour giggled at the sight of an anxious Ciel. "I merely jest, Ciel! No need to be so tense!" She went ahead and petted the cub in assurance, yet it did not make him feel any better.

Ciel could only grumble in annoyance as he went back to eating (nibbling) his muffin. Seriously, what's with this woman? Why does she have to annoy him so much? She should go annoy the other panthers instead of him!

The atmosphere surrounding the two was somewhat comfortable. The countess of the Henituse is elegantly sipping her tea, while the young panther is adorably eating his desserts.

Jour set her tea cup down with a soft clink. Ciel's ears twitched and felt the air change instantly, it became... tense. 

'...Shit...'

The panther's instincts are screaming at him for potential danger. He slowly glanced up to take a look at the woman beside him and froze. He expected to see... something sinister, but what Ciel saw was a sad smile from Jour.

For some reason, his chest felt tight and it was accompanied by a sense of... nervousness? Yeah, it is anxiousness, but... it felt different than before.