The Mau The Merrier

Purrfectly Predictable?

The room was unusually still, save for the soft hum of the ceiling fan spinning lazily overhead. Joe sat cross-legged on the couch, his brows furrowed as he scrolled through his phone, pausing occasionally to scribble down notes in a small journal. His mission was clear: he would uncover the full extent of the strange cat-like behaviors {Y/N} displayed. He'd been compiling his findings since the day they met, but it wasn’t enough. Milk and lasers were just the tip of the iceberg, and today, he was determined to test a theory he hadn’t been able to shake since last night: was she truly susceptible to all the things that lured in cats? 

Across the room, {Y/N} lounged on her favorite chair, her legs tucked beneath her as she flipped through a magazine she'd found abandoned on the subway. She looked completely at ease, entirely unbothered by Joe’s furtive glances and muttered notes. If she noticed his increasing fixation, she gave no indication. 

Joe, however, wasn’t as subtle as he thought. The cartoonish way he tapped on his phone screen and glanced her way, his gaze darting back to his journal every time she shifted, made his intentions painfully obvious. {Y/N} didn’t say anything; she figured he’d explain himself eventually, and if he didn’t, well, that was fine too. 

He finally set his phone aside, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. Quietly, he slid off the couch and disappeared into the kitchen. {Y/N} heard the faint sounds of rustling and clinking, but she remained where she was, pretending to be engrossed in an article about urban architecture. 

When Joe reappeared, he was holding a length of string in one hand and a tassel in the other. “Oh, {Y/N},” he called casually, as if he hadn’t been sneaking around. “Look what I found. Pretty cool, huh?” 

{Y/N} raised an eyebrow, her gaze flicking between him and the objects in his hands. “Uh-huh,” she said, uninterested. 

Undeterred, Joe swung the tassel in a small, deliberate arc. The movement caught the light, the strands gleaming temptingly as they swayed back and forth. Without meaning to, {Y/N} found her eyes tracking the motion. 

Joe smirked. Gotcha.

“Doesn’t this just make you wanna…” He trailed off, watching her closely. 

“What?” {Y/N} asked flatly, though her gaze never left the tassel. 

“You know, grab it?” 

She blinked, suddenly realizing what she was doing. Her eyes narrowed, and she leaned back into her chair, folding her arms over her chest. “What are you up to?” 

“Nothing!” Joe said, far too quickly. He shifted the tassel to his other hand and resumed its hypnotic swinging. 

The corner of {Y/N}’s mouth twitched, threatening to smirk. She could tell he was up to something, but she couldn’t quite figure out what. Against her better judgment, her fingers twitched at her sides, the subtle urge to snatch the tassel growing stronger the longer he waved it. 

Finally, she couldn’t resist. “Fine,” she muttered, reaching out and grabbing the tassel in one swift motion. Joe barely managed to hold onto it, his eyes wide with glee. 

“Ha! I knew it!” 

She frowned, letting go immediately. “Knew what?” 

Joe laughed nervously, tucking the tassel behind his back. “Nothing. Just a theory.” 

{Y/N} rolled her eyes but decided not to press further. She returned to her magazine, though she kept one eye on him as he retreated to the kitchen. 

---

Joe’s next test involved something he’d seen on the internet. He set his laptop on the coffee table and queued up a compilation of bird videos. The screen came to life with vibrant clips of sparrows, cardinals, and robins hopping around, chirping merrily. Joe sat back, feigning disinterest as he sipped his drink, waiting to see if she’d notice. 

At first, {Y/N} ignored the screen entirely, but the high-pitched trills eventually caught her attention. She glanced up from her magazine, her gaze softening as she watched a robin peck at a cluster of berries. 

"mrrrp?" A low trill escaped her throat as her gaze locked on the screen.

Joe’s grip on his drink tightened. Progress! 

As the video transitioned to a close-up of a hummingbird sipping nectar, {Y/N} leaned forward slightly, her magazine forgotten on the couch cushion. Joe fought the urge to laugh, biting down on his lip to keep quiet. 

The final clip was of tropical fish swimming in a coral reef. Brightly colored angelfish darted across the screen, their tails trailing like ribbons. {Y/N} tilted her head, her expression almost wistful. 

“Do you ever wonder what it’d be like to live underwater?” she asked absently. 

Joe blinked. That was not the reaction he’d been expecting. “Uh, no. Can’t say I have.” 

“Hmm, neither do I...” She leaned back, her attention drifting again. 

Joe sighed. Not a total success, but not a failure either. 

---

The box test came next. Joe had found an empty cardboard box while tidying up earlier and decided it was the perfect opportunity. He set it in the middle of the room, casually stepping back as if he hadn’t just placed it there on purpose. 

{Y/N} noticed immediately. “Why?... did you put a box in the middle of my floor?” 

Joe shrugged. “Felt like it.” 

She gave him a skeptical look but didn’t question it further. As the minutes passed, she found herself glancing at the box more often than she cared to admit. 

It looked… comfortable. 

Finally, unable to resist, she got up and walked over to it. She nudged the edge with her foot, testing its sturdiness. When it didn’t collapse, she crouched down and peered inside. 

“Are you interested in a box? Enticed perchance?” Joe asked, trying to suppress a laugh. 

“Shut up,” {Y/N} muttered. 

Before she could stop herself, she slowly clambered into the box, tumbling into a ball, and working around until she was sitting in the fetal position with her chin propped on her knees. It was a bit cramped, but not unpleasant. Snug and cozy.

Joe stared in disbelief. “You’re actually sitting in the box.” 

She didn’t respond, her eyes already drifting closed as she purred softly.

---

By the time Joe’s “experiments” were finished, {Y/N} had caught onto his game, though she didn’t bother calling him out. If anything, she found it amusing. Let him play detective; she wasn’t ashamed of her quirks. 

As she dozed off in the box, Joe sat nearby, scribbling furiously in his journal. “Loves tassels, likes bird videos, and will absolutely sit in a box if given the chance,” he muttered under his breath. 

{Y/N} smirked to herself, her eyes still closed. “You’re such a weirdo, Joe.” 

“Look who’s talking,” he shot back, grinning.