Nine Lives

6. Just A Cat*

The next few days after Kuroko's first dream were spent trying to get back into his old routine.

Kuroko study's history at University. He's in the second semester of his second year. Thanks to Sei he wasn't behind in any of his classes. Sei had told him that the dreams would come randomly and it would be best if he just went on with his normal life. Kuroko gladly did so.

He expected it to be hard to do after all that's happened, but on the contrary it was really easy to slip back into his routine. No one even noticed he missed two days of class. The only difference is now he doesn't have to eat frozen dinners or take out and that Sei takes up more space. And even that isn't as strange as Kuroko had thought it would be.

Seijurou spends his time exactly like he did before, only mildly irritated that his new size means he can't sleep anywhere he likes anymore. While Kuroko is out he spends his time napping on the couch or watching the birds in the tree beneath the window. When Kuroko is home he asks him about his day and his classes and watches Kuroko study until he's told to leave because he's annoying the younger boy. Seijurou is exactly like he was before. A cat in a human body.

"What's that smell?" Seijurou asks, walking out of Kuroko's bedroom to greet the boy as he returns home from his morning class. Kuroko looks up at him curiously as he walks into the living room.

"What smell?"

"That smell from your bag."

Kuroko furrows his brow and slips off his bag. He sits it on the arm of the couch as he digs through it. Sei leaning over his shoulder.

"Oh, is this it?" Kuroko turns around, holding out a small soft ball. Seijurou sniffs it.

"Ah! Yes. Nepeta cataria." Sei says with a short nod.

"What?"

"Cat nip." Sei smiles.

"Oh. The lady from the pet shop down the street gave it to me this morning. She wanted to know when I was coming in to buy more cat food... But I guess I don't need to buy it anymore."

"The food she sells there isn't that great anyway." Sei says before reaching for the ball in Kuroko's hand. Just before Sei can take it Kuroko closes his fist around it and pulls it away from him. Sei blinks at Kuroko in surprise and mild offense. "It's for me isn't it?"

"She gave it to me." Kuroko says with a straight face. Sei reaches out for it again but Kuroko holds it away from him.

"Yes, so you could give it to me!" Seijurou frowns at him and reaches higher for the ball. "Give it here Tetsuya!"

Kuroko steps back, holding the ball as high as he can, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing. Sei, however, is a few inches taller than Kuroko and would have eventually reached the ball, had he not accidentally pushed Kuroko against the couch in his insistence and caused Kuroko to tumble backwards. Seijurou frowns down at Kuroko in frustration and starts to climb over the couch to reach the ball.

"Give me the ball Tetsuya!"

Kuroko bites his lip and scrambles away from the familiar. He holds the ball as far away as he can and watches in amusement as Sei struggles to reach it.

"Take it from me if you want it." Kuroko says, smile finally cracking on his lips as Sei makes a face at him.

"You're being ridiculous, just give me the ball!" Sei climbs over top of Kuroko and almost reaches it before Kuroko scoots back farther on the couch and away from the familiar once more. Sei scoffs at him.

"Hold still!" He says, trying to push Kuroko down on the couch and keep him still while he reaches for the ball again. Kuroko holds him back with his free hand and the two of them struggle to hold each other back.

"I swear, if I still had claws you would be bleeding right now." Sei tells the boy underneath him with a small grin. Kuroko laughs.

"You're not a cat anymore, you can't use your old cheap tactics!"

Seijurou raises his eyebrows at Kuroko and gives him a mischievous smirk. He leans down as far as he can against Kuroko's arm and licks the boy's nose. Kuroko's eyes widen and in his surprise his elbow bends against Sei's weight, allowing Sei to get just enough room to snatch the ball from Kuroko's hand.

"Ha!" Sei shouts triumphantly. "Some of those old tactics are still at my disposal."

He sits back on the couch and holds his prize. Kuroko pouts at him and sits up, rubbing his saliva off his nose.

"You play dirty." Kuroko grumbles as he watches Sei looking victorious.

"You just aren't very good at these games." Sei says with a grin. Kuroko purses his lips at the red head. Sei holds the ball to his nose and inhales deeply. He breaths out with a sigh.

"Why do cat's even like that?"

"To put it simply, the scent causes a reaction like that of a pheromone given off during heat. For human's though, Nepeta cataria is actually good for headaches and fever."

"So what does it do to you?" Kuroko asks curiously. Sei smirks.

"Why don't you wait a few minutes and find out?"

Kuroko scrunches his face up at the red head and scoots farther away from him on the couch. Sei laughs, his shoulders shaking and his smile wide.

"I'm just teasing." Sei says and Kuroko's face relaxes. Seijurou smiles at him. "Right now it won't have any affect on me other than that I think it smells nice."

Kuroko bites the inside of his cheek. Sei was cute when he was a cat, but whenever he smiles at him like that, Kuroko can't help think Sei's actually really attractive as a human.

Kuroko excuses himself after that. Telling Sei he has homework. Kuroko has spent the past few days trying to get back to normal, and for the most part it's been working.

Sei may spend his time just has he did before, but Sei isn't the same as before. This is obvious, of course, but more than just his physical changes, Sei is different to Kuroko. The Sei that teases him when they play is different. The Sei that brought him back to life is different. The Sei that is in love with him is different.

Sei has been with Kuroko his entire life, and sometimes it feels like Kuroko has known him for that long, but sometimes it feels like Kuroko has never known the real Sei at all. The smart cat who's always by Kuroko's side is actually entirely different from what Kuroko has known him to be. He's more than just a cat.