Uta no Prince-sama: A-Z [ONE-SHOTS]

Territorial Tendencies: T for Tenacious

Tenacious: tending to keep a firm hold of something; clinging or adhering closely. Not readily relinquishing a position, principle, or course of action; determined. Persisting in existence; not easily dispelled.

Words: 1812

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Even though he was a human now and the curse had been mainly dispersed,  Cecil occasionally displayed the behavior he'd retained as a cat from all those years he spent as one. Old habits die hard. Much to the other members' chagrin, the resurfacing of these symptoms usually equated to Haruka doting on him with her inconvenient fondness of animals. Particularly sleek black cats with bright green eyes.

It's become clear to everyone except Haruka herself that these moments of feline tendencies were short-lived, but Cecil still persists on clinging to her side. It took extensive measures to separate the two once the intimate contact commenced. Everytime.

Like when he took frequent naps in the most inconvenient locations; the tree, under the piano, on the windowsill, and Haruka has to retrieve him, only to be pulled into his unrelenting hold. Or when he bristles at the sight of anyone touching Haruka and continuing to silently sulk until he's got her undivided attention.  It was only a matter of time before purring and cuddling became an everyday occurrence.

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The weather was great; it was sunny with a cool breeze, the sky was clear and the school campus' meadow was swaying with the wind. It was a great day for a picnic or a stroll but it was not a time to be searching for the elusive, coincidentally narcoleptic Cecil.

He had run out on rehearsal claiming he needed a nap, and had swiftly vanished outdoors. Having become accustomed to his flighty behavior, the STARISH members just sighed in exasperation, some chuckling in amusement, but nevertheless, practice continued without him for a while. That is, until the part with his solo came and his presence was necessary.

Tokiya, breathless from his run-throughs asked Haruka, who, as always, was watching practice by the piano, "Would you mind getting the brat back?"

Haruka nodded, "You guys should take a break until I get back, alright?" Words of agreement swept the group.

So now, the composer was heading confidently towards where she knew he'd be resting. The tree they'd officially met at became something of a hideout for him, and she'd come to know all his tricks. She walked until she was under the longest branch of the maple tree a couple feet from the tree Cecil was supposed to be.

Pausing, Haruka tuned into the euphony of the woods around her. There was a rustling above her, cuing her to jump aside. Under any normal circumstances, Cecil would've been on the ground where she was previously standing, having dropped from the tree. When she didn't see his tanned, agile form crouched on the forest floor with a pout, she tilted her head back to search for sight of him.

Haruka heard a soft whine. "Haruka!" The voice didn't come from too far away, but it was muffled so distinguishing where it came from was a challenge. More rustling. Her eyes frantically shot to the lowest branch. A stream of sunlight glared into her eyes, obscuring her view of the shadow emerging from above her.

"Haruka!" This time, the voice called loud enough for Haruka to distinguish that it was indeed Cecil. Her head snapped to the right. She heard the branch creak and then, she was engulfed by darkness. Cecil had thrown himself onto her. She expected her back to meet the ground with a hard thud, but he had somehow managed to flip them over mid-fall so that Haruka was laying on his chest.