I Am Not Your Master; I Am Your Partner: A (Neko) Dan and (Human) Phil Series

The Other Half

The cloth diapers were unbelievably small. Phil opened the package and removed one nappy. It was incredibly soft, the combed cotton had cost a little more, but Dan and Phil agreed that was worth the expense. The material would be against their baby's skin most of the time, after all.

It was hard to believe that their son would actually be wearing these. The leg openings were terribly small, in fact, they weren't much larger that the circumference of two of Phil's fingers.

The tail opening in the back was more of a slit. It was also tiny, the edges reinforced with double stitching. Phil smiled and giggled when he saw it. He wished that Dan had something so comfortable and accommodating as a baby.

He wouldn't open the clothing box without Dan. Just another hour or so, and his baby would be waking for a drink and his Daddy's attention.

Phil lay back in on the sofa and pulled a small pillow to his chest. He hugged it tightly as if it were a baby. He wondered what it would feel like to have an actual baby fall asleep on his chest.

Phil had little experience with babies, though he was not at all nervous about becoming a father. Perhaps he it was because he was part of a team, and Dan was the other half.

He had supreme confidence in Dan's ability to love and nurture another being. He had already proven it with Phil. He loved him and cared for him naturally, without a single example or instruction. He was, simply put, open to giving and receiving love.

It made Phil supremely happy that Dan would be a model for their Neko child. He would be able to teach him all about what it means to be Neko: their instincts, their history, and their health. There would be lessons about how to care for his sensitive little ears, and his very special tail. Dan would be able to relate to their son's questions about heat, and he would answer them honestly.

No one had answered Dan's questions. He was left with a lot of worry and misconceptions. Dan would not let his son grow to feel confused by his own body. Their boy would have one human dad and one Neko dad. He would have special relationships with each of them. Dan would be able to say "me too" and "I understand son."

It was something special that they would share, and the thought of their bond made Phil cry. His warm tears fell into the pillow and he smiled.

He finished his coffee and returned to the kitchen to pour tea for Dan. He always liked something warm when he woke up. Phil would rather lay in bed admiring his sleeping husband than to sit in the lounge alone.

Phil carried a small tray into the bedroom with Dan's hot tea, a jar of honey, and a small spoon. He set it on the bedside table and climbed in under the sheets.

Dan was curled into a tight shape; it always impressed Phil to see him do it. It was unusual for a person Dan's size to be so naturally flexible. As a Neko, he enjoyed a particularly incredible range of motion. It always surprised people to see Dan contort his body into cat-like positions.

Phil pulled the blankets up around his kitten, circling his left arm around him. He watched as Dan's eyelids fluttered in his dream state. He was so beautiful.

                       * * *

The midwife was beginning to wonder if Caroline's narrow pelvis would be able to accommodate the baby's head and shoulders.