It's A Neko Thing {K.SJ}

♧

I sat in front of the window pane, gazing out at the somber rain that tapped on the walls of the little flat in London that I've owned since I came from my university. My breath left a puddle of warm fog on the glass, tempting me to raise my index finger and write on it, like I used to do as a child in my uncle's van. He'd always take me out and buy food for me, regardless of the near-flooding outside or the drought in his wallet. I realized that I'd give anything to spend time with him again, and before I even realized it, the words "I miss you" were slowly seeping into the glass with my condensed breath, like ink on paper. I held onto the black sleeves of my sweater and began to write more when I thought heard a faint whine outside my door.

That wasn't my imagination, right?

Holding myself as still as possible without actually becoming a statue, I listened in the direction of the door to hear another whine outside. Approaching the sound, I realized that it wasn't any random moan that I heard -- the sound was a mewl. I went across the room towards the door and gasped as a tiny black kitten sat patiently on my doorstep.

My heart instantly boiled over. As a child, I had a cat that I loved with all my heart. I had named her Sheila -- why I named her that is beyond me now -- and wherever she was, I was. I played with, petted and cuddled with that cat until her disappearance one day. Sadness never truly struck me, as I had a lot of other things (and other pets) to distract me with. Now, in this lonely apartment, I could use whatever friendship I could get.

It seemed to have come from God himself.

"Poor baby," I cooed, petting the kitten's wet, matted fur. "I'll take care of you."

I took it inside, closing the door behind me and vowing to keep to my word as long as it lived.

♧

I turned the heater on low, petting my new friend as it happily drank the last bit of milk I had from a small blue bowl. I stuck my tongue in and out of my mouth, imitating the feline drinking from the bowl, then laughed at myself when it grew tedious.

"What should I call you?" I whispered, not wanting to break the silence around us. Scratching behind the kitten's ear, I smiled down at it and pursed my lips together.

"Are you a boy or a girl?"

When I received a "meow" for an answer, I giggled, sitting on the floor next to my new friend.

"Since I don't know...I'll call you...Lunar. How does that sound?"

The kitten rubbed its head against my hand, telling me to keep scratching. I chuckled once more, doing as it bid me.

"Yes. Lunar is your new name. Fitting, don't you think?"

Lunar only licked its paws began to clean its wet fur. I picked up the cat and laid in my couch with it, petting it happily while gazing upon its adorable little face. It curled up into a cute little ball and purred as I rubbed its head. Soon, it was fast asleep.

"Sleep well, Lunar," I sighed, joining the feline in dreamland.

♧

When I opened my eyes again after two good hours of rest, I immediately felt a weight sinking onto my legs, disabling my movement and actually hurting me. I looked down at my thighs, where Lunar had gone to sleep.

Last time I checked, cats don't weigh this much.

My eyes widened as they registered a grown adult male curled up into a ball and sleeping on my lower body. His tanned skin resembled coffee with cream, and his raven black hair fell to his brow in almost perfect layers. His baby pink, plump lips were almost too beautiful, and his soft little nose made me want to touch it. I almost did, until I remembered that I could barely move.