Muffins - Loki & Ylva alternate universe stories

Cat sitting III

The PB&J sandwich accident turns out to be a real bonding experience; the angry cat that came into her home a few days ago has disappeared, making place for a nice furry companion. Lokitty waits for her to come home from work and he follows her around the house, keeping her company and listening to her chat away. Ylva fears the newly developed habit of talking out loud when she's alone with the cat will stay after the cat has gone back to Thor. That doesn't stop her from doing it though, especially not because of the non-verbal feedback she gets from the animal. He really has a way with expressions and body language, making her sometimes feel she is talking to a person instead of an animal. The cat doesn't meow much, he only makes small sounds of confirmation or question every now and then. The name Lokitty still sounds silly to Ylva, so she has shortened it to Lo, or Loke. The cat doesn't seem to mind anyway.

Reading a book with the cat on her lap is their new favourite thing to do in the evening. Ylva fell asleep on the couch the other day, waking up a little after midnight with her book on her chest and the black cat warm on her stomach. When she moved to the bedroom, the cat went with her, curling up in the space behind her pulled up knees as soon as she settled in underneath the covers.

Ylva can even sit in the open window of her bedroom, something she likes to do when it starts to get dark outside, and the cat comes to sit next to her. You would think the open window with the fire escape is an invitation to run off, but the animal sits contentedly at her side, letting her trace her fingers through his fur.
He still doesn't like Lisa that much, he only comes to sit with Ylva, something that she secretly enjoys. She likes being favoured by the cat and she's well on her way to get too attached to the animal.

The setting sun makes the warmth of the day slowly disappear, although it lingers in the bricks of the building. Ylva can feel it against the back of her lower legs that rest against the wall beneath the windowsill. Her aunt doesn't like her sitting with her legs outside her window, even though the fire escape has a small platform right beneath her window. However, aunt Yvonne isn't here to see and Lisa is somewhere back in the apartment with Marc. It's just Ylva, Lokitty and the sunset above New York.

Ylva has her arm slung around the cat, her fingers buried in the soft fur of his chest. She has discovered he likes being scratched there the most, especially when she moves up to his chin and neck too.
"Thor sent me a text today," she says to the cat, the animal looking up at her face at her words. "He'll be home in two days." Ylva smiles ruefully at the cat. "I guess we'll have to make the most of those days. I'm gonna miss you when you go home."

The cat answers by pushing his head against her stomach, his strong purr palpable underneath her hand on his chest. Her emotions almost get the best of Ylva, making her eyes prick and she has to swallow a couple of times to get the heavy feeling out of her throat. It's silly. It's just a cat, no matter how understanding his eyes seem when she talks to him. She really is turning into a crazy cat lady.

***

The last days go by fast, filled with work mostly, and before Ylva knows it, it's the last night. She climbs into bed with the cat in his spot behind her legs. She can feel his warmth through the blanket, warming her thighs and lower legs. He is like a mini space heater, his large body filling up the space in the curve of her legs. She tells him good night, something he returns with a small meow.

Tomorrow morning Thor will come to pick him up. Ylva has already run multiple scenarios in her mind, from offering Thor to look after his cat every time he has a mission, to blatantly ask him if the cat could stay with her forever. After all, Thor had said the cat wasn't very nice and maybe that was just because they were not a good match? She and the cat get along very well, clearly they're a match!
Ylva doubts she will have the courage - or gal - to ask for her to keep the cat, though offering to look after the animal more often is easy. That's just a nice thing to say, after all, and she's good at saying nice things; being a waitress at a coffee shop teaches you that.