Jellicle Cat*
A Lamento drabblette by Chloe
Rai wakes from a deep slumber, biting at the warmth ghosting over his lips. He sits up in bed, knocking one very confused cat from his lap. "What are you doing?"
"Nothing." Konoe curls nipped fingertips into his palm and begins to crawl back into his own bed.
"I asked you a question." Rai grabs a thin, delicate wrist and quirks an eyebrow. "Why were you in my bed?"
"I… wanted to touch you."
"Now?" Rai narrows his eyes. He isn't sure how to respond. He knows he's a damn desirable cat. He's had a few lovers in his time. But none have crept into his bed in the middle of the night and woken him so gently from his slumber. They'd likely be dead if they'd tried, but this particular cat is different; bold, quixotic, and ignorant where matters of personal safety are concerned.
Rai pulls on the arm and nearly drags the smaller cat back into his bed.
Konoe spits and hisses as if he's being strung up in scatchy balls of thread. "I said I wanted to touch you! I didn't ask to be mauled."
"Shut up," Rai insists, tucking a flattened ear under his chin and Konoe's kinked tail between his legs. He finally – finally - has Konoe situated in the curve of his body, and the sanga begins to fidget. "What is it now?"
"I have to pee."
One foot boots the annoying cat from Rai's bed.
It is weeks before Konoe earns the right to crawl back into it.
*Jellicle cats were created by T. S. Eliot. Read about them inOld Possum's Book of Practical Cats.