Ask Kuze two months ago what he was most afraid of, and the possible answers included blocked pipes, fires, or dying alone. In short, it was different from Kuze's current answer.
Now, what Kuze fears most is the cat running away from home.
Since that snowy night conversation, the cat has been lethargic, has stopped reading, and has not been as close to Kuze as before. Kuze wanted to lick, but the cat didn't resist, but it didn't react. Yesterday was the day when Kuze's fracture was healed and the splint had to be removed. The cat still tried to cheer up and come to help. Nothing happened today, so the cat lay on the bay window of the study all day, staring out the window blankly, even skipping lunch.
Kuze was quite familiar with this mental state. He was so frightened that he immediately showed his attitude to the cat.
"It doesn't matter if you don't want to be a cat. It doesn't matter if you want to be a cat, or anything else, it's up to you." Kuze hugged the cat's armpit and lifted it up, looking directly into the cat's eyes, "But you Don't go."
"Huh?" The cat tilted his head, "I don't want to go. The mountain is covered with snow, where can I go?"
Kuze felt a little relieved.
"...I just find it boring," the cat added.
Kuze's heart lifted again.
Kuze hates such mood swings, he likes a stable, peaceful life. The arrival of this cat is like a urchin's stone breaking the calm lake surface, why is it still not satisfied and wants to manipulate Kuze's heart? Kuze, who had made up his mind not to meet a cat, was now a little angry.
"What do you want?" Kuze suppressed his anger and discussed with the cat, "If you don't leave, then it's just me and you here. You can be a cat or a human if you want. We're the same as before, can't we?"
There is only Kuze and the cat in the world, even if the cat wants to be the king, there is no problem. Kuze felt that he had given in a lot, but the cat was still not satisfied.
"I want to be human? I—" The cat looked like he had something to say, but swallowed his words suddenly, and lowered his face heavily. It stared at Kuze as if it were all Kuze's fault.
Obviously you insist on being human. Kusei sneered. He scratched the cat's side neck, urging it to reply.
"I'm not dissatisfied with you, and I don't want to leave. I just think..." The cat sighed and looked away, "If it goes on like this, I'll go crazy too."
Kuze didn't understand the word "also". He looked at the cat silently.
"Forget it." The second half of the cat's words turned into an anxious meow. It looked rather reluctant, as if making a huge concession. It took Kuze's right hand, which had just been released from the cast, and slapped the forelimb in Kuze's palm: "In this way, I know you still think I'm a cat. But you have to treat me like a human being. Understand?"
Kuze subconsciously grasped the cat's paw in his palm.
So it's settled.
As for "being human", of course, different people have different definitions, and some people are even more different from humans than humans and beasts. But Kuze thinks that he can still reach an agreement with cats in certain aspects, such as people need to respect, need the right to choose, and need to be treated equally.
In addition to this, cats require that they be treated as human beings in terms of their physiology. This is a bit difficult. Kuze always thinks that cats who eat according to human diets will suffer from malnutrition or other diseases, but since cats can talk, maybe it is not physically a cat at all. Kuze was barely able to adapt to this.
Kuze has learned not to grab the bag to see the ingredients when the cat is eating snacks ("I can eat it!"), and not to force the cat to cut its nails ("I will cut it when I want, let me do it again!") Keep it longer!"), and don't chase after the cat with a hair dryer trying to dry the fluff to avoid cat moss ("Where are you blowing—it hurts!!!"). When Kuze had become accustomed to this unconventional cat-raising life completely different from the one in the webtoon, and thought that they had reached an agreement on cohabitation, the cat gave him a "surprise".
"—You say it again?" Kuze pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling as though his ears were ringing just now.
Kuze just came out of the bathroom, wearing only a bathrobe, and his neat short hair was still dripping with water. He glared at the cat through the crevices of his drooping wet forehead.
This is the first time the cat has entered Kuze's room. Before that, the cat had always defaulted to the first floor, and only a few times when he went upstairs, he would knock on the door and wait outside the door. And this time, the cat not only entered the room, but also attacked while Kuze was taking a bath, completely exceeding Kuze's expectations.
Kuze's glasses were on the bedside table. At this moment, he couldn't see the situation clearly, and he could only vaguely see the cat sitting cross-legged on his bed. The cat, who has been clothed lately, is now naked. Hearing Kuze's question, the cat's head moved slightly, its lips slightly parted, revealing a bright line of color. At this distance, Kuze couldn't see whether it was laughing or licking the corners of its lips: "I said, this afternoon, I found a strange video on your computer..."
Kuze coughed awkwardly: "Don't flip it around. Kittens can't look at that kind of thing."
"I'm not too young." The cat laughed softly, it seemed to be very good at speaking in an angry voice, "Doctor Kuze, I'm curious about your nightlife."
This was the first time the cat called him "Doctor Kuze". This name sounds unfamiliar, but when it comes out of the cat's mouth, it seems to have a little other charm. Kuze lost his mind for some reason, and was a little absent-minded when he answered: "...Me? I don't have a nightlife."
The cat "meows" in shock.
Only then did Kuze realize what the cat was referring to. When he was studying, he was often ridiculed by this topic, and Kuze's first reaction was "doing your business." But the cat moves one step faster than him. The cat jumped off the bed lightly, strode in front of Kuze, put his hand on his shoulder, and pressed him against the wall by the bathroom door.
"It doesn't matter if it doesn't—no, it does matter, but," said the cat, with a rather confident smile, "I can handle it."
It stood on tiptoe, wrapped its arms around the back of Kuze's neck and head, and pressed his head hard against itself. Kuze's forehead was taped to the cat's. At this distance, he could clearly see the sharp emotion and lingering desire in those blue tourmaline eyes. They intertwine, making this familiar face seem so unfamiliar. He could barely recognize his cat.
His naked and warm body was pressed against him, and Kuze shuddered subconsciously. The cat seemed amused, stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, and smiled.
Then it kissed Kuze.
Cat kissing—if a cat can kiss—is very skilled. It squeezed Kuze's lips wildly, and penetrated Kuze's mouth before he could close his teeth. The kissing method that oscillated between skillful and rambunctious quickly turned Kuze's brain into a mess. Saliva and warmth were exchanged from tongue to tongue, and he could barely breathe.
One of the cat's hands rested on the nape of Kuse's neck, and the other hand went in along the gap in the bathrobe. The touch of a skin-to-skin kiss is like a tiny electric current, and every inch of the skin touched seems to have self-awareness, unwillingly clamoring for more. Kuze instinctively felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't make any comments, couldn't make any effective resistance. His whole consciousness was confused by the tongue sticking out of his mouth.
Before Kuze was completely suffocated, the cat finally mercifully let him go. The cat squinted triumphantly, as if ready to say something. Taking advantage of that moment, Kuze suddenly pushed the cat away, took two steps diagonally into the bathroom with lightning speed, and quickly locked the door. The feeling of being suffocated and dizzy finally subsided a little, Kuze slid on the ground leaning against the door panel, and heard his own fast and sharp heartbeat.
Seemingly short and seemingly long, Kuze casually counted his out-of-control breaths, trying to regain his sanity. The cat outside the door was obviously annoyed by Kuze's running away, and after a moment of silence, there was a violent slap on the door. Kuze turned a deaf ear.
This cat... is it crazy? Kuze thought with a lingering fear. His lips were slightly red and swollen from the kiss just now, and the left flank was slightly tingling, which was scratched by the cat's fingernails when he pushed the cat away - do you want to get a rabies vaccine? The mess of questions slammed into Kuze's mind like a heavy rain. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn't react at all. He didn't even know when the clapping outside the door stopped.
"...what are you running for?"
The cat's voice came through the door panel, and there was an unfamiliar heaviness after the distortion. Kuze didn't want to deal with it. But the cat didn't mean to stop at all. It started to scold Kuze. "Coward," "coward," and "jerk," the cat has learned a few derogatory terms in total, and used them over and over there, interspersed with meows that must be swear words.
Kuze felt dizzy. He didn't want to pay attention, but his attention couldn't help being drawn to the cat's voice. He responded slightly annoyed, "I don't want to be sexually harassed by a cat!"
The cat hasn't learned the word "sexual harassment" yet, but it is stimulated by another word in the sentence: "Cat? How about treating me like a human?"
"Even if you're treating people, would you kiss anyone on the street?" Kuze retorted.
The cat fell silent. After a while, there was a loud knock on the door, and Kuze almost thought the door would be kicked down. He was sure he heard the wood bending over and over. But the cat didn't move on. There was complete silence on the other side of the door. Kuze rested the back of his head on the door and breathed as gently as possible. He didn't hear anything.
Perhaps the cat has already left... Kuze stood up cautiously, thinking so. His heartbeat has not completely calmed down, and the hand on the doorknob is trembling nervously with the pulse. He turned the handle slowly, and the metal parts made a small screeching sound. Kuze took a half step back and opened the door—
The cat just stood there.
Kuze was so frightened that his hair stood on end, and he took a big step back.
"I'm just a random guy on the street?" the cat asked gloomily.
Of course not, Kuze thought. But he didn't say it. He hadn't figured out how to deal with a cat who had weird fetishes and thought of himself.
-cat. No way.
Kuze watched his cat. It was so angry, its blue tourmaline eyes were round and full of anger. If you look carefully, there is still considerable grievance. The cat's forelimbs were clenched tightly, and the joints were already bruised with bruises. Further down, there are several small marks on the calf that have been scratched by wooden thorns.
This cat has suffered a lot, has already suffered so many injuries this winter, and should not have more scars. Kuze wanted to pick it up, blaming it for not knowing how to take care of itself. They would argue and then reconcile, the cat listens to his thoughts, he considers the cat's demands. At some point they will reach a point of equilibrium, be considerate of each other, and arrive at a happy ending.
But he did nothing.
- It's a cat, so it can't be done.
Kuze is not so awake now. His head was slightly hot, and his heartbeat was unbearably fast. He was almost in pain.
After not waiting for Kuze's answer for a long time, the cat's aura gradually melted away. Its shoulders slumped slightly, like a statue that lost its edge over time. The cat murmured: "...I don't understand you—don't you want me? You obviously like to touch me, and you just had a reaction when we kissed."
Kuze twitched his cheeks as if he had been stabbed by a dagger.
The cat kept staring at Kuze with its head up. Seeing this expression, it understood Kuze's meaning, and the blood on his face disappeared instantly. Kuze saw the blue tourmaline eyes gather a layer of water mist. He reached out his hand subconsciously. The cat escaped. It took a few steps back. At this distance, Kuze couldn't see the cat's expression clearly. He only saw the cat turn around and walk downstairs in silence, melting into his vision, dimmed into a blur of light and shadow.
His distress was even worse.