Seungwan was usually a very observant person. She could detect the subtlest nuances of her closest friends, even when they tried to pretend that everything was okay. It was one of the things she was really proud about herself.
 

Which is why it really dampened her mood when she caught Sooyoung in her room after her cognitive psychology exam, shushing two meowing cats that had somehow leapt on her bed and were now rolling around her freshly-laundered sheets.
 

“Cats. There are cats. On my bed.” Forgive her for stating the obvious, but she was still trying to wrap her mind around what she was witnessing, her academia-related sleep deprivation aggravating her lack of brain power.
 

“…Yes,” Sooyoung confirmed hesitantly, “Really cute, nice cats. On your bed. Liking your smell.”
 

“And…how long have we had these cats? Not on my bed, but…in this apartment?”
 

“Um.” Sooyoung took a careful step back from her, sensing her volatile mood; maybe it was the bloodshot eyes and dark eyebags that gave her away. “Well, the first one – Kiwi, the white fluffy one – was here three days ago. I just…got the gray one today.”
 

“The white one – Kiwi, was it? – has been here since Friday. And I didn’t notice.”
 

“She’s a quiet one,” Sooyoung explained, eyes softening despite the anxious fidgeting of her fingers. “But they started meowing today when they met each other and your door was ajar and suddenly they were…here.”
 

Seungwan nodded slowly, absorbing everything. The cats were adorable, even if they were probably mucking up her sheets. She was more disappointed at being oblivious about the first cat. She blamed it completely on finals week, and consequently her disregard for proper hygiene and sniffing out her sneaky flatmate. “Is this how you deal with finals stress? By being an adoption machine?” She stared at the two cats, who have stopped meowing and seem to be dozing off side-by-side on her bed.
 

Her tone must have been resigned more than enraged, because she could see Sooyoung inching closer to her at the corner of her eye. “Sorry I didn’t tell you, unnie,” she said softly, “I was volunteering at the shelter to de-stress for a bit when I overheard the employees talking about how they were going to have to let go of a few older cats to make room. I couldn’t just ignore it, especially since our building allows pets and I love pets and I know you’re not…opposed to pets.”
 

Seungwan finally glanced at her roommate, who looked so adorably hopeful that it drew a small smile from her. She guessed that that was all the affirmative Sooyoung needed because the girl promptly tackled her into a hug.
 

“I’ll take care of them, I promise. You don’t have to worry. I guess just keep your door locked all the time if you don’t want them sneaking in here. You can even name the second cat,” Sooyoung rushed out against her, making Seungwan chuckle.
 

“Alright, alright.” She pulled away a little to look Sooyoung in the eye. “I trust you.”
 

Sooyoung flushed with happiness, a shy smile lighting up her face.
 

“And I’m naming that one Kurt. Because…you know.”
 

Sooyoung rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Should have expected that.”
 

“I can’t steal my bed from them now, can I?” Seungwan sighed. She was really exhausted and needed a nap before she began studying for her next exam.
 

“I mean, you can,” Sooyoung urged, “or you can sleep in my bed for a while.”
 

Seungwan felt her cheeks heat up in surprise. “N-no it’s fine, I-” The image of plopping down in Sooyoung’s big bed stopped her short. It had always seemed so soft and comfortable, but she graciously gave Sooyoung the room with the bigger bed when they moved in, thinking that her long legs have more use for it than her shorter ones. With their rooms the same size though, it at least gave Seungwan more space to move about and add more furniture.
 

Her internal musings were cut short when Sooyoung pulled her out of her room and led her to the adjacent one. “My bed is comfy and big, like me.” The saucy wink she threw over her shoulder made Seungwan’s eyebrows rise. “You need sleep, and it’ll be perfect for you.”
 

Seungwan decided not to argue anymore – and she kind of didn’t want to. She carefully sat on Sooyoung’s bed and pulled up the comforter so it covered the sheets completely. “I’ll stay on top.” Sooyoung’s lips quirked at her words. “Of the covers,” she quickly added, earning herself a tinkling laugh.
 

“Stop being so cute, unnie. You can do whatever you want. And thank you for not getting angry,” said Sooyoung sincerely.
 

Seungwan already had her head pressed against the pillow, mind starting to numb itself to oblivion. “You’re welcome,” she murmured. The last thing she heard was the door clicking shut before she drifted off to sleep.

***

Seungwan didn’t really like cats before, preferring dogs when it came to domesticated animals. There was something about their piercing eyes following her every move, like they knew all her dirty little secrets and would share them with the world if only they could speak.
 

Kiwi was a fluffball though, utterly lazy and seemingly content with finding the warmest place possible and staking her claim there for hours on end. Sometimes it’s the side of the dishwasher or fridge, or the keyboard of her laptop, or any of their available laps.
 

Kurt was more active and stand-offish, content with watching them from afar in his little nook at the corner of the living room. He did like to cuddle with Kiwi when he was getting sleepy though, pushing his head against her fluffy belly like a makeshift pillow.
 

To her relief, the two cats were well-behaved for the most part, and it was cathartic to have something furry to absentmindedly when they let her, while she was studying or watching Netflix.
 

Which was what she was currently doing: lazily petting Kiwi while Kurt napped beside her, a chorus of soft purrs joining the dialogue in the drama she was watching. The three of them froze for a split-second at the sound of a key slotting into the lock of the front door.
 

Sooyoung entered the flat carrying what looked like a baby in her arms, tucked inside a green blanket.
 

“Oh, are we adopting infants now?” Seungwan asked evenly.
 

Sooyoung blinked at her guiltily. “This is the last one, I swear. At least that’s what they said. We helped free up space for like a year or something.”
 

The two cats beside Seungwan began to purr, hackles rising in suspicion.
 

Sooyoung carefully moved forward while she lifted the blanket away, allowing the cats to see what she was holding: it was a calico cat, its fur a slash of orange and blank on a white base.
 

“Wow. Blue,” was all Seungwan said, a bit mesmerized. Its eyes were almost ethereal as it blinked at her and the other two felines on the ground staring at it.
 

“Blue,” Sooyoung pondered. “We can go with that.”

***

Seungwan tried to avoid favoritism. Really, she did. But it was inevitably Blue. Just like how Sooyoung was her favorite in their group of friends, Blue was her favorite cat in their group of strays. And if she was feeling a bit smug, she would say she was Blue’s favorite, too.
 

Blue would follow her around as she did her daily routine, to the kitchen, the bedroom, and even the bathroom. The cat was content with hiding under the sink as she showered, and she was careful not to flick water on him when she stepped out of the curtains. The foot of her bed became Blue’s sleeping place, while the other two cats didn’t really care for being locked up in her room, choosing to sleep on the living room couch.
 

Seungwan was a er for Blue’s eyes, from the very first day.
 

“I think you fell in love with a cat,” Sooyoung said from the kitchen counter, staring at the pair with amusement as they cuddled on the sofa together.
 

“…I’d deny it if I was sure, but. You may be right.” That earned her a laugh, and she turned to Sooyoung with a smile. Her brows furrowed as she suddenly thought of something she should have asked about earlier. “How are you providing for their food?”
 

Sooyoung sipped at her tea before answering. “I’m just buying less coffee and studying in more.” And Seungwan did notice that, how Sooyoung seemed to be home every time she came back from class. She thought it was just so she could stay with the cats, but apparently not. She enjoyed Sooyoung’s company, even when they did their own things and were floating around in a world of their own due to rampant thoughts they never really shared with each other. But it was their thing. They didn’t need words to be best friends. On most days, silence was comforting enough.
 

“Let me split the food with you,” Seungwan suggested. Even though she loved staying in with Sooyoung, she knew the girl was a social butterfly who’d prefer to study with students sharing the same academic woes, not a graduate student who found happiness in silence.
 

“Really?” Sooyoung blinked in surprise. “I mean, it’s okay if you don’t. They don’t really eat much, luckily.”
 

Seungwan waved off her reassurances. “It’s fine. They’re my cats too, you know. …If that’s okay with you,” she trailed off, suddenly unsure.
 

Sooyoung huffed in disbelief. “Of course. They’re your cats too! They’re our cats. Although I’m not sure about that one,” she said, voice tinged with playful jealousy, pointing at the calico tucked underneath Seungwan’s sweater. “That one seems to be all yours.”