It's a day, as usual. Jongup's called to ask me to come with him somewhere. As usual. This time he wanted company while grocery shopping, and since I had to pick up cat necessities and groceries for myself, I may as well get it done now.

So I'm all packed up. Got my together, as it were. Music blaring at a reasonable level while I groove along. Likely scenario was after grabbing the items on my list, that I'd drop them off here before eating dinner with the Moons.

As usual.

Those guys were like my family away from family and were always making sure I was well taken care of. Hell, I considered them more my family than most of the members of the family I was adopted into. Umma Guk was the only one I considered that way, but the rest of them were ing crazy and I avoided them when I could.

They were also indescribably loud and delusional in that they thought they were COMPLETELY NORMAL. News flash, they're not! Umma Guk has his own level of crazy, but at least that's manageable.

Jongup shot me the text that he was on the way, so after delivering my usual monologue to the cats, I stepped out onto the porch to wait. Both my furry friends decided to hop into the porch window and wait along with me. Flicking their tails impatiently while I danced and hummed in a reserved manner.

Then I got it in me to start singing to them, turned to face them and dramatically clutching my chest while belting out the lyrics to the current song coming out of my phone. They sang back, too, in their own little cat way! Meowing at me through the window. Feta putting her paws on the glass and looking like she was howling a high note. Gouda walking on the inside rim of the windowsill and trying to sit comfortably, but looking like she was spinning to the tune.

Right as I saw Jongup pull up from my peripherals, I heard the distinct sound of a door opening, and I panicked. Bolting down the stairs with a quick “Goodbye my kitties!”, I practically flung myself into Jongup's car.

“Damn dude. You good?”

“Yeah, All good. Just thought I heard the neighbour coming out of his apartment,” I breathed. I glanced out the window as we were driving off to see that the neighbour had indeed left his apartment and spared my cats a tiny wave before making his way down the steps and to his own car.

“Oh. You almost met the neighbour again,” Jongup commented. After some expletive at the person in front of us not knowing how to use their DAMN BLINKERS, he chuckled more to himself than at anything else. “Would it really be so bad to meet him?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed with a pout. “In case you've forgotten, me and strangers don't mix,” I huffed.

“Yeah, yeah. Paranoia about cat things. Gotcha.” He dismissed me with a slight wave of his hand. “But you have to remember, we were strangers at one point, fam. There was a time when I didn't know you were a cat, and look at us now! That didn't turn out badly, right?”

I squinted at my friend, but offered no kind of auditory response. Mainly because he had a point and I couldn't argue back. We hadn't always been friends, he hadn't always known I was a cat, and despite how badly I thought it'd turn out, it didn't.

We'd become friends during our middle school days. He'd just moved here but I'd always been in the area, even before my adoption. Held back a year due to 'social problems' but it was more because I got easily overwhelmed in social settings as a cat. My grades suffered, I was all the time getting in trouble for wearing my beanie which led to disciplinary problems because there was no way in hell I was taking it off and letting everyone around see my cat ears, and Umma Guk had to figure out how to handle it all.

Working with school counselors on a 504 Plan for extreme social anxiety was the end game because telling a bunch of old people I'm part cat wouldn't fly, and my IEP detailed my school schedule. Smaller classes, isolation during lunch and break periods, and being allowed to leave for my next class early enough to avoid crowded school hallways.

Most importantly, able to wear my beanie so long as I had the permission slip with me at all times for the scenarios where I was told to take it off.

Smaller classes typically meant being in the advanced learning classes because the amount of students in those was fewer. Jongup and I shared an advanced math class and bonded over singing Veggie Tales songs. More specifically the hairbrush song and the cheeseburger song.

His birthday came around and I was invited to his sleepover party alongside a few other people. Nerve wracking, as one wrong move meant I'd out myself, but things went pleasantly fine. Someone ended up shoving a whale goldfish cracker up another kid's nose, Jongup and someone else pulled an all nighter to watch an episode of Inuyasha that I'd predicted, and my identity remained concealed.

Junhong, the only other person I considered a friend, had been at this party, too. He was also the only other person from this party Jongup still considered a friend alongside me.

They hadn't learned of my cat status until years later during high school, me over at Jongup's house to spend the night again. Customary at this point. Stayed the night at least once a month, maybe more depending on plans and special occasions. Junhong was with us for the night, and we were all chilling in the living room just shooting the breeze while Miss Moon was cooking dinner.

Catellena had recently given birth to the Raptor Squad, the four cats that are there now, before running away to do her own thing. They were old enough to be away from their mother when she left, thankfully, but were still classified as kittens at this point.

Delta, Charlie, Blue, and Echo. Named by Jongup because he liked Jurassic World.

Mister Moon was playing with them. They were going crazy for cat toys, and my inner cat just wanted to play along. It was pure torture, hearing the jingling bells and seeing flailing strings and NOT BEING ABLE TO PLAY. I was trying my hardest to focus on anything but my innate desire to ATTACK the toys and CHASE the strings by struggling through a word search.

The laser pointer was the worst, though. I can never say no to a laser pointer. So when that was dragged out, I lost sight of my goal. Word search booklet and pen flung away, everything turned into a blur.

They tried explaining just what they saw to me, tried to describe the process they'd seen. A teenage boy dive bombing from the couch, pouncing to where the laser pointer was pointed, and thinking I was going to crash land onto the floor. But then mid jump, said teenage boy just ing vanished, his clothes dropped to the floor, and then there was a spastic cat chirping.

I'd been mortified, bolting away and hiding in one of the many nooks in the large house the Moons lived in. I sulked to myself, initially waiting for after dinner and when everyone went to bed to call Umma Guk and freak out, but the Raptor Squad gave away my location. They honed in on the distressed cat scent and did their darndest to get me out.

Dragging toys to me, meowing at me, one of them managed to crawl in with me and groom me...

The ruckus led to Jongup and Junhong finding me and sitting cross legged in front of my hiding place while Mister Moon spoke with Miss Moon. My two friends didn't do anything to get me out, just spoke with me like they had been the entire afternoon. Stories about goings on in their classes, weird dreams they'd had...

I'd eventually slunk out and joined them, giving them little meows and chirps as a response, but my ability to human was shot for the rest of the night. Even when we returned to the living room because the hardwood floor was giving them cramps. Even when dinner was finished and everyone was called to wash up to eat, I couldn't normalize myself.

As horrible as I thought it would turn out, my two friends still treated me the same afterwards. Same with Jongup's parents. They were just... more understanding of how I operated. I got the affectionate nickname of 'Daehyun-pet' from Miss Moon, and when Umma Guk decided he wanted to be closer to the rest of the family and I didn't want to go with, he'd ultimately left my care to them.

Mainly taking me to my yearly checkup at the end of September and ensuring my week long rest period went without fault, something that had recently been done, while also making sure I was taking care of myself. Feta and Gouda were originally supposed to live with the Moons since Umma Guk couldn't take them with him, but with me not going, I became their official caretakers.

Thinking on how things turned out made me wonder if things would really turn out so badly if I were to meet the neighbour like I was trying to convince myself. I'd known the Moons and Junhong for YEARS before I ACCIDENTALLY revealed myself.

Purposefully doing it has never been my intention with anybody, my secret being out always turned out accidental on all fronts. Even with Umma Guk! With my luck, it'd be the same with the neighbour, but since I don't actually know anything about him, the idea was more terrifying than anything.

Well, it was terrifying even with people I considered family, but there's just something about a stranger you know nothing about being privy to your secrets.

This could be easily rectified if I'd just introduce myself to the guy, but nope. Not gonna happen! This cat right here isn't going to go out of his way to be social with a stranger unless it's a worst case scenario!

We made it to Walmart with no problems other than Jongup's usual road rage of people not using their blinkers or driving like molasses or going despite not having the right of way. Road rage I shared in because how in the hell did they get their licenses if they clearly didn't know how to drive!

“What all do you have to get?” I wondered as Jongup grabbed a buggy after we walked in.

Jongup pulled a list from his pocket. “Taco shells and seasoning, sodas, bottled water, juices, and wet cat food,” he read off. “It's not on the list, but I'm also grabbing more chocolate syrup.”

“Because you know what you're about,” I chuckled.

“Damn right I do.” Moon Jongup was about chocolate milk. That good , as he'd say. “You have things to get, too?”

“Yeah. Cat food, cat litter, bags for cleaning the cat box, and more peanut butter,” I listed off.

“You and your peanut butter,” Jongup teased. “You're a peanut butter eating fiend, dude.”

“Because I know what I'm about!” I'm about eating creamy peanut butter straight from the jar. Otherwise known as that good .

“That you do.”

“I'd like to drop my groceries by the apartment before I come over for dinner if that's okay?”

“Got it, dude.”

--

Jongup had a blast telling Miss Moon I'd almost met the neighbour again but darted off before it happened. Miss Moon had a riot teasing me about it, too. Those two going on about what it would be like if I was to meet the neighbour. Do they have nothing better to do than theorize on my nonexistent love life with a stranger?

“He could just sweep you off your feet! You never know if you don't meet him,” Miss Moon said.

“Nope. There will be no sweeping. I can stand and walk just fine, you know.” I chomped into the soft shell taco I'd put together and chewed like I had a purpose.

“Maybe he'd be totally understanding of that?” Jongup covered his mouth while he spoke since he'd just taken a bite of his hard shell taco. “He could be a real gentleman. Would only touch you if you gave him the permission...”

“Even with permission, he'd have to readjust his skin every time,” Miss Moon laughed. “Couldn't so much as put a hand on his shoulder without the Daehyun-pet needing to fix his skin!”

I shuddered at the mere thought of it and I instinctively rubbed the area to get it feeling back the way it should.

“Relax dude, he's not touching you,” Jongup gave me an air pat to the head, but it was close enough that my ears twitched and I had to fix how my scalp felt because my aura felt off. Just like with thinking about the neighbour touching-

now I have to readjust the skin of my shoulder again!

“Geez, even thinking about it, he has to readjust his skin. It'd be a no contact relationship, for sure.” Jongup chuckled and shook his head to himself.

“Not necessarily! I'm actually very affectionate, just on my own terms! And he'd have to recognize my need to get my skin back into place-” I stopped myself before I rambled more and glared between the two of them with their knowing grins. “Wait, I'm not gonna theorize about this with you two! I'm not gonna meet the neighbour, and I'm definitely not gonna be romantically involved with him!” With an indignant shove of the rest of my taco in my mouth, that was the last that was said on the subject.

Given that Jongup had work tomorrow, I was brought back home after helping clean up dinner. I settled in for the night after doing the things I needed to do, deciding that I wanted to stretch out in the window for a short bit before bedtime. Just watching the occasional car go by, getting distracted by bugs flying around.

The nighttime usual when I didn't feel bothered to actually do things, and I currently couldn't be bothered to draw like I normally would. Too distracted thinking about getting cuddles and pets and then being pestered by my need to get my skin feeling back normal. Not a problem I had when in cat form, so this was easier on my brain.

The neighbour returned from whatever it was he did just as I was thinking about ditching the window and curling up on the couch for the night under the fuzzy blanket I set out like a fort. What was he doing getting back so late? He was gonna have a hell of a time tomorrow if he had things to do early!

Wait. Why am I concerned about this? His business has nothing to do with me!

He peaked over at the window while he walked up the steps, lips spreading into a smile once he caught sight of me. Slowly, he stepped over to my window rather than towards his apartment. “Hello, kitty. How was your day?”

I let out a tiny meow, one he probably didn't hear, and stretched from my laying position before adjusting so I was sitting. I flicked my tail around and waited patiently for him to talk more because he clearly looked like he had things to say. Feta got curious at hearing a voice and peered her head around the curtain, and the man on the other side of the window grinned so widely that his eyes closed.

What the heck is with the way that smile makes me feel? Get out of here, feelings. Not happening! Jongup and Miss Moon might want it to happen, but not me!

Once Feta had mirrored my position, the neighbour began to talk again. “While I was getting ready for work today, I thought I heard my neighbour singing on the porch. He was gone by the time I made it out of my apartment, though,” he relayed, and if I wasn't mistaken, he sounded almost sad about this.

Don't like how that thought makes me feel, nope! Shove that feeling away...

“His singing voice was very lovely. Maybe your owner is a music major, specializing in vocals? Or maybe it's just something he likes doing?” He theorized and let out a bit of a chuckle. “I actually like to sing myself. In the car on the way to classes or work,” he admitted. “Would you like to hear?” Feta began chirping and rubbing against the window, making enough of a fuss that Gouda was bothered enough to come see what the was going on. “Oh, more of an audience, huh? That's fine! I should probably be quiet, though. Don't want to risk waking up your owner since he's probably asleep.”

Nope, not asleep. Right here and about to be serenaded through the window.

With a clear of his throat, he began to softly sing. It wasn't a song I was familiar with, but that didn't matter because his voice, despite being muted for the sake of manners, was sweet sounding. It had me purring contentedly, sandwiched between Feta and Gouda with both of them chirping and meowing up a storm, singing along with what the neighbour was singing in their own special way.

He didn't do it for too long, stopping after about half a minute, and a part of me was disappointed he didn't continue. Gonna push that part deep down deep so it won't see the light of day...

Bashfully, he rubbed the back of his head but still had a smile spread across his face, probably by how the cats in front of him were responding to him. “I'm glad you liked it, kitties,” he beamed. “I hope you don't get too lonely over here with the neighbour gone all the time.”

Given that I, his neighbour, wasn't gone all the time, he didn't have to be concerned with that. But him worrying about it had my soul feeling some kind of weird that I didn't know how to explain. Why is he worried about the wellbeing of my cats when he has nothing to do with them?

“Good night, kitties. Sleep well.” With a tiny wave, he strode over to his side of the porch and vanished into his apartment, probably with the intent to sleep given it was midnight thirty.

Definitely not letting the Moons know I just got serenaded through the window, and definitely not letting them know how strange this makes me feel.

--

A/N:

The songs I sang to my cats in the window was, once more B.A.P's Diamond 4 Ya (don't know what it is about that song but DAMN do I JAM) as well as GOT7's Hard Carry.