Thanksgiving has crept up on me. Way faster than I'd like. For the past few years since Umma Guk moved up with the rest of the family, I'd spent it with the Moons. I'm an honorary member of the family, after all. But this year, Umma Guk wanted to spend that time with me. His original thought was me flying up to see him and the rest of the family, but there are two things wrong with that.

One, I hate flying. I'd had to do it a few times when Umma Guk would go to visit family and I wasn't of the age where I could refuse going along. Two, I dislike all the other family members except for him. They're all so insensitive to how easily I get overwhelmed and despise being touched.

Then he suggested he roadtrip down to get me, then we roadtrip back up. While that got rid of the flying, it didn't change the fact that I'd still be putting up with the crazies of the family. Both Aunt Natasha and Uncle Yongnam have hellion children and think it's completely fine to just let them do whatever the they want, even if it's rude and possibly harmful to themselves and others.

Then there are the Grandparents Bang. Gram Bang rearranged her medicines based on what she was doing in the week. Rather than take them when she was supposed to, she reasoned that so long as she took the amount she needed to in the week, it was totally healthy. News flash, it's not! Both her and Grandpa Bang were wildly unconcerned with the well being of others and encouraged uncomfortable situations.

Simply put, they were more mocking of my dislike of contact and my need to hide away than mindful of it.

As far as I knew, none of them were aware about that cat thing. I'm thankful for that, really. Because there's no way that they wouldn't think it was some kind of freakish. And if I was in cat form there, I was certain the hellspawn would try to 'play' with me when I only wanted to be left alone.

Umma Guk had eventually conceded to just roadtripping down to spend a few days with me. In talking with the Moons about it, they said he should just come to their Thanksgiving thing since it's what I always did. Which meant the Moons would have a real crowded home on Thanksgiving because they always invite all of Jongup's friends as well as distant family members.

I'd definitely be hiding away, but they never had a problem with it and were more than understanding. Umma Guk would probably hide away with me, and I wasn't opposed to that.

It's a rather long drive to get down here, a few days at least if you stopped to sleep for the night. Unfortunately, Umma Guk hadn't made that choice. No, he decided to drive the full length, only stopping for gas and food. He started at o'clock yesterday, and I'd just gotten the phone call that he was approaching the little town I lived in. At 2 am today.

Then he called again, saying he was lost.

So I humanized and flopped off the sleeper sofa. I'd had to not only move my couch, but pull out the mattress for it since Umma Guk would be staying with me and I didn't own an actual bed because I don't need one. After throwing on some clothes and pulling my beanie over my head with a grumble, I stumbled out onto the porch and flipped on the porch light.

“Alright Umma,” I said to the phone. “You said you passed the Huddle House? Going which way?”

From the phone speakers came the response, and yes I use speaker phone because I'm not very fond of holding the phone up to my ears. Especially when my cat ears are on top of my head and not near where human ears would be. “Yeah, I turned right at the church and passed the Huddle House... That's what I was supposed to do, right?”

“No,” I sighed. “You were supposed to turn left at the church and take another left turn just before the railroad tracks.” Umma Guk had helped me find this place, so why was it so hard for him to find? Maybe it was because it'd been a few years since he'd been down here and seen the place himself?

“Oh. Uh, let me find a place to turn around then.” A few moments of silence, and I held myself on the porch. It's too cold for me to be standing out on the porch in the dead of night, but I needed to make sure Umma made it here okay. Various car sounds came from my phone, then the declaration of, “Okay, I banged a u-ie.”

“Umma, that's illegal!”

“What, no one's out here! It's only illegal if I get caught!”

“That's bad logic to go by, Umma. It's also illegal to talk on the phone and drive, ya know.”

“I've got you on speaker phone in the cupholder, so it's fine! Now, you said a left after the railroad tracks?”

I groaned and rubbed a hand down my face. “No, a left before the railroad tracks! Right before the abandoned looking train station.”

Brake screeching and a string of curses. “Oof, almost missed it. That's probably the sharpest turn I've ever taken. What next?”

“Okay, so the house will be on your left with the porch light on, and I'm standing on my side of the porch, so slow dow-” A car zoomed by. “Aaand you just passed it.”

“Oh, that was it? I thought it was farther down the road. Better bang another u-ie...”

“Umma, just find somewhere to pull in and turn around! If you try to pull a u-turn on this road, you could get stuck in the ditch!”

“Have some faith in me, I've been driving longer than you've been alive.”

“That doesn't reassure me,” I muttered.

Of course Umma did another u-turn, but thankfully he didn't end up getting stuck in the ditch. “So do I just park on the sidewalk?”

“No, there's a little road right before that tree. You take that and just immediately zip into the grass space in front of my side of the house,” I answered, watching Umma's car intently as it made the required stop. Then the necessary turn. Then a turn so sharp and sudden that I would've been jumping out of my skin if I'd been in the car.

“And I'm here!”

“And you're here.” I clicked off the device and slipped it into the pocket of my pants. Since I didn't put on shoes, there was no way I was walking off this porch. Besides, knowing him, he only had one bag.

I was correct, because he emerged from the car and pulled one duffel bag out of the trunk before taking the steps and joining me on the porch. He kind of towers over me, but not to the extent that Junhong towers over Jongup.

Umma Guk spread into a wide smile. “May I have a hug?”

I playfully rolled my eyes. “I guess so.” I threw my arms around my Umma, and he set his bag down to do the same. “I missed you, Umma.”

“I missed you too, kiddo.”

After a minute long hug, I remembered that it was o'clock and my Umma hadn't actually slept in over 24 hours. I pulled back and cleared my throat. With what I hoped was a stern look, I pointed at my door. “Now go inside and get the to sleep!”

Umma Guk chuckled tiredly and saluted. “Yes sir!”

--

As much as I didn't want to be up before noon because I hadn't gotten good sleep due to Umma Guk's lawnmower snoring, I couldn't get back to sleep once I woke up that morning. So, with a little cat chirp, I hopped down from the sleeper sofa mattress and onto the inner windowsill for my ritualistic morning sunbathing.

It's more of a routine at this point. I sunbathe until I watch the neighbour leave to do whatever it is he does, work or off somewhere else, then I get started with my day. He's an interesting guy to watch, and that weird feeling that causes me to rumble out the purrs is a bit more tolerable when it causes him to light up so much. Yeah, it makes me feel strange, but if seeing me and talking to me through the window somehow made his day, then I wouldn't deny him that.

Not like it's just me who gets this treatment because he likes to chat with Feta and Gouda in the window, too. I've heard him sing for them a few more times, unfortunately unable to join due to being in the middle of a bath or eating, but my cats enjoyed it. I secretly enjoyed it, too.

You know, the neighbour should invest in getting cats of his own if he gets so happy at just seeing them.

He came stumbling out of his apartment a bit earlier than he usually would, face sagging with a frown as he locked the door and adjusted the bag on his shoulders. As he walked down the porch towards the steps, he stopped in his place and looked out into the yard, towards where Umma Guk had parked last night. The frown he'd been sporting upturned a bit, and then even more so before he took a detour to come talk to me.

“The neighbour must have family over for Thanksgiving, huh?” he wondered quietly. A tiny meow from me, and he continued, “I've actually got to leave for a few days to go visit my family.” This thought put a downturn on his countenance. “Real glad I got my meds refilled beforehand. Holidays are always a hassle when you don't get along with the people you're celebrating with.”

That's a big mood and the entire reason I don't do it. If I'm going to be celebrating something, I'm gonna do it with people I enjoy being around. Like I'd be doing later! As much as I'd like to tell him that no one's making him drive out to make him do something he clearly doesn't want to do, I couldn't exactly do that without humanizing.

So I settled for another tiny meow as I stretched back to standing. A not too loud meow since Umma Guk was still asleep with Feta and Gouda curled up with him.

“I hope your owner gets along well with whoever he's celebrating with. Being forced to celebrate with people you don't like is something I wouldn't wish on anybody,” he sighed, rubbing at his neck and pulling his shirt collar nervously. “Anyways, I hope you, the other cats, your owner, and whoever is here with him have a good Thanksgiving.”

We'll do our best to! The cats get special treats on holidays, me not included because I get the 'fun' Thanksgiving foods for humans! Like turkey and cranberry sauce and dressing... I love me some cranberry sauce and dressing. The only reason the Moons make cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving is FOR me, so yeah!

“I uh...” More nervous tugging, this time at the straps of his bag, as he glanced anywhere but at me. “I'm... I'm thankful I get to talk to the three cats I see in the window. I... I guess it's as close to meeting the man in C that I'll get, but that's okay. I've never been good at talking to people anyway. Goodbye, kitty. I'll be back the day after tomorrow.”

Then off he went to his car with that tiny wave and smile he always did once he was done with the brief chat with whatever cat was in the window, leaving me ridiculously confused and weird feeling in this moment.

I have no idea what to make of his words nor how to interpret the various feelings they all give me!

--

Thanksgiving went fine. Stuffed myself full of copious amounts of food while locked in one of the back rooms with all the cats. They were locked up to keep them from getting at the buffet of food that was laid out, and the Raptor Squad was definitely not pleased. Umma Guk hung out in there with me and the cats on the couch in the craft room.

“I thought I heard someone talking this morning...” He said between bites.

I shrugged as I picked at my own food. “Sometimes the neighbour likes to talk to the cats if they're in the window,” I explained.

“That's adorable,” Umma Guk cooed. “Have you spoken with him at all?” I shook my head. “Not even an introduction?” Another shake of my head. “Why not?”

“Scared to,” I mumbled. “I'm not the best at talking to people I don't know.” And neither is the neighbour according to this morning's chat, so we're both at an impasse. He wants to know me but can't speak with people easily, and I get more curious about him as the days go by but am also horrible at speaking with strangers.

I'm far better at listening and letting other people lead the conversation.

“You have a lot more to look out for than a normal person would, so that's entirely valid,” he reasoned. “I know you're not the most social of cats, like Feta and Gouda are.” I'm really not. “Do you get bad vibes from him?”

I squinted down at my food and went over it in my head. As weird as he makes me feel sometimes, I don't think I considered them bad? Maybe bad in the sense that it makes me more and more inclined to get to know him, and the only way I could do that was introduce myself to him, but I don't get dangerous vibes from him...

So I shook my head. “He seems like an okay kind of person.”

“Just okay?”

“I can't exactly tell much from the porch window, Umma.”

He shrugged, a motion of 'that's fair', and shoved the rest of his turkey slice into his mouth. I was certain he'd continue on with this chat, but the door was knocked on and opened a smidge before he'd finished chewing.

In poked Jongup's head. “All the relatives have left if you wanna come out,” he declared. “Just the safe folks now.” Then he finger gunned himself right back out before shutting the door.

“I could go for seconds,” Umma Guk declared as he heaved himself up from the couch. “How about we head out there with them for a while? I'd like to catch up with the Moons and make sure they're taking good care of you.”

“Clearly they are,” I said. I gently set my plate of food down and freed my ears from underneath the beanie. “Do me a favour and don't mention anything about the neighbour to them? They love to tease me about it...”

After Umma Guk gave me a satisfying behind the ear scratch, me purring and leaning into the touch, he chuckled out, “Got it, kiddo.”

Then I readjusted my skin before we left the room.

--

A/N:

Ugh, this rainy weather is hell on my arthritic knees.

Also, here's a fun fact for you guys. I half assed met the rest of the neighbours. The new back neighbours in B (that will be mentioned in this story), and the guy who moved into A. I don't actually know if anyone lives in D at this point, last I recalled there was though. B might make a few appearances, so I won't give the deets on that. But the guy in A was a brief encounter when I went to go check the mail. Less than a minute, but I was still fried afterwards.