Chapter Text
Pete leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head. His back and shoulders gave a satisfying pop as he glanced over at the clock icon on the bottom right hand of his computer screen. He let out a sigh of frustration when he noted that the time was currently reading 8:47am...meaning Pete had unintentionally pulled another all-nighter. The article he was working on for a local magazine wasn’t due for another month but it was in his nature that when he started a project he usually didn’t stop to rest until it was completed…or he passed out from exhaustion (whichever came first). He was dead tired and frustrated that the piece wasn't flowing as easily as it should. He always wrote with a flow and cadence that came so naturally but for some reason it just wasn't clicking today. He wanted nothing more than to save the mediocre work that he had managed to complete and hibernate for the rest of the week. However, if he went to bed now he’d be lucky to catch only a few hours sleep. He may be feeling physically and mentally tired but his mind was now running on a manic stage. He would most likely end up tossing and turning and running words through his mind; never successfully reaching a fully restful state to fall asleep. And if he DID miraculously manage to nod off, he definitely wouldn't be able to STAY asleep. He’d just end up awake by early afternoon and have to suffer through not being able to fall asleep again later that night. Taking a nap now would only serve to fuck up his sleep schedule for the remainder of the week and it just wasn't worth the suffering. He rubbed his face and figured he’d just bite the bullet and stay awake. Once he came to the inevitable conclusion that staying awake was the most reasonable choice in this particular situation, Pete decided he was going to need the assistance of some coffee and maybe a pastry or two. Still fully dressed from the day before, Pete grabbed a coat and headed out the door to his favorite coffee shop.
The little café was only a 15 minute drive from his apartment but morning rush hour slowed him down. Pete didn’t mind the slight delay since it gave him a chance to sing along (not all too well, bless his heart) to his playlist and meditate over various themes for new writing projects. When he arrived at his destination 35 minutes later, he pulled into an empty space in the employee lot in the alley behind the building. The spots were marked “Employees Only – Tow Away Zone” but Pete had recently become friends with the owner (after writing a beaming review of the café when they first opened) and was given express permission to use the lot whenever he came in. Pete exited his car, made sure it was locked, and walked through the alley and around the corner to the front entrance. The doorbell gave a soft ding as he walked in and made his way over to the counter to stand in line. He glanced at the menu board and quickly decided against trying anything new and opted to stick with the usual. As he waited for his turn in queue he looked around the café and realized the place was packed. Seemed like quite a number of patrons needed to grab a caffeine fix before heading off to work or school or wherever. He had wanted to sit in the café and relax while drinking his coffee but since there were no seats available he decided to just take his order to go. He craned his neck in every direction but didn’t see his owner friend so he asked the barista that served him to pass along a hello before heading back out.
As Pete walked back through the alley to his car, he contemplated heading over to the park to enjoy his breakfast. He needed to get out of the house for a little while and put some distance between himself and his current project and the fresh air and sunshine are supposed to be good for you, right? Diving headfirst into a writing project was something he was accustomed to but it always ended up draining him. Pete never had the ability to “shut it off” as one would say and would more often than not find himself holed up in his apartment for days on end while he worked. Working from home was great...it meant never having to deal with traffic, stuffy business attire or asshole co-workers...but it also meant that sometimes he'd be cooped up within the same four walls for way longer than is considered healthy. As Pete buried himself in thought, he unconsciously rounded the corner and was almost near his car when some movements and loud, rattle/bang sounds coming from a dumpster in the rear caught his attention. He stood still and kept his eye on the waste bin expecting a raccoon (trash panda, he thought wistfully) or some other animal to come scurrying out at any second. After a moment or two of more rummaging sounds Pete saw a furry pair of dirty blonde ears pop up over the edge of the container. Their appearance startled Pete because they were far too large to belong to a normal animal. Overcome by curiosity, Pete began to tentatively take a few steps closer to inspect when suddenly it popped up and jumped out of the dumpster. The creature was a boy with huge fluffy ears and a tail that matched the dirty blonde color of his hair. He was dressed in a well-worn yet oversized T-shirt, a pair of threadbare boxers and nothing else. Pete’s heart immediately went out to the poor kid. He appeared painfully thin and looked absolutely filthy. Pete took another hesitant step forward, not wanting to scare the young neko, but froze when the kid crouched low to the ground, bared his teeth and growled. His ears were folded flat against the top of his head and his matted tail was poofed up to twice its previous size. Though this gesture was obviously meant to intimidate, Pete could only think how adorable and vulnerable this poor neko appeared. Not wanting the kid to run away, Pete put his hands up in a gesture indicating he meant no harm and quietly spoke to the young boy.
“Hey buddy, it’s okay. I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.” It took a few moments but the kid stopped growling yet remained very still. They stood frozen, eyeing each other for a few moments before Pete had an idea. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly put his coffee cup on the floor and opened the bag of pastries pulling out a fresh blueberry muffin.
“Are you hungry? You look like you haven’t eaten in a while.” He held out the muffin, hand open and palm up, offering it to the neko. There were a few moments of hesitation but apparently hunger outweighed fear and the young boy’s fluffy ears perked up as he lifted his nose to sniff the air. The treat smelled so good and he was so fucking hungry.
“It’s okay, you can take it.” The neko reproachfully looked back and forth from the muffin to Pete with pleading blue eyes. Pete took this as a good sign and slowly took a few steps forward to get closer to the kid. Thankfully, he appeared more relaxed and didn’t flinch as Pete came closer into his personal space. Soon, he was at arm’s length distance and the boy very cautiously raised his right arm to take the muffin from Pete’s open hand. Pete couldn’t help but smile warmly as he watched the young neko take a cautious sniff of the muffin and then start to eat. The kid took a few bites, slowly at first, and then began to consume the treat in earnest. Once he had devoured the baked good Pete pulled out another one and offered it to him. The neko relaxed even more and smiled this time as he took the offered treat.
“What’s your name, buddy?” Pete asked, using the most calm and soothing voice he could muster. The boy paused his eating and looked at him with his head cocked slightly to the side. In lieu of words he muttered out a quiet meow.
“Oh,” Pete stated. ‘Maybe he doesn’t know how to speak,’ Pete thought to himself. They maintained eye contact and Pete very cautiously decided to ask, “Can you understand me? Are you feral?”
The boy raised an eyebrow at Pete and shook his head to indicate that he understood his words and was not a feral. Relieved that the kid understood him he asked his name again. The neko, now done eating, slowly walked up to Pete and carefully placed his head on the taller man’s shoulder. He was purring quite loudly and his entire frame vibrated as he did so. Pete kept his hands to his sides but lightly pressed his face into the fur around the neko’s ears. His hair was filthy and matted and he smelled horrible but this only caused Pete to feel a strange surge of protectiveness.
“My name is Patrick,” his quiet voice stated. Pete closed his eyes and boldly wrapped his arms around the emaciated boy’s frame. Patrick’s tail started to flick from side to side as Pete hugged him and his purring seemed to get louder.
“Well hello, Patrick. My name is Pete,” the dark haired man whispered soothingly into the top of Patrick’s head. He could feel Patrick smiling and heard him quietly and reverently repeat his own name into the crook of his neck, as if to memorize it. After a few moments, Pete decided he was unwilling to leave this kid to starve in the streets. The poor neko was barefoot, filthy, emaciated and barely dressed. The temperature was expected to drop that night and surely he’d catch his death of cold if he didn’t have sufficient clothing and shelter. Pete pulled away from Patrick, gently held him by his painfully thin shoulders and looked him in the eyes.
“Hey buddy, if it’s okay with you why don’t we go back to my place. We’ll get you cleaned up and fed. I don’t think I wanna to leave you out here. It’s gonna be really cold tonight and you don’t look like you have anything warm to wear.” Pete then released Patrick from their embrace, removed his coat and draped it over the boy’s thin shoulders. “What do you say…is that okay?” Patrick beamed up at him and contentedly mewled in agreement.
**
After nestling Patrick into the passenger seat of Pete’s car, they soon arrived back to the apartment. It was a small, modest place but perfectly suited to Pete’s taste. The unit was a 2 bedroom 1 bath with one of the bedrooms converted into Pete’s office/library where he worked out of as a freelance writer and aspiring author.
“Well, this is it!” exclaimed Pete as he entered his 800 square foot apartment. “It may not the biggest or best place but it's home.” Pete turned and smiled warmly at Patrick as he gently ushered his tiny frame into the apartment.
Patrick was looking around at all of his surroundings, head inclined to take in all the new scents and Pete watched as the little neko shyly began to explore the living room. He slowly shuffled along the room, sniffing the air and eyeing all of the random items that were tossed haphazardly about. Gods help him, Patrick had to be the most adorable thing Pete had ever seen in his life.
“So Patrick, how ‘bout we get a nice warm bath started for you, huh? I’ll get you some comfy new clothes to change into and everything. How does that sound, buddy?” Pete tried to convey some excitement in his voice hoping to lessen any nervousness his houseguest may be experiencing. Patrick looked at Pete, flicked his tail dramatically from side to side and smiled.
“Thank you,” he said quietly and Pete could hear the rumbling purr behind his words.
Pete led them to the bathroom and started to fill the tub with hot water making sure that he kept a hand under the faucet to ensure the water didn’t get too hot. Patrick stood at Pete’s heels curiously watching the steamy water fill the tub. When it was finally filled, Pete switched off the tap and turned to make his way out. Patrick grabbed Pete’s shirt with a worried expression and pulled him back into the bathroom.
“Hey, hey, hey don’t worry. I’m just gonna run and grab some clothes. I promise I’ll be right back. I'm not going to leave you alone if you don’t want.” Pete addressed Patrick as he cupped his face lovingly. “I just thought you’d want some privacy while you, you know, washed up.” Patrick appeared to be satisfied with that answer and hesitantly allowed Pete to go to the bedroom. Pete grabbed a pair of old, worn-in sweats, a pair of clean boxers and his favorite Transformers t-shirt (the one depicting the classic 1980’s version of Megatron and Starscream because the Decepticons were fucking awesome, thank you very much). He was about to return to the bathroom with the change of clothes when he realized he would need to cut a hole in the bottoms for Patrick’s tail to fit through. Pete grabbed a pair of scissors and created the necessary slits in the clothing before returning to the bathroom.
When he walked back into the bathroom, he found that Patrick had undressed himself but was simply standing next to the tub, hovering over the top and looking at the water. The poor boy seemed confused or apprehensive about the bath when it suddenly dawned on Pete that nekos, like cats, probably had a similar aversion to water.
“Oh, hey Patrick? You okay? Are you afraid of the water?” Patrick looked at Pete sadly and nodded. He then averted his eyes and hung his head, clearly embarrassed, while the light trails of fur stood up over his shivering nude form. “Look…” Pete reached down and touched the water. Patrick's eyes followed the movements and tension in his body seemed to subside minutely. “See? There’s nothing to be afraid of. Water can’t hurt you. And hey, I’ll help you wash up. Does that sound good?”
Patrick was still shivering with nerves but smiled and allowed Pete to guide him down into the tub. Once he submerged himself into the warm water, Patrick realized that it actually felt good. In a moment of rare bliss, he closed his eyes and purred contentedly as Pete ran water over his head and started to shampoo his hair and fur. Pete took his time massaging the soap into Patrick’s scalp wanting the young boy to enjoy the bath as much as possible. When he was done scrubbing the filth from his fur, Pete very carefully washed the soap out taking great care not to let any get into his eyes and started to rub in some conditioner. Pete took a loofah puff and applied some scented body wash on it and started to scrub the rest of Patrick’s body. It was near impossible to ignore the fact that he was cleaning the most delicate and private areas of the young neko’s body and Pete tried to avoid looking too much but it was literally impossible. The young neko needed to be washed thoroughly and Pete simply tried to image he was washing an infant instead of an insanely gorgeous individual. Shaking the inappropriate thoughts away, Pete began to shampoo and condition his tail. Once Pete had thoroughly washed Patrick, he had him stand up to run the shower and get all the soap residue off. The water in the tub was a murky grey color which broke Pete’s heart knowing it must have been ages since Patrick was last clean. He wrapped Patrick in a large fluffy towel and helped him out of the tub and into the bedroom.
Patrick sat on the bed while Pete dried him off and he noticed that the color of Patrick’s fur was actually more red tinged than before, now that he was clean. He helped Patrick get dressed then had him sit on the edge of the bed again. Grabbing a hairbrush and a blow dryer, Pete started to work on getting his fur completely dry. As he brushed out and dried the matted fur Patrick started to doze off and by the time Pete was completely finished, Patrick was curled onto his side fast asleep purring softly. Pete kissed his forehead, placed a blanket over his small form and went to the living room.
**
Pete took a seat on the couch and turned on his television. The events of the day were strange to say the very least and he wanted to take his mind off of everything for a while. He was still tired and drained but was decidedly against the idea of falling asleep until he was sure Patrick was doing well and settled in. He was going to have to set up the pull out couch in his office with sheets and pillows and clean up so Patrick had some space. Pete was also going to have to go through his wardrobe to find a few other articles of clothing Patrick could wear. The neko was much smaller so he'll probably have to go out and buy a few things in his size as well. There were A LOT of things Pete was going to have to figure out but for now, some mindless reality television was in order. The important details can start getting worked out later.
After channel surfing for a few hours, Pete thought maybe he should go back to his study and continue working on his editorial assignment. He was a bit more relaxed now but his mind and heart were a million miles away and he knew that he was far from being able to effectively write anything of substance.
Nah, his deadline wasn't for a while. He could afford to fart around and waste some time right now.
Pete was delving deeply into his search for something watchable when a knock on his door broke the spell of concentration. Not expecting any visitors, Pete looked to the door with apprehension but reluctantly decided to answer it anyways. When he opened it he was surprised to see his friends Joe and Andy standing there.
“Peeeeeeeeete! What’s good, mah dude?!” Joe yelled loudly in his typical exuberant fashion as he pulled Pete into a giant bear hug. Pete smiled warmly at his friends.
“Hey guys. What are you doing here?”
“We were passing through your area. ‘Bout to hit up that new diner that opened up last month. You wanna go grab some grub, man? Figured you probably haven’t left the house this week. Come oooonnnnnn! We’re starving!” Joe whined to Pete while still clinging tightly to his shoulders.
Pete managed to escape Joe’s death grip and looked at Andy beseechingly. “Dude, control your husband.”
Andy just shook his head. He feigned an apologetic look but it was clear he was amused by Joe’s boisterousness. “Sorry, he’s a lost cause.”
Pete, clearly NOT as amused, furrowed his brows and pushed Joe’s hands down. “Well, fucking be quiet okay.” Pete huffed and nervously glanced over his shoulder towards the bedroom to see if he could hear any signs that Patrick may have been woken up.
Andy raised his eyebrow as he watched Pete. “Hey man, you good? Do you have company or something?”
Pete, still glancing towards the bedroom sheepishly replied, “Actually, yeah I kinda do have company.”
Joe wagged his eyebrows and mimed a vulgar gesture with his hand and mouth. Pete smacked him in the back of his head.
“Nothing like that you fucking pervert.” Joe giggled while he rubbed the back of his head. “Just, quiet down. I think he’s still sleeping.” Both Joe and Andy looked at each other and shared a look of confusion. Pete sighed and waved his friends in towards the living room. “Come in and sit down. I’ll tell you what happened.”
**
Pete recounted the story from that morning, his friends listening with rapt attention and looking like they were almost vibrating with excitement. Andy, being the resident vegan and animal rights activist, always had a fascination with nekos. He was also a nurse at one of the local medical centers where one of the doctors on staff ran a family practice that included neko patients. Pete was excited by this info and grilled Andy for any and all info he could provide to help out. Unfortunately, Andy wasn’t too knowledgeable about the creatures but promised to do as much research as he could on Pete’s behalf.
After about half an hour of discussing nekos and various other topics of interest, they heard the sounds of feet padding into the living room followed by a soft, questioning meow. All three men looked up to see Patrick standing in the hallway at the entrance of the living room, wrapped in a blanket and looking extremely angry. Patrick didn’t know the two strangers sitting with his Pete and he did not like that they were so close to him. He flattened his ears back and a low growl started in the back of his throat.
Pete looked at Patrick in confusion. “Hey Patrick. Are you okay? Did we wake you up, buddy?”
Patrick didn't acknowledge Pete's question but continued to growl as he stared at Joe and Andy. Sensing that he may need to diffuse the situation, Pete quickly jumped up and took Patrick into his arms, cooing softly into his ear and stroking his hair. Patrick remained rigid in Pete’s arms; his gaze locked on the two strangers sitting on the couch who were looking back in confusion.
“Shh, Tricky. Calm down. This is Joe and Andy. They're some really close friends of mine.” Pete explained while continuing to stroke the neko but Patrick was obviously not okay with them being here.
He bared his teeth and spit out a hiss at them. “He’s mine! What are you doing here??”
Pete turned to his friends with a surprised and apologetic look before turning his attention back to Patrick. He placed both hands on Patrick’s face and tilted his head to the side so they could make eye contact. “Hey, hey...look at me. Listen, these guys are good people and that wasn't very nice of you to say to them. They didn't do anything, understand? Now, what's the matter? Why are you upset?”
Patrick’s scowl faded and was replaced with a lip quiver as tears began to fill his eyes. His body started to tense and shiver as he looked back into Pete's eyes.
“Come on, don’t be upset. Talk to me. What's wrong?” Patrick glanced over Pete's shoulder to look at Andy and Joe again. When he met Pete's gaze again he started mewling pathetically.
Pete sighed sadly and turned to face his friends. “Guys, I’m sorry but maybe you should go. I don’t want to upset him. He’s had such a rough time. I’ll call you later. I just want to give him time to adjust.”
Andy and Joe quietly nodded and let themselves out. Patrick eyed them until the door closed behind them. As soon as they had vacated the unit, Patrick wrapped himself around Pete and started crying.
“They were trying to take you away from me! I don’t like them!” Patrick cried as he shuddered against his human. All Pete could do was rock him from side to side in hopes he would calm down. He was NOT expecting Patrick to be so attached so quickly and wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.
“Come on Patrick, let’s get you back to bed. You’ve had a rough day.”
Patrick wiped the tears from his face and blinked as he gazed up at Pete. “Will you stay with me? Please?” Patrick pleaded. Pete sighed and nodded.
“Of course, Tricky.” He decided some cuddling may help sooth his nerves so he carefully picked Patrick up and carried him back to the bedroom.
**
It took some time but eventually Patrick calmed down enough to fall back to sleep. He entered slumber curled up tightly at Pete's side and but slowly started getting closer and closer as his embrace tightened. Eventually, Patrick managed to completely entwine his limbs with Pete’s and even while asleep, if he felt Pete make so much as a stir of movement, he locked up tighter. Patrick continued to purr as he slept which Pete found incredibly soothing. He had been fighting off the desire to nap the entire day but with the lulling purr emanating from the warm body next to him, he ended up closing his eyes and submitting to the warm embrace of sleep. Pete managed to drift off for a little while but eventually woke up when he felt a burning need to use the bathroom. Very carefully he tried to disengage himself from the vice grip of the sleeping neko. He was almost free when Patrick woke with a start and lunged at Pete’s shoulder, biting roughly and growling.
“Mine,” Patrick murmured into Pete’s arm as he bit down. Pete just froze unsure what the fuck was happening. This was a very aggressive act and was a bit shocked and confused. He squirmed a little trying to get out of Patrick’s grasp but that only made him grip harder and bite again.
“Mine!” Patrick said with more aggression.
‘What the actual fuck is going on here? Is this normal? Oh shit, does this kid have rabies or something? Do nekos get rabies? What am I supposed to do?’ Pete was internally panicking.
“Patrick…baby…it’s okay. I’m just going to the bathroom. I’m not leaving. No one is taking me away. I promise.” Patrick hesitantly removed his mouth from Pete’s shoulder and looked up into his face.
“Mine?” The boy squeaked sadly and Pete’s heart sank.
“Yes, baby. I’m all yours.”
What the fuck was he saying?
“Now, I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick and I’ll be right back. Then, we’ll start dinner. You must be starving.” Patrick nodded and reluctantly released his hold on the older man.
**
As the week progressed, Patrick only became more and more attached to Pete. The young neko was plagued with nightmares that only seemed to be relieved by Pete whispering soothing words and maintaining constant physical contact. It was now to the point where Pete had to leave to bathroom door open so Patrick could hover protectively in the doorway when he used the toilet or showered. As cute as this was at first it was quickly starting to fill Pete with a greater concern. Why would Patrick be so attached and possessive so quickly after meeting? When another week passed and the same behavior continued without sign of abatement, Pete decided that he really should confront Patrick about his emotional state.
Pete and Patrick were on the couch watching some random reality series on Bravo; Patrick, as usual, was curled tightly into Pete’s side and purring contently. Pete gazed down into his face and saw that, instead of watching the television set, he was staring off towards the window wearing a happy but glazed expression. Pete reached his unpinned arm over to tilt Patrick’s face to meet his eyes.
“Patrick, baby. I was hoping we could talk a little bit.” Patrick smiled up into Pete’s face, straightened up slightly and nodded.
“Sure Pete, anything you want I want.” His purring increased and the tip of his tail flicked off to his side.
“Well, I was just beginning to get a little worried about you, is all. You seem to have gotten really attached to me and don't like to be left alone. I just want to make sure you're doing okay. Is everything okay with you? Are you happy?”
Patrick’s smile quickly faded and was replaced with a furrowed brow and confused expression. “Pete, I’ve never in my entire life been happier. I love you. I need you.” Patrick looked up at Pete’s serious expression and started to get scared. “Oh my god, did I upset you? Did I do something wrong?” Patrick was quickly starting to escalate to a panicked state and Pete went to diffuse.
“Baby no! You did nothing wrong. Look,” Pete grabbed Patrick’s shoulders and had him face him directly. “I was just concerned. You seemed to have attached yourself to me quite deeply from almost the moment we met and I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay. What was your life like before you met me? What happened that made you need this so much?”
Patrick visibly relaxed once he understood that Pete was just curious and he was not in trouble or being rejected. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned into Pete once again.
“Well, I don’t remember being a kid too well. I don’t know where I was born but I remember living in a shelter with my mom and siblings. I think I had 2 sisters and 1 brother from the same litter. Maybe it was 2 brothers and 1 sister…I’m not too sure. When I was about 6 or 7 this family came to visit us in the shelter. This was odd but really exciting at the same time…cos we very rarely got to see anyone except the people that worked at the facility. It was a family…a man and woman and a girl and a boy. The kids were bigger than me but talked a lot to me and my siblings. I remember laughing and playing games and having a really good time with them. My mom stayed quiet the entire time…I remember she looked like she was afraid or worried. But it was so much fun meeting these new people. Anyways, after a while the family went to leave but the shelter workers told me to come with them. I was confused and then terrified when my mom started hissing and screaming to not take me. They took me down a hallway and explained that the family we met was going to take me home. Like, to their home. I didn’t understand what this meant or if I’d get to see my family again.
“So, I ended up living with this family. They were really rich and had a huge house. I was given tons of clothes and soft pillows to sleep on and plenty of food to eat. But they treated me like…like an animal. I guess I was their pet. Yeah, I got lots of things but I kinda felt like I was there for decoration or something. I’m not sure if I can explain properly. I didn’t feel loved and wanted…” Patrick looked into Pete’s eyes with tears starting to well. “It was nothing like how it is with you.”
Pete took Patrick’s hands and nodded for him to continue. Patrick took a steadying breath and started back up.
“So, I lived with them like this for a few years and after a while I adjusted. But there was this one night when I was around 15 that I woke up to screaming and being choked by smoke. Somehow the house had caught on fire. I watched the family rush around, gathering each other and making their way out…but they left me. They fucking left me in there to die, Pete. I don’t know how I managed but I was able to break out a window and get out. I ran into the forest that was behind the house and hid there as I watched the firefighters put the fire out. I fell asleep in the woods that night and waited there for almost a week and a half but my family never came back for me. I guess they assumed I burned to death in the house.” At this point tears are flowing freely down Patrick’s face and Pete is almost right there with him.
“By this point I knew I had to leave and find food. So I eventually wandered out and started to live on the streets for the next few years. It was so scary at first but eventually I learned the best areas to get food or shelter without getting caught. But I was sick of living like that and started thinking I should turn myself into one of the shelters. I almost did that…then you showed up.” Patrick beamed up at Pete.
“You saved me. You fed me and bathed me and gave clothes and you love me and treat me so well…and I love you, Pete. I love you with all my heart and I’m so grateful for everything. You’re like my guardian angel and I never wanna be without you!”
Pete wrapped his arms around Patrick so fast and so hard he may as well have been trying to squeeze the life out of the poor neko. Pete, now weeping desperately, covered Patrick’s face with a million kisses.
“Oh, my poor baby! Patrick, I promise I will never leave you! I promise that I will always take care of you, love you, adore you and give you every happiness that you deserve.”
Patrick pulled away slightly to look at Pete. “Really? You really promise this? That you’re really mine?”
“Patrick, I swear it.”
The neko pulled away a bit further now looking a bit lost and confused.
“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened? Tell me what you’re feeling.”
Patrick just shook his head slightly. His ears pointed off to opposite sides and the fur covering his ears and tail began to poof. “I…I’m not really sure. I feel…I feel…you know? I feel…I want…” Patrick looked back at Pete and slowly raised his hands to cover each side of his face and began to stroke his cheeks.
“Oh.” Pete mumbled, realizing what Patrick was experiencing and the gravity of the moment. Pete gazed deeply into Patrick’s face, taking everything in and considering his emotions. Before he could over think anything, he found Patrick was leaning forward tentatively, eyes starting to close. Pete matched his action, pulled Patrick close to him and pressed their lips together. Pete didn't want to rush this moment, no matter how desperately his heart was racing with excitement. He instead wanted to savor every second and commit them to memory.
It was obvious that the young neko had ever done anything like this before. Patrick pressed his lips eagerly to Pete’s and moved them but kept his mouth closed. It was absolutely innocent and beautiful. Pete cupped his cheek with his right hand, the other moving to the back of his neck to add some slight pressure; moving him close while petting the soft hair at the back of his head. After a few minutes like this, Patrick pulled back a tiny bit to look at Pete with hazy, wanting eyes.
“Pete...What's happening? I...I just feel…” Pete smiled lovingly and pressed his lips against Patrick's once again. He was overcome with how much love he was feeling from Pete and couldn't help when he started to purr. Pete smiled into the kiss and could feel the vibrations travel into his own body from where they were pressed chest to hips. Pete pulled away by only a few inches, reached up with his left hand to grasp Patrick’s chin and pulled slightly.
“Baby, open your mouth a little bit.”
Pete went back to pressing their lips together but this time Patrick opened his mouth slightly so Pete could softly lick his lips with his tongue. Patrick went completely still with that motion; eyes shooting open. Pete opened his eyes a bit to make sure he was okay with this and was able to watch the exact moment when something clicked in Patrick and he went into animal instinct autopilot. Trick’s eyes rolled back before closing and he dove into the kiss with a never before felt passion and excitement. It was sloppy and uncoordinated, typical of anyone's first kiss, but Pete was enthralled. He was patient and silently guided Patrick with slight movements. Trick’s tail curled around the dark man's waist as the neko shifted from sitting next to Pete and crawled into his lap while pawing at the back of his neck and kissing and biting his lips.
After a while of making out on the couch, Pete pulled away and looked Patrick in the eyes. They sat there, gazing wondrously at one another and smiling. Pete leaned back to lie down flat on the couch and pulled Patrick to lie on his chest. After a few minutes they fell asleep to matching breaths and soft purrs.
Patrick didn’t have one nightmare that night.