Title: Have you eaten yet?

Chapter: One-shot

Author: renarowe

Summary/Pairing(s): Yuki ponders the difference between humans and animals (Yuki/Shuichi)

Genre: General/Romance

Rating/Warnings: T (implied male-male relationship)

Spoilers: None (but mentions things from Episode 6)

Disclaimer: You already know what I'm supposed to disclaim so why don't we just pretend like I typed something in perfect legalese and you promise not to sue

Written For: 1) gravimusemeet 500-Member Celebration Challenge from photoash: The things we do for those we love and 2) writingbitches challenge from mastermia: Topic #1 – Second Person

Word Count: 516

Concrit: Full

You bend over and rub your fingers through the cat's hair as he nuzzles against your leg. As you slide down, sitting with your back against the door, you scratch behind the cat's ears as he climbs up and settles into what seems to be his favorite place… your lap. "Have you eaten yet, Mr. Meow?" you ask. Like it matters, you wonder. When has the fat cat ever turned down a fresh bowl of crab meat?

You set down the bowl you were holding, you place it right next to you, so he can eat while still enjoying your soft caresses. You wonder what people would think if they saw you in such a compromising position… you, the great Eiri Yuki, notorious womanizer who won't let anyone get close to him, actually being so sweet and caring. It's not even your cat, and yet, you love him. You've been feeding him for years, enjoying his soft purrs when you rub his belly after he's had his fill.

You love the way he seems to know when you want to see him, when you need the comfortable silence of holding someone who loves you unconditionally. You don't even have to call to him. Instead, you hear him meowing outside the door, calling to you, announcing his presence, and you always answer. You don't know why he comes to you. Although he just seems to hang around downstairs in the alley, you know he must have a home. You wonder if and what he eats at home. You wonder if he has a family or just a single owner and if they love him like you do.

The funny thing about pets, you muse, is that you don't ever have to say those "three little words" and yet they know how you feel. You know they can feel the love in your touch and hear it in your voice. Something as simple as preparing his favorite meal seems like the perfect way for you to show you care. But humans just don't seem to get it the way animals do, you scoff.

Maybe you'll explore the theory more in your next book. You can create a seemingly cold, distant protagonist and give him a cat (or maybe a dog) that he can have long, intimate musings about love with, but make him incapable of telling his lover how he really feels. You sit a while longer, gently stroking the cat as you continue to ponder the irony of such a misunderstood character.

Ah well, it seems our little visit is over, you observe a few minutes later when the cat gets up and saunters away. You return to your apartment and head towards the office to jot down a few ideas while the thoughts are still fresh in your mind just as you hear the front door open again. "I'm home", Shuichi announces at the top of his lungs. You don't acknowledge him at first, but then as he rushes over to give you one his infamous rib-crushing hugs from behind, you ask, "Have you eaten yet?"