Standard disclaimers apply.
Warning : No porn. Sorry.
Tuesday evenings were nice. No patrol, no briefings, and Xander never scheduled a medical evaluation then unless an injury follow-up left him no choice. Tuesdays were his day off, and he liked to spend them just like this, lying in bed, a comic to read, snacks on hand and a contented Kitty curled down by his feet. It was a little tight in the bunk, but at least it was the extra long style, and he never minded being close to his unit anyway.
With that thought he glanced down to see Kitty bouncing a quarter across its knuckles with a look of concentration. It was a good look, sometimes the tip of its pink tongue would stick out of the corner of its mouth and Xander just wanted to pounce on the adorable. But that would disrupt its practice and the unit would probably pout. And he couldn't withstand a Kitty-pout, it just wasn't possible.
"That's not bad, where did you pick it up?" He watched the coin flip and spin with interest. It was a good little show, like a magician might do before making the quarter disappear then pulling it from behind the birthday boy's ear. Xander had never been that birthday boy, but Jesse was one year.
He switched his attention to Kitty's face, hoping it would give him a clue. He didn't know much about its former handlers, had one taught it a silly bit of fun like this? The unit cocked its head and then placed the other hand over the left side of its chest and tapped a rhythm. Pat-pat, pat-pat, pat-pat. Xander raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"You learned that when you were alive?" A nod and slightly embarrassed smile as Kitty tipped an imaginary hat and then tossed its head with a silent giggle. He laughed out loud. "Well, why do we work on any talents except to impress girls? I've never seen you do that before, what brought this on?"
It leaned forward and tapped the graphic novel lying open on the pillow, then its own head. Xander looked down at the WWII scene in surprise. "You were alive during the war?" Kitty shook its head and spun its hand in a backwards circle, but then tapped the page and its head again. "Oh you were turned before then, but you still remember that time. Were you in Europe?"
The unit nodded and pointed to a picture of one of the cats dressed in uniform, while exaggeratedly licking its lips. "You did not!" Kitty gave the impression of wounded dignity and nodded stubbornly. "Seriously? Why?" He expected a 'duh' look and another lick of the lips, but instead a pale finger tapped lower on the body in the picture. Xander tried to puzzle it out. "The uniform, you mean because he was a Nazi?" The unit shook its head and traced down the long overcoat the figure was wearing, then threw back its shoulders and cocked its head arrogantly.
Xander burst into laughter. "You ate a Nazi for his coat?" Now he got the 'duh' look and a further tilt of its head. "Okay, yeah, you probably looked good in it, I'll give you that." He gazed at his Kitty's lean figure and smiled. "Actually that sort of coat really would suit you, maybe I should get you one to wear when we're off base." He laughed again when the unit sat up eagerly, coin tricks forgotten, and gave him an imploring look. "You'd really like that, huh? Well, you be a good kitty this week and we'll do a little shopping when I get my pay, I didn't have anything in mind for my splurge budget yet anyway."
A mischievous smirk crept onto the unit's face and it began to crawl up Xander's body. "Nuh uh!" He laughed as he sat up and expertly deflected wandering hands, "You can be that kind of good kitty later. I still want to hear about why Nazis remind you of the coin trick. So you were in Europe... Germany itself?" Kitty shook its head, then shrugged and waved its hand forward. "Germany after this part of the story. Um, France, Poland?" He was distracted by pretty pink lips pursing together, but it was only to whistle My Country Tis of Thee. "Huh, you said you were- oh, England! Okay, you were in England during the war," a touch on the side of its neck, "with your Sire."
The unit mimed something falling then an explosion. "You two were there during the Blitz? Wow. It must have been scary." Kitty nodded, and stroked its throat again before twirling a finger at its temple. "And it was making her crazy, huh?" A lifted eyebrow and quick smirk brought a laugh as Xander as he remembered some of the other stories his unit had 'told' about its Sire. "Crazier than usual, then?"
There was sad affection in the smile that accompanied a nod, then it made a petting motion, jabbered noiselessly and began doing the coin trick again. "Yeah, anything to keep her calmed down, I've been there. Dunno if she was much of a Sire, it seems like you were the one taking care of her in a lot of your... Hey, don't be like that!"
Kitty had pulled away and was sitting at the foot of the bed again, in the 'unused military equipment' pose that it had always taken when not following a direct order back when he had first been assigned as its handler. "Cut it out, you brat." He yanked the stiff form into his arms and firmly kissed its forehead. "I'm sure she was a great Sire to make a demon like you," he whispered into its neck as he overtly nuzzled and sniffed the cool, pale skin. "If she wasn't, I wouldn't have such a strong and beautiful Kitty... Who. Is. All. Mine." He bit hard at the back of its neck, holding tight until the display of possession and dominance relaxed the unit into his lap as it always did.
Xander soothed over the bite marks with his tongue while he silently counted the seconds they took to heal, satisfying himself that the unit was feeding well enough. Then he pushed the comic off the bed and repositioned them so he could lie comfortably with his Kitty on his chest, stroking its back and running his fingers through hair that was getting just long enough to curl. "Hmmm, this is starting to get cute, wonder how long I can get away with growing it out?" A low warning growl earned only a poke to the ribs. "I'll call you cute if I want to. Also gorgeous, handsome, pretty or dead sexy, depending on the moment."
The growl shifted to a sound that could be described as a purr only at the risk of great pouting, and Xander smiled as he settled in for a nap. "I don't mind that you still love her," he said sleepily, and while surprised blue eyes met his, the not-purr didn't stop. "I know I'm a possessive bastard, but you don't forget someone that important to you, and, well, I really wouldn't have you without her, would I?"
Kitty gave a slight shrug of agreement and rubbed its face affectionately against his chest. He felt what was probably a truly dopey smile begin and kissed the unit gently on the head. "Go to sleep, Kitty, we'll have dinner after a nap and then..." he yawned and mumbled the rest into its hair as he drifted off, "...you can start earning that coat, huh?" The purr got a little louder as they snuggled in close and rested.
A/N : The comic Xander is reading is Maus, by Art Spiegelman. It's very good.
A/N2 : My Country Tis Of Thee is sung to the same tune as God Save The King/Queen.