"We haven't named him."

"Huh?"

"We haven't named him."

"And you've woken me up at one o'clock in the morning to tell me this, why?"

"…"

"How about Satan."

"What? Why?"

"Because all he's done since you brought him home is stab me with his claws and lie on me."

"Now you know how I feel, except for me it's ten times worse because you're fucking fat when you turn into a cat."

"Rude."

"My small frail body can't handle it."

"Sweetie, your small frail body can't handle me even when I'm normal. Now go back to sleep."

"Was that a sex joke?"

"More of a fact than a joke."

"Rude."


Laura woke with Carmilla's arm under her neck and her back flush against the side of the other girl's chest. It was a common thing – Laura was always the little spoon and Carmilla the big spoon. Apparently, it was so Carmilla felt like she was protecting her but Laura knew it was just because she loved nestling her face into the back of her neck.

"Oh my god."

The muffled noise came from behind her. Carmilla's face wasn't buried in her neck, so why was her voice so muted? She shifted and turned, making sure not to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere that always surrounded the bedroom in a morning, and her eyes were greeted by the sight of half of a pale face, the other half completely black. Black hair was sprawled over the pillow, a sliver of the pale forehead showing above a small mass of fur.

Laura laughed, pushing herself up on her elbow and nudging the kitten so it woke and crawled off of her girlfriend's face. She leaned over, pressing a kiss on Carmilla's lips before pulling away slightly, a grimace on her face. Her hand came up to brush the loose fur off of the pale face, settling on her cheek afterwards.

"You're being more touchy than usual this morning. What's up?" Carmilla asked, turning and throwing her arm over Laura's waist.

Laura shook her head slightly, the edge of her lips curling up. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just kinda surprised that you've lasted this long with him, to be honest."

"Yeah, well, I guess he's not that bad. I still don't appreciate him rubbing against everything, though." Carmilla yawned and pulled herself away from her girlfriend, throwing her legs over the side of the bed and standing up before stretching.

Despite how weird it sounded, Laura genuinely loved to watch her stretch. It was seriously just like watching a cat and the fact that her t-shirts usually rode up a little was a bonus. "You gonna make me some breakfast?" She asked, sitting up against the headboard with a small grin on her face.

"You wish, cutie. You wish."


"Have you decided on a name yet?"

They were sat on the couch, Carmilla leaned back against the corner, Laura resting back against her chest with her knees curled under her, the kitten asleep on her thighs as Laura ran her fingers through his fur.

"Um, I was kind of thinking Sheridan."

Carmilla frowned, not because she didn't like it, but because she was confused as to where it came from. "Any particular reason why?"

"When I was younger…" Laura paused, her eyebrows furrowing, "Before my mom died, we had this cat. He was a stray, black with little specks of white on his paws and his tail. We took him in off the street and it took him a few days to settle down but once he did, he was my best friend. My mom wanted to call him Sheridan, after this author of some novel she liked." She laughed a little, tilting her head back a little more into her girlfriend's shoulder.

"I was young, the best I could come up with was Speckles, but we settled on Sheridan. After she died… He helped me through a lot. I know cats are seen as indifferent, unaffected – you, basically – but I think he knew. He stayed in my room with me when I was upset, even after my dad shook his food."

Carmilla's lips turned up into a slight smile and she brought her hand up, her palm resting on the back of Laura's head and her fingers scratching her scalp softly, stroking her hair every so often.

"He lasted a good 6 more years. Pretty young for a cat, but he got cancer and we had to get him put down. I was a wreck, I think. I didn't want to leave my room and my dad would try his hardest. Eventually he got me to go out with him somewhere but I don't think I was totally there."

The vampire watched as Laura smiled sadly and rested her palm on the kitten. Usually, any animals she found on the street she took to a no-kill shelter, so Carmilla knew there was some underlying reason as to why she chose to bring this one home.

"This one… He just reminds me of him, you know? This is the first time I've had a cat since then and I just… you know." Laura kept her head bowed and she appreciated it when Carmilla said nothing, instead choosing to press a soft kiss to her temple.


Laura was lay on the bed, her eyes closed and her body flat, arms up and palms resting underneath her head, Sheridan asleep on her stomach. She felt the bed shift and knew it was Carmilla, expecting her to settle down next to her and open her bedside drawer, taking out yet another novel. So, you can imagine her surprise when that didn't happen, but she still kept her eyes closed.

After a few seconds she got curious and just before she was about to open her eyes, she felt fur brush against the skin of her stomach that was exposed by her tank. She was greeted by the sight of the big black cat, it's head rested on her, right beside where Sheridan was sleeping. The kitten had opened his eyes slightly before jumping up, the fur on his back raised. His whole body was the size of Carmilla's head.

Carmilla huffed softly, nudging forward and craning her neck to get closer to Sheridan, letting the kitten stare at her and sniff her curiously.

To be frank, Laura was shocked.

The fur on Sheridan's back settled and he gained a little confidence, pawing at the panther's nose. Carmilla shot back, her chest, head and paws down against the mattress and the other half of her body up in the air, taking on a playful stance. This prompted Sheridan to take the exact same position.

Was Laura hallucinating? She must be.

One big paw was raised, hovering above the kitten before descending slowly, right beside Sheridan's head. He jumped before pouncing straight at Carmilla's face, causing a laugh to erupt from Laura's mouth.

She watched in awe, the two cats playing on the bed right beside her. The sight of the big cat on her back, Sheridan on her chest and repeatedly pawing at her face was ridiculous, but it was a sight Laura wouldn't forget. The insane amount of love she felt for her girlfriend at that moment for her actually trying to make an effort was overwhelming.

(It was also a sight she wouldn't forget to remind Carmilla of the next morning.)