Chapter 9

When Wufei got home that night, he found a note taped to the outside of his apartment door.

Your cat sounded hungry, so she's at my place! -Duo

Wufei blinked. He rubbed his eyes, took out his glasses, and read the note again. The blurry lines sharpened, but the message stayed the same.

He didn't own a cat. Could Duo have meant to give this note to some other neighbor? Confused and tired, Wufei walked the short distance down the hall to Duo's door and knocked. It was after ten, and Wufei hoped he wasn't intruding, but he wasn't yet tired enough that he could ignore such a weird note. Besides, someone else was obviously missing their cat, and if Wufei didn't tell Duo that he'd left the note on Wufei's door by accident, then whoever owned the cat wouldn't know it was here.

Duo opened the door, and grinned when he saw Wufei. "Hey, man. Want to come in? You're clearly exhausted."

One of the reasons why he liked Duo was because he never asked Wufei inane questions. He'd outright announce them as statements, and they never required an answer.

Wufei entered the clean apartment and looked around, but he didn't see a cat anywhere. Still wondering how this bizarre situation had managed to suddenly include him, Wufei held up the note. "What is this about?"

Duo looked sheepish. "Yeah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to steal her or anything, honest."

That response just confused him even more. "A cat?" he asked, making absolutely sure that was what they were talking about.

A small cat chose that moment to walk into the room, coming from the kitchen. She, if it was a she, was very small and tiger-striped, with white mittens on her feet. Wufei watched as she wound around the legs of a table and then came over to sniff his shoes.

"Uh, her?" Duo replied, waving vaguely at the cat now attacking his shoelaces. Her tugs were surprisingly forceful for such a tiny thing.

Wufei looked up at him and frowned. "What made you think she was my cat?"

Duo's brows furrowed. "She isn't? She was sitting on the balcony and pawing at your door to get in."

The balcony was shared between their apartments, but no one else's. Still, she could have easily climbed up or down from someone else's apartment. Wufei reached down and put his hand in front of her face to let her sniff, then used his other hand to pick her up around her middle while she was distracted. She meowed once, and then he had a bundle of content cat in his arms.

"She's obviously used to humans," he murmured, scratching around her neck. She didn't have a collar on.

Duo sighed. "Well, damn," he said, which Wufei felt summed up the situation quite well. "Think she's a stray?"

As he was petting her, Wufei noticed some cuts hidden under her fur, and that one of the reasons she was so small was because she was nothing but bones. "Yes," he sighed. "I don't think she's eaten regularly in a while."

The cat chose that moment to start purring. Wufei didn't know what to do with her. He highly doubted she belonged to anyone in the building, given the state that she was in. "Do you want her?" he asked Duo. It wasn't that he was trying to foist the cat off on his neighbor, exactly, but Duo was the one who'd let her into his home first.

The look Duo shot him was very sardonic. "I don't think she'd like that." Wufei looked at him questioningly. "Put her down on the floor," Duo added, pointing.

Wufei did so, and watched as Duo knelt down and held out a hand much like he'd done. "Here, kitty. Good girl," Duo crooned at her, sounding completely ridiculous in Wufei's opinion.

To his astonishment, the little thing arched its back and hissed in response. Duo quickly yanked his hand away and stood up, giving Wufei a look that was equal parts amusement and frustration. "I had to leave my balcony door open and let her walk through on her own because she refused to let me touch her."

Alright, now Wufei was reluctantly amused, too. Except obviously that meant dealing with the cat would be his problem, not Duo's. "Perfect," he deadpanned. "I suppose I'll take her to a shelter."

Duo frowned, but didn't say anything in protest. Wufei didn't ask. He knew that some people didn't approve of shelters, but he didn't see that he had any other choice. The cat might still belong to someone in the city, and had simply gotten out by accident. If Wufei took her to a shelter, then there was a chance her owner could find her again.

They talked for another minute before Wufei picked up the cat again, which was still docile at his touch, and left. He grumbled internally at the time he was wasting, but there was no help for it.

The cat sat in the passenger seat, not moving, which Wufei was very grateful for. He used his phone to find the nearest shelter and drove there, hoping like hell that they were open. They weren't, and he cursed. Of course he was stuck driving around when he should be asleep because a cat had decided he was catnip or something.

The next shelter was larger, and to Wufei's relief, he saw lights on in the lobby. The door opened, and he walked in with the cat tucked under his chin, purring again. There was no one in the lobby. He looked around, but there wasn't a bell he could ring on the desk or anything, and Wufei really hoped that the place was open after all, and not that they always left their lights on and the lock was busted, or something.

Someone came around a corner just as Wufei was considering whether it would be better to walk around until he found someone, or leave.

Trowa stopped and looked quite startled to see him. Wufei couldn't stop the automatic smile that came to his face, even as tired and frustrated as he was. "Hello."

"Hi." Trowa eventually walked forward and focused on the cat in his arms, frowning a little, and reached for her. She was just as calm in his arms as she'd been in Wufei's, and he breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she didn't seem to hate Trowa, too. "What happened?"

Wufei stretched out his now-free arms. "My neighbor found her on our balcony and thought she was mine. She doesn't have a collar, and she's too thin."

Trowa was carefully running his fingers over the cat while they were talking, checking out her condition. He paused, and looked back up at Wufei. "She?"

He shrugged. "My neighbor said 'she'. Why, is that wrong?"

The cat didn't seem to care very much for being turned over, and let out another meow of protest. Trowa hushed it absently, and Wufei was transfixed at the easy way he handled the animal. "Definitely wrong," he said after a moment. "Though he's neutered, he's male."

Wufei let out a snort of amusement. "Perhaps that's why he objected to Duo."

"I sincerely doubt it," Trowa replied, deadpan. "I've never met an animal besides a human who cared what sex you labeled it as. Come on," he continued, walking towards the desk, the cat lying in his arms properly again.

Wufei blinked. "What are we doing?" he asked, following.

Trowa passed him the cat. "You're holding him, and I'm filling out the paperwork. There's no one else here, this late."

"Why are you here this late?" Wufei asked, the question having been on his mind ever since he saw Trowa walk into the lobby.

A pen moved across papers with the ease of repetition as Trowa replied. "Sometimes, I stay late. In case anyone finds a stray after work or something," he added, nodding to the cat. "I close the place up at midnight."

Wufei was quiet then, and let Trowa work while he petted the cat. It was now trying to fall asleep in his arms, and was heavier than he'd assumed a cat that size would be, especially in its condition. When he looked back up, Trowa was watching him intently.

"What?" he asked, not sure what the look was for.

Trowa looked back down at the papers. "You're wearing glasses," he said.

He must have forgotten to take them back off after reading Duo's note, and winced at the realization that he was driving around with them on. He really was too tired, to forget something like that.

"They're for reading. I usually only use them for work." Or class. Wufei remembered that he might have another reason to wear his glasses soon, and the thought made him smile again.

"They suit you," Trowa admitted. He was still looking at Wufei out of the corner of his eye.

He'd never really understood that expression. Glasses were a necessity, not an accessory, in his opinion. Still, he was mildly amused that his glasses were so interesting. He pushed away the thought that Trowa should have already known about them, and just savored his reaction in the present.

Wufei scratched the cat behind an ear. "Thank you," he replied simply.

Trowa nodded, then gestured to the cat. "Do you want to adopt him?"

That wasn't something Wufei had considered. He gave it a moment's thought, but shook his head. "I'm hardly ever home," he said. Although, that could possibly be changing soon.

Trowa put down the papers and walked over to Wufei, reaching out to pet the cat. It opened one eye and let out a sleepy grumble in response, yawning. Trowa kept petting its fur, his fingers brushing over Wufei's. His breath caught at the touch.

"He seems to like you," Trowa said, his voice mild. His eyes were fixed on Wufei's.

"Apparently, I'm irresistible," he replied, his tone purposely light.

Trowa laughed softly. "You are," he agreed.

Wufei felt his stomach flip. It was an oddly pleasant sensation. "What are you suggesting, then?"

"Well," Trowa said, smirking, "you could always use him to chase any pigeons away."

He laughed. "I could use the help," Wufei agreed. "Protecting your virtue is hard work."

Their fingers had stopped moving, Trowa's hand now holding onto his.

"So," Trowa asked, "I could take him for half the time, and you take him for the rest?"

Wufei rolled his eyes. "He could still belong to someone else," he couldn't help but point out.

"Actually, he's legally able to be adopted in two days, and should probably stay here that long anyway, so we can clean him up and give him some shots." Trowa seemed unperturbed by Wufei's protests. "How do you feel about naming him Heavyarms?"

What? No. "That's a horrible name," he protested. "His name is Shenlong."

Trowa stared at him in mild horror. "…Fluffy?"

Now it was Wufei's turn to stare. "Ozymandias."

"Hunter?"

"Beowulf."

"Prince?"

"…What is wrong with you? Imhotep."

"And you're asking what's wrong with me. Caspian?"

"…Fine, Caspian."

"You realize now that you've named him, he's yours, right?"

"Worth it. I couldn't let you name the poor cat Heavyarms."