A/N: Hey, thank you all so so so so much for the reviews! I love you all! Yeah, I have a cat too, how else could I write something like this? And you will know about Tyson's mind soon enough. Yes, Max and Rei are a couple.
(O)
"Where are you going?" Max asked, lifting his gaze from the toy mouse he was pulling back and forth in front of Tyson.
"Taking this letter to the mail box since your lover over there doesn't want to put his freshly styled hair in jeopardy," came the dark answer. Rei merely grinned and ran a hand through his raven bangs. The blonde rolled his eyes in good humour and flicked the mouse in the bedroom, Tyson running after it wildly. Kai slid into his shoes and pulled on his leather jacket; it was pouring outside. He pulled the zipper up and turned to the others.
"Make sure he doesn't choke on the mouse. He's been without food for several minutes already; lord knows he might try to eat it," he muttered dryly. Suddenly Kai's auburn eyes trailed down to Tyson who had scurried to the door, mouse in his mouth, at the sound of the zipper being closed. The bluenette looked at Kai in the strange outfit, the toy mouse flopping onto the floor.
"Nreeooouurr?" His tail lifted high towards the ceiling. Kai frowned and turned away quickly.
"I'm just going to the mail box, it's only a few miles away."
"Meeooww…"
"It's not a big deal, Ok? I'll be right back!" the Russian snapped and left hastely, slamming the door shut. Tyson's tail sunk slowly, and he let his butt slump on the mat, and then he just sat there, staring at the door silently, still as a statue. Max raised a brow at the other two.
"Have you noticed Kai's talking to him?" he noted. Rei puckered his lips thoughtfully.
"Uh-huh. Like he's still human or something. I dunno, maybe he's trying to avoid the fact Tyson's like a cat," he said quietly.
"And that we have no idea when he'll change back to his old self, or whether that'll ever happen," Kenny sighed, his hands flopping into his lap. They stared at the champ, frozen in a silent protest at the door. Max sighed.
"Tyson," he called. No reaction.
"Ty-boy, c'mere, I've got tuna! Mmmm, yummy tuna, ooh!" Max lured, patting his thigh. Still nothing, not even a twitch of an ear. Rei got an idea.
"Tyson, you absolutely suck at blading," he said. Nothing.
"My grandma blades better than you, and she's 89 and blind," the Chinese continued. Max joined in.
"And that one time when we showered together, I saw your wiener and it's really small." Rei and Kenny gave him an odd look. Max blushed.
"What? I'm just trying to get something out of him!" he defended himself.
"Is it really small?" Rei asked, raising a brow.
"Depends on what's 'small'. Are we using you as a standard?" Max asked. Rei's expression darkened indignantly.
"You're sleeping on the couch tonight," he grumbled. The American smiled sweetly.
"Only if you join me," he sing-sang. Kenny sweat-dropped heavily.
"What on earth are you two doing?" he asked. Max and Rei turned to him.
"I thought maybe Tyson would… wake up or something, if we find a way to trigger him somehow," Rei explained. Kenny crossed his arms.
"Don't you think you're enjoying yourself a bit too much?" he asked. The freckled teen grinned, shaking his head.
"Not nearly enough!" He turned to Tyson. "Hey Ty, you look like your gramps and smell twice as bad." He sighed in frustration.
"Can't he even give me a bad look or something? This is no fun…" Max mumbled, attempting to lean his head against Rei's shoulder, but the Asian shrugged it off rigidly, getting up.
"What?"
"I haven't forgiven you for that comment," Rei reminded coolly. Max blinked in an extraordinarily cute way.
"I'm sorry, I phrased my words wrong," he said, petting the small of Rei's back, "I didn't mean it like that." Rei's eyes softened a bit and he turned around.
"I mean," Max mumbled, "It doesn't really matter how small you are, right? As long as you know how to use it." Rei glared at his lover in shock, balling his fists and strut in the kitchen. Max giggled uncontrollably.
"Now this is fun." Suddenly Tyson got up and his tail lifted, and he nearly pressed his nose against the door. In a few minutes, the door opened.
"Meoooooww!!" Tyson mewled loudly and charged Kai's wet, cold feet before realising they were wet and cold and backed off, his tail fluffing up.
"Dumbass," Kai muttered under his breath, hangind his coat. Tyson circled around him, waiting for something. Kai sighed and went in the bathroom, and when he came out in a T-shirt and sweatpants, Tyson attacked his feet again and drowned them with love and affection, nuzzling and purring. Max sighed dramatically from his seat.
"Oh, fortunate are thou who has the pleasure of your love's affection and warm embrace!"
"Shut up! You made your own bed!" Rei grumbled from the kitchen.
"Wasn't I supposed to sleep on the sofa?"
"God almighty, if you have any mercy at all, you put an end to my misery right now," Kenny muttered to himself.
Kai sat on his heels, running a hand through Tyson's silky darkblue mane. The Neko closed his eyes in bliss and nuzzled Kai's neck. The captain chuckled lowly, trying to distract himself from the fact he was blushing again.
"Little runt… all you think about is eating and snuggling…" he mumbled quietly, and Tyson's purring grew louder.
"Um, you know what?" Rei said, bringing Kai out of his little bubble.
"What?" he snapped.
"Tyson's tail is pretty dusty. I think he needs a bath," the raven-haired blader said. Kai looked at the blue appendage; true, it was rather filthy.
"You reckon he's afraid of water?" Kai asked. Rei shrugged.
"I dunno. Guess I'll find out." Kai tensed subconsciously.
"Why do you get to bathe him?" he snapped. Everyone stared at Kai, and he quickly realised to reform his words. "I mean, why are you doing it? He's going to bruise you even more." 'Nice save, even if I do say so myself!'
"I know, but hey, you can distract him while I do the dirty work," Rei figured, his face lighting up. Max was frowning on his seat.
"You're just trying to see him nude," he accused. Rei smirked and opened the bathroom door.
"I just want to know if what you said is true." Kai's brows clashed together.
"If what's true?" he questioned, but all he got was Rei and Max making faces at each other and Kenny rubbing his temples.
"Fine, then. Come here, Tyson," Kai called, and Ty scurried after him in the broad, white-tiled lavatory. Rei closed the door behind them and went to choose a shampoo and shower gel.
"Why don't you undress him," he said to Kai, who nearly tripped on the rug. 'Strip Tyson? Uh, I really didn't think this one through…!' He turned awkwardly to the teen sitting on the mat, sniffing the edge of the tub. He took a deep breath and kneeled, grabbing the hem of Tyson's shirt.
"Alright."
He just couldn't do this!
"Rei, what if you do it and I'll choose a shampoo," Kai said, his voice strained. The Chinese came to him, juggling two bottles in the air.
"I already did. What's the problem?" He bent down and tugged Tyson's shirt off, "The trick is that you don't look down and treat him as an object or animal. I had to bathe a lot of kids back home, being the oldest." Off came the socks, jeans and gloves. Kai swalloved hard and looked away. He heard how Rei pulled the boxers off.
"See? No problem, just don't look down," Rei said and started to fill the tub. Kai rubbed his neck; for some reason it was very hot and sweaty.
"Njjoou?" Kai nearly had a heart attack and turned –getting an eyefull. Tyson was sitting right in front of him, face close to his, a curious glint in his eyes. Butt-naked. Abso-friggin-lutely naked. His whole tanned, glorious, luscious body right there. Kai could only open his mouth. 'Uuhhhh...'
"That should be it, I hope the temperature isn't too high," Rei interrupted, and Kai closed his mouth quickly. Rei grabbed Tyson around the waist and lifted him.
"Come carry his upper body," Rei asked. Kai obliged mutely.
"Ok buddy, this is gonna hurt me a lot more than you," the Asian muttered and set Tyson in the water.
"MEEOOOOOOOEEWWWRRRREEEEEOOUUU!!!" Kai and Rei grimaced at the horrified scream as Tyson immediately started to trash and squirm, trying to get as far from the water as possible.
"Hold him still!" Rei yelled and grabbed a green bottle. Kai took Tyson's shoulders into a tight grip and pressed his chest down against the tub edge.
"Christ, calm down, you love water," he grumbled, "You take two-hour showers, damn nutcase." Tyson hissed and groaned in panic, trying to slap Kai's hands but the captain's grip didn't loosen. Rei started to apply the shampoo on the tail swiftly, and Ty let out pathetic mewls, pressing his face on Kai's collarbone. His fingers sunk in the Russian's shoulders rigidly and he bit the pale skin under his teeth. Kai held back a cuss.
"Come on, you know this wasn't my idea!" he grumbled, rubbing the back of Tyson's head. His hands moved to Tyson's upper back, and he felt the furious fluttering of the bluenette's heart humming through the ribcage. Kai pulled Tyson closer and rubbed his back soothingly, murmuring softly in his ear. Rei had gone through the tail and was now lathering up his body, leaving the most private parts untouched, of course. In ten minutes he had washed it off and gone through Tyson's hair as well. He pulled the plug and the water started to drain out of the tub.
"See?" he mumbled, ruffling Tyson's wet mane, "wasn't so bad, huh?" The Japanese just gave him a cold look (as cold as cat looks go, anyway).
"Ok, I think you can go now, I'll dry him up and get him into his clothes. Thanks, Kai," Rei said. Kai got up stiffly, forcing his eyes away from the nude teen's body and left the bathroom. When Max and Kenny saw the state he was in, they decided it would be best not to say anything. Kai went in the kitchen. He wanted no part in this. In a few minutes the door opened and Rei poked his head out.
"Um, can you bring me new clothes? These are wet," he asked. Frowning, the blonde got up and went in the bedroom, then bringing a shirt, boxers and pants to Rei.
The Russian got a soda can out of the fridge and sat down by the table. Suddenly he heard the door slam open and running.
"Uh, Kai? A little help?" asked Max who had poked his head in the kitchen. Kai closed his eyes and pressed the brook of his nose. 'This can't be happening...' Slowly, he got up and turned around.
"What?" he groaned.
"Can you get Tyson? He got away. He's in the bedroom."
"Why can't you do it?" Max shifted uncomfortably.
"Well, you're really good with him. He doesn't listen to us." Shaking his head slightly, the two-tone haired male pushed past the blonde and slouched in the dark bedroom, nearly stepping on a wet towel on the way. He tried to find the lightswitch with his hand.
"Come on, Tyson, I'm not in the mood for hide and seek," he said and faintly saw movement on the sheets.
"Meooow." Kai found the switch.
"Yeah, I know you like this, but I'm really starting to lose my pat-" His tongue paralyzed when the lights came on and he saw his teammate on the bed. Tyson was sitting with his back sideways to the door, the towel having dropped to his waste. The white colour was a beautiful contrast to his tanned caramel skin. Tyson stopped licking the back of his palm abruptly and looked at Kai over his shoulder, his tongue still sticking out of his mouth. Kai smiled slightly. He took a few steps closer.
"Come on, we've got to get you dressed..." His playful tone made Tyson stand up and his tail rise high, which had consequenses.
Such as the towel dropping on the matress.
Kai froze like a snowman. 'Holy Mother of...!' He knew he must have died and gone to heaven. Kai saw Tyson sauntering closer, his tail swaying. Panic got him to regain control of his tongue again.
"N-no, stay there... uuhhh..." Tyson reached him and licked his palm once, looking up expectantly. Kai swalloved hard.
"I can't pet you, Tyson. Not now!" he hissed. "I can't pet you!"
"Meoow?" Kai turned and fled to the kitchen door hastely, grabbing Max by the collar and showing him in the bedroom.
"I'm not Carson-fuckin-Kressley! You dress him up!" He slammed the door shut on his way out, making the others wince. Max looked in wonder at Tyson, whose eyes were wide and tail in a frizzy curve.
"What did you do? Cough up a hairball?"
(O) Three weeks later (O)
"It's here! I think this is it!" Max yelled, waving his hand. A flushed Kai stormed to him and tore the envelope out of his hands. His neck was red from Tyson having licked it for the last twenty minutes. He couldn't get the envelope open soon enough. Something dropped on the floor as he pulled out the letter. Max grabbed it, but before he could straighten up, Kai had yanked it out of his hand and rushed to the kitchen. Max picked the letter and frowned. It was chinese.
A mewling Tyson soon followed Kai. The Japanese had been acting strange lately. Max was sure he was going into heat or something. He had become, if possible, even more fond of affection than before. All he did was lick Kai, every chance he got, and the captain was looking redder every day. He went in the kitchen and saw Kai pouring the green flower into a bowl of chocoalte milk.
"Uhh, Kai... don't you think we should wait for Rei to come back and read the letter before you feed-"
"Shut up," Kai muttered, stirring the liquid frantically, "Why else would Lee send it to us if it wasn't an antidote?"
"But..." Kai put the bowl on the floor and patted his thigh, mustering a deceitfully sweet voice.
"Tyyyy, come heere! Yummy, yummy choco milk, mmm!" Tyson scurried to them care-free, unsuspecting of his owner's agenda, and after a Thank You rub against Kai's side, started lapping the milk. Max and Kai held their breath, watching the bowl empty quickly. Then Tyson sat on his heels and started licking his hand in extacy. Kai and Max waited. And waited. Tyson rolled on his bum and started to lick his jean-clad knee. Max and Kai's eyes widened.
"Well, why isn't anything happening?" Kai grumbled. Max shrugged.
"Maybe you really screwed up. Maybe he wasn't supposed to drink that. Maybe it's poison!"
"Don't be such a dolt," Kai sighed. Then their eyes grew wide.
Tyson was trying to reach his crotch with his face. Max snorted and burst into laughter, rolling on his back. Kai paled. Tyson gave up and slumped on his side, looking depressed that he had failed to wash himself. Kai cleared his throat.
"Ok, maybe there was something odd in there..."
TBC...
A/N: Sorry, didn't have time to beta this...