Fluffy Little Demon


Alex stared at the tuxedo cat that had been in his family for as long as he could remember. It didn't look very old. Ian had claimed to have gotten him when Alex was born. The cat was just part of the family. Somehow the fluff ball was fucking allergic to fish and required prescription pet food. Alex ran a hand down the tuxedo's back and dodged the swipe aimed at his fingers. No changes since Ian had died really. The cat had been watching him. He looked down to find a wide pair of green eyes staring at him. "You have food. I just cleaned your litter box. And we played like an hour ago. What do you want?"

The cat's angry meow had him rolling his eyes. He'd swear that little bastard was just grumpy some days. "Fine. Show me what you want, Vicar."

The cat started ambling up the stairs. Alex followed him. Well, at least it wasn't treats. Or whipped cream. They had given Vicar whipped cream once and never heard the end of it. The cat went straight for Ian's room. "He's dead, Vicar. He's not coming back. Ever."

Vicar pawed at the door. Alex sighed and opened it. Fluffy rat. Vicar jumped on the bed and glared at Alex. "Look, if you want to take it up with Yassen, fine by me. If you claw his arteries open, I'll even give you five treats instead of one."

Vicar flopped on the bed and stretched out. Ian should have included cat bribery lessons. Alex sighed at the cat. He was tempted to leave the fluff ball in there and just shut the door when the cat left but didn't quite have the heart to do it. The cat suddenly jumped up and rammed into the chest at the foot of the bed. Alex froze as the chest toppled over. A bunch of photo albums spilled out. He'd never even seen a single picture of Ian growing up. MROOOOOW. The cat was now standing triumphantly near the chest. Alex let out a sigh. Vicar was just like that. "You're a fluffy little demon sometimes."

The cat walked over and swiped at his leg. The claws tore into his pants. Oh well. Jack would probably mend them later. While lecturing him about upsetting the orneriest cat on the planet. Alex reached for the first album. He flipped it open. It was a picture of a much younger Ian with an arm around an older blonde boy. The photo slid out. John and Ian Rider. John's primary school graduation. Alex felt a slight smile appear on his face. The cat sat next to him and started purring. Alex ran a slow hand down the cat's back. The page turned over to more pictures. Something was bothering him. In the background, there was a tuxedo cat. The close-up photo showed a cat with very similar markings. Alex slid the photo out and held it up to Vicar. Vicar was blinking at him. The whiskers tickled his hand. "Vicar?"

The cat gave him a slight lick. Alex looked between the cat and the picture. Okay, this was fucking weird. There was no way in hell that a cat was forty years old. The world record was thirty-eight years. Vicar didn't even look old. Maybe Vicar had been bought as a replacement for the old tuxedo? Mew.

Alex looked at the cat. Now Vicar was giving him kitten meows. Alex looked at the cat. "Mixed. Messages."

The cat stretched across his lap and rolled face-first into his stomach. Alex knew better than to touch the exposed belly. The paws pressed against his legs. The fur tickled his stomach. He continued through the first album. The cat still looked like Vicar. This was getting weird. Alex finished the first album and reached for an older-looking one. A written note fell out. Grandma and Grandpa Rider. Well, it would have been nice if Ian had shown him this while he was alive. He flipped open to a sepia picture of another tuxedo cat. That looked exactly like Vicar. Alex pulled the photo out and held it up to the cat. Vicar rolled over, fully exposing his belly. The bright green eyes twinkled. Mhm. Alex had fallen for that exactly once. He was a bloody bear trap. Wait a minute. There was a painting. In the office. Alex looked down at the cat. "Vicar. I'm going to need to pick you up."

To his surprise, the cat allowed it. He scooped up the tuxedo and walked towards Ian's office. The door swept open. There was a painting. With a tuxedo cat. Alex held Vicar up to the painting. It was. The same. Fucking cat. With the same fucking markings. "What the hell?"

Vicar squawked. Alex quickly put him down. The green eyes were wide. Meow. Meow. Meow. "Wait, are you actually a demon?"

The cat looked him in the eyes. Alex looked back at him. "Yes."

He threw up his hands. That fluffy rat. "You could speak English this whole time?!"

The cat gave him a scathing look. It was more insulting than any look he'd ever received. "I'm bound to only speak when I'm recognized for what I am."

Alex felt a little bit mollified. The cat jumped up on Ian's desk. The shock had frozen him. "Erm, what's the deal?"

The cat rolled its eyes. Alex felt like he should take Vicar to school. For show and tell. And let the little kids drool on him. "Your family bound me to their service as long as the line persisted. Treachery was always your strong suit."

The cat flicked his tail impatiently. Alex reached for the cat. The literal fluffy demon gave him a look. "What does that even mean?"

The cat shook himself. Alex just wanted his pet back. The cat fixed him with a look. "Well, you let me bite you and then we plot evil plots together."

He folded his arms and looked at the demon. It was probably a bad idea to trust him. "Why do you want this? And what if I don't want to plot evil plots?"

The cat gave him another look. Alex was feeling very judged. He glared at the cat. "You're nicer than Lucifer. And do you want to pass up centuries of family stories and tips on how to wriggle out from under Alan Blunt?"

Cat demon knew how to bargain. Probably had decades' worth of negotiation lessons. Alex stuck his hand out. "Bite me. And we're starting right away."

The cat seemed to take vindictive glee in chomping down hard enough to draw blood. Bloody demon.


Fin


Based on a prompt by Zyzyax (see story summary). This is the 93rd work in the Winds of Change 2022 Alex Rider Prompt event, where a new prompt (plus a short 1-3K work) is posted every day. For more details, see the AO3 collection :) Want to discuss? Leave a comment beneath, or join the discord (Link on AO3 Fics or just PM me, lol). Want to take part in our Alex Rider anniversary celebrations in September? Join the WoC discord to take part in a fanfic event! Want to showcase your work to your fellow fans and authors? The WoC server has a new feature! Any author who joins can ask to join our authors' feed, which shows all the fics from the authors who opt in, including non-AR fics!