Okay, so this one ended up being REALLY long. The ending is kinda abrupt because... it was gonna go on forever lol. I just like these ocs too much.

Speaking of ocs, Cato and Pan are two new ones! Cato is the son of Sun and Marmalade, and Pan is the son of Em and Panther. They're no way canon at this point, but I just felt like playing around with a few new ideas haha. Speaking of Pan though, basically just as I was finishing this prompt, I changed his personality A LOT. And I didn't have time to rewrite him in this, although I did change some smalls things, so please know that Pan is VERY ooc in this prompt. The majority of things on my blog about Pan will no longer be canon as well, so just keep that in mind :)

The chapter title is the prompt :))

PLEASE READ THE FICS IN THIS SERIES BEFORE READING THIS! THANKS!

Usually, such a crowded tavern would've been off-putting for Pan; it wasn't as if he was known for his love of cramp places, questionable smells, and being elbowed by uncaring patrons. If anything, the nineteen-year-old was famous for hating the deafening yet joyful atmosphere that came with such establishments; he would rather spend his days walking along forest trails, thinking of new inventions, and enjoying the peaceful hum of nature.

Yet, as the fox-cat hybrid sat at the bar, sipping on his root bear with his journal in front of him; he couldn't help but bask in the warmth that he found himself in. Maybe it was because of how well his mission had gone today, or perhaps his drink was helping lift his stress off his shoulders.

Or there was a chance it was Pan's company that had boosted his mood.

Well, I doubt that. I mean, Cato and I have been partners for years now. It's not like he's doing anything new that would make me happier. If anything, he's being his usual annoying self.

At that teasing yet loving thought, Pan glanced to his right, where the person of conversation sat.

The sixteen-year-old in question, Cato, had his muzzle buried in a large spoonful of broth; which he was slurping up almost too noisily. Pan doubted the cat could even hear how loud he was being thanks to the wireless headphones stuffed in his ears. Chances are he's listening to some sort of audiobook about ancient magic or something.

The cat placed his spoon back into the bowl and scooped up some more broth; before bringing it back to his lips. Cato's eyes were hidden by the shadows of his Breton hat as he continued to listen, yet Pan could only guess that he was quizzically looking into his bowl of soup as he let the information from the book soak into his brain.

Even though the tavern was packed, Pan knew his friend collected stares from all across the room. The mixture of his loud eating habits and the fact he was wearing his hat indoors were to blame. It didn't seem the cat cared though, as he continued to listen to his book and eat his dinner in silence.

Well, I guess this isn't true… he has to care a little if he's wearing that aforementioned hat of his.

Of course, the excuse his partner always gave when asked about that particular fashion choice was that it protected his eyes from the sun; but with almost six years of friendship under Pan's belt, he knew differently.

Although Cato was labeled as "blind," Pan knew that the cat could see much more than the average person. He may not view surface-level things like everyone else, but what he can see is much deeper than anyone could even begin to imagine; a gift handed to him thanks to his natural inclination towards magic and beyond.

And his eyes reflected that.

While you may expect a blind person's gaze to be clouded, Cato's was anything but. His stare is enough to make any normal person stop in their tracks and fear well up in their chest; it was intense. Harsh. Cutting. It dug into your very person and analyzed the concentrated light that made up you.

...

As you may expect, some people don't like having their souls looked at. Yeah, but it's not like he can control it or anything. That's just how he sees things! How can you bully someone for that?

Yet they did, and even though he outwardly shrugged off insults such as creepy and freak, Pan knew it hurt him. So he hides his gaze under his hat, where the shadows drown out its intensity. Although, if you ask me, he probably could've picked more… normal-looking headwear. I mean, who can go wrong with a pair of sunglasses?

Pan was brought out of his thoughts at the sound of a loud slurp, and he couldn't help but snort and turn back to his journal. Each to their own I suppose.

Forcing his concentration back onto his journal, the fox-cat hybrid took another sip of his wine, before picking up his pen once again. What was it I was doing again? Er…. aha! Right, I wanted to write about this region's electrical grid.

Leaning back in his stool, Pan pushed his bangs back out of his face and let out a soft hum, as he tried to picture what he wanted to write in his head. Without much thought, he let his gaze travel the room.

Let's see… a woman I spoke with in the village told me that they receive their energy primarily from hydro.

Near the bathrooms was an arm-wrestling contest against a tiger and a crane; it was clear the former was winning, the bird's wing was far too fragile to even stand a chance. He let his gaze lay on that for a few moments, before continuing across the room, his attention still mostly on his thoughts.

I believe they use some sort of water wheel. Their design was interesting, but I'm pretty sure if I had spent more time in the village I could've made it more efficient.

Next to the arm wrestling was quite clearly a young couple, who had taken up an entire booth while they made out; their limbs flailing clumsily, fueled by irresponsible alcohol consumption. Once again, his gaze moved on.

I'll have to look into it when I get back home and I'm in my workshop. It wouldn't take too long to write up some blueprints.

Finally, as he was coming out of his thoughts, his eyes fell to a lone rabbit, who sat by her lonesome at a table not far off. She had a fruity looking drink in front of her, clearly alcohol-free, and what seemed to be a sketchbook next to it. Thanks to her rather large ears and bright fur, she stood out against the other customers; they looked quite drab in comparison.

Usually, even though she seemed like a nice girl, this wouldn't be enough to warrant any more thinking on the matter, and Pan would return to his journal without a second thought. However, there was something strange about this girl that fully roused him from his brainstorming.

She was staring.

But not at him.

At Cato.

Immediately, a small flame of worry and protectiveness sparked in his belly. She isn't looking for a fight now, is she? I really don't feel like telling off a bully on such a nice day.

Quickly though, those worrisome thoughts vanished as he noticed one more thing.

Her gaze was full of curiosity, not malice. She was interested in his friend, not freaked out. I mean, if anything, it looks as though she's blushing…?

Pan couldn't help but feel surprised at this turn of events; it wasn't like a girl, or anyone for that matter, had shown potential romantic interest towards Cato before. I mean, it's not because he's "ugly" or anything either. He's just… well, on the stranger side.

Pan's gaze turned back to his partner's form, where he was still hunched over his dinner with his headphones on; he was probably pretty content right now.

...But maybe he would be more content talking to a pretty girl?

To be honest, Pan doubted it, the younger teen had never shown interest in romance before, but the idea of his friend having to partake in awkward flirting was far too good of an opportunity to give up on. This is either gonna be hilarious or traumatic.

With one final glance in the girl's direction, Pan leaned towards his partner and gently tugged on his shoulder fur, "Hey."

The cat hesitated for a few moments, before placing his spoon beside his bowl and sliding his headphones off, reaching over to his phone to pause his book, "What is it?"

Pan ignored the annoyance in the teen's voice, a sheepish grin making its way across his face, "Across the tavern, there's a girl checking you out."

Cato adjusted his hat, his gaze still glued to his dinner, "Is there now?"

Instantly, just knowing by the tone of his voice, Pan let out a frustrated sigh, "...You already noticed, didn't you?"

He only shrugged in response, bringing a spoonful of broth to his mouth; now that the audiobook was off, he was considerably quieter while eating.

"Wait, how could you even tell?" The fox-hybrid questioned, feeling somewhat annoyed his plan had gone awry, "It's not like you can see her staring at you."`

"I can feel it though. Her gaze is warm." Cato admitted, eyebrows furrowing in thought, "Besides, I don't think I could ignore a soul as bright as her's if I tried."

Pan blinked at that, glancing over at the rabbit as if to check for himself, "She has a bright soul?

"Blinding." The cat finally turned to face Pan, cocking his head to the side, "It was difficult to concentrate on my reading because of it."

"Difficult to concentrate…" He repeated, his eyes widening, "Well, then you should go talk to her!"

Cato went silent at that, stiffly turning back to face his dinner, "I'm busy."

"Your book can wait."

"My soup will get cold."

"Pretty girls don't come around like this often."

"Good, that leaves me more time to read."

Pan huffed in annoyance, shaking his head softly, "Jeez, do you have to be so stubborn? It's not like she'll bite! Just go over there and say hello, it'll take five minutes tops."

It was now Cato's turn to sigh, clearly frustrated with his friend, "As I said, I'm busy. Now can you let me finish my dinner in peace? We have to leave in a few minutes if we wanna stay on schedule."

The fox-cat hybrid hesitated, glaring at the younger teen, before finally letting out a groan, "Fine fine, if your book is that important to you…"

"It is." The cat adjusted his hat so he could place his headphones back in his ears; the movement casting light on parts of his face that were hidden before.

And that's when Pan saw it.

On his temple, a place that his hat had previously hidden, was beading sweat; enough that Pan knew it couldn't have been because of his soup, or the warmth of the hat itself. Which means...

Cato was nervous.

That in itself was unusual; the teen was famous for being stoic, keeping his feelings in check while rarely allowing any truly passionate expressions across his face. The fact he was sweating about this said a lot.

Without much of a second thought, Pan reached forward and pulled out one of his headphones. Although, instead of flinching as one would expect, the blind cat only sighed and closed his eyes.

"What is it now-"

"You're lying."

That seemed to catch the cat's attention, and he lifted his gaze to meet Pan's glare; his intense eyes barely visible under the brim of his hat, "Pardon?"

"I said, you're lying. You don't want to talk to that girl because you're scared, right?" Pan challenged, "That whole soup reading thing is just an excuse."

Cato's shoulders tensed up, and he averted his gaze back to the bartop.

"And look, it's normal to be nervous about this type of stuff, but that shouldn't stop you from at least trying it out." Pan tried his best to comfort him. "Worse comes to worst, you never have to talk to her again, right?"

"...You speak as though you have experience. " Cato finally broke his silence, turning to look in his direction, his frown harsher than usual, "Yet I know for a fact you're just as hopeless as I am."

"Aha! So you admit you're hopeless!"

Cato's tail flicked and he pursed his lips; clearly, he had let his tongue slip.

Pan couldn't help but smirk; he had the high ground, "Okay, look. If you really don't want to go talk to her then that's fine. I'm just saying if there's even one percent of you that is curious, you should go for it before you lose your chance."

The fox-hybrid shrugged and raised his hands in mock surrender, "The decision is left to you though, it's not like I can force you to do it."

At that final statement, the cat turned his gaze away from Pan and let out a sigh, as he harshly pulled the brim of his hat down over his eyes in annoyance; his shoulders tense, and his tail twitching. Pan immediately recognized it as his "thinking" pose; he had a bad habit of doing it when his brain was working too fast for its own good.

"And I mean, if you want, I can come with you too. Like, backup or some-"

"Okay."

"I- wait what?"

"Okay." Cato shrugged with a soft sigh, his posture softening as he placed both his headphones and phone into his bag. "Let's get this over with."

"You're… you're actually doing it?" Pan blinked.

The cat nodded and hopped off the stool, adjusting his hat carefully back into place, "Haven't I made that clear? I'm waiting for you."

"...O-oh! Yeah, sorry, let me just-" Pan scrambled to shove his belongings into his tool belt, as well as placing their payment on the bar top- "I just wasn't expecting my stupid speech to work on you."

"They usually don't." The teen admitted, "Yet, you were correct about one thing. There is a part of me that is curious about her..."

The blind cat's voice trailed off as his gaze lifted to where the girl sat; she had gone back to her drink once they had begun to pack up their things, it seemed she was unaware of their plan. Of course, Pan knew Cato wouldn't be able to see any of that, yet based on the nervous look in his eyes, Pan guessed he must've at least seen something mildly interesting in her. What had he said before? That her soul was blinding? That's high praise coming from someone who is literally blind. Although, I have to wonder, what that could even look like… and if that's even a good thing.

"Let's get a move on then…" Cato muttered meekly, much to Pan's surprise.

Flashing the cat a quick thumbs-up, the older teen grinned widely, "I believe in you!"

With an annoyed flick of his eyes, Cato waved him away, "…Stay behind me and don't say anything."

Silently, Pan did as he told and followed Cato as he walked over to the girl's table. Usually, Pan would've been mildly concerned he might run into something, especially in such a crowded building, yet this time that wasn't the case; it was clear he was a man on a mission, guided solely on the lonely girl's soul.

It wasn't until they were only a few meters away did the bunny notice their approach.

Her pale blue eyes widened at the sight of the two boys now standing in front of her table, as she quickly closed what seemed to be a sketchbook. Brushing her curly bangs out of her face, she gave the pair a sweet smile, "Can I help y-"

"Why were you staring at me?"

Pan jumped at Cato's question, and he couldn't help but cringe as he stood behind the cat. I should be used to his bluntness by now, yet he still somehow manages to surprise me…

The girl seemed surprised at his direct line of questioning as well, but she easily shook it off, her cheeks dusted pink, "Ah, I apologize. I didn't realize you had noticed."

Pan, on damage control, stepped forward; holding his hands up as if surrendering, "It's alright, really! We were just wondering if you had recognized us from somewhere."

Cato raised an eyebrow at that lie, yet he luckily kept his mouth shut.

The bunny chuckled softly and scratched at the back of her head sheepishly, her gaze raising in an attempt to meet Cato's, "Oh, it's nothing like that! I was just admiring your eye markings. I've never seen a cat with them before so…"

She trailed off with a bubbly laugh, closing her eyes in embarrassment, "Um, sorry, that probably sounds creepy."

"My…eye markings?" Cato couldn't help but mutter to himself.

She nodded, pulling open the sketchbook that sat in front of her, "You see, I travel around the Kingdoms and I often sketch the people I meet along the way, so I've seen my fair share of...uniqueness."

As if to prove her point, she pushed the open book towards them. Cato, who would obviously not get anything from looking at it, continued to quizzically stare at the bunny; so Pan was the one who had to glance at the drawings. It was true, the book was full of various sketches of multiple different species; it was quite diverse.

"Wow, you're really good!" Pan grinned, glancing back to the girl.

She nodded in thanks, but continued with her explanation, "As I was saying, I've seen my fair share of uniqueness, yet I have never seen a cat with your type of eye markings before! I was just admiring them, you see."

Cato was silent for a few moments, his hand rising under the brim of his hat to trace the fur around his eyes, "...I have eye markings?"

Pan couldn't help but snort at his question, although based on how confused the girl looked, he doubted she understood what the cat had meant.

"Um, pardon?" She asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"He's blind."

"Oh." She paused before her eyes widened once again; a smile coming across her face. "...Oh! I see!"

Usually, that would've been the moment when Cato replied with a pun like "Well I don't" but it was clear he was still confused about the whole eye markings conversation; his frown tight. Had he really gone his entire life not knowing he had dark rings around his eyes?

Noticing his hesitation, the bunny's grin widened and she stood up.

"Here, why don't I show you then?"

Cato managed to make a questioning huh sound before her rounded snout was suddenly shoved in his face, effectively silencing him. Still, his expression was neutral, even though Pan could make out a bead of sweat dripping from under his hat.

"...What are you doing?" He deadpanned, his questioning gaze effectively hidden under his hat.

"I'm going to touch your face." She answered.

Before Cato or Pan could respond, the bunny suddenly reached forward to grab onto the bill of his hat, tipping it upward so his face became fully visible. Cato's expression was no longer hidden in shadow, as he stared at the girl in shocked wonder; As if he was thinking, are you serious? Cringing, Pan gritted his teeth and forced himself not to look away. Either she's gonna take a look at his eyes and make a break for it, or he's gonna use magic and turn her into a potted plant. Shit.

Yet to his surprise, neither of those things happened. If anything, her smile seemed to widen when his gaze, which seemed softer than usual, became visible. And other than a soft gasp as she gently brushed the bangs out of his face, Cato stayed silent as well; his arms awkwardly falling to his sides while his expression became shaky, like he was fighting to keep his composure together.

Not wasting any time, the bunny tenderly laid a single finger against the inner corner of his right eye, and leisurely began to trace the marking; following the darker fur as it came under his eyebrow and ended in a point, before sloping back down under his eye. Once that side was done, she switched to the left eye, once again following the dark fur.

As Cato got used to the touch, his posture loosened, and gently his eyes fluttered shut as he paid attention to her touch, leaning into it; even exhaling a soft sigh before she finished and pulled away. He looked almost… disappointed when she sat back down in her chair.

"Do you see what I mean now?" She giggled, taking a step back, "If anything it reminds me of a raccoon's mask. They're quite pretty."

"I…I understand." Cato finally managed to grumble after blinking at the girl for a few moments, pulling his cap harshly down to hide his flustered expression; a blush barely visible under the hat's shadow, "...I suppose I inherited it from my father."

"Your father?"

Pan nodded, still trying to wrap his mind around what just happened, "Yes, his dad is half cat half tanuki."

The bunny's gaze lit up, "Oh that makes perfect sense! Tanukis do tend to have patterns like that! Although I can't help but be curious, it's not every day you hear of a tanuki and a cat having a child."

Cato couldn't help but snort at that, it seemed he had finally pulled himself together after the bunny's stunt, "I have to listen to my grandparent's love story every holiday dinner, I could recite it perfectly if need be."

The bunny giggled, a sly smile making its way across her face, "Well, if you have the time, I'd love to hear it."

"Oh, actually, we have to go soon." Pan laughed awkwardly, jumping in, "It's because of work."

"Oh, I see. Well then," Turning back to her table, the bunny made quick work of ripping a scrap of paper out of her notebook and scrawling something down onto it, before turning back to the pair; gently placing the scrap into Cato's open palm, "Here's my number! Call me and we can set something up! I really am curious about that story."

Her wide grin quickly died out however when realization crossed her face, "Oh wait, you can't see the numbers-"

With an annoyed huff, the blind cat stuffed the paper into his bag, "I'll manage."

With her expression lighting up again, she smiled, "Ah, well, I hope to hear from you…"

"Cato Mao-Keys." The teen extended his hand, "And this is Pan Fatal,"

"Cato and Pan… Lovely!" She reached forward, accepting his handshake, "I'm Bonnie Tuzi! But you can just call me Bon."

"I'll be seeing you soon then, Miss. Tuzi." Cato nodded, before pulling and turning away, selectively ignoring the last part of what she said, "Have a fair night."

"You too!"

Pan waved goodbye to their new friend and followed after the cat, making their way to the exit. As they stepped outside, the moon lighting the gravel pathway spread out in front of them, the fox-cat hybrid couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; the rowdy atmosphere had been beginning to get the best of him.

Beside him, Cato was tracing the marking around his eye just as Bon was doing just a few minutes prior, a troubled expression plaguing his face. Pan could almost see the younger teen's lightning-fast thoughts buzzing around in his head, as he tried to figure out what had just happened.

"Sooooo…" Pan began.

Cato's head shot up.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" The fox-cat hybrid continued, smiling sweetly, gesturing towards his friend, "You seem… excited?"

The cat blinked at that, before quickly pulling his hand away from his eye, as if he has just realized what he had been doing, "...I think the more accurate term would be-"

"Traumatized?"

"No."

"Pleased?"

"Not exactly."

"Turned on?"

Cato bristled and glanced away, decidedly ignoring that last one, "Perplexed is a good word for it."

"Yeah, I'd say flirting is a pretty perplexing thing." Pan chuckled softly, before closing the space in between them, patting the younger teen on his head, "But you did well. I mean, the beginning was a bit rocky, but she didn't seem to mind."

"Yes, she seemed…intriguing." He nodded in agreement as he fixed his hat, which had gotten almost knocked off from Pan's pats, "I do intend to call her."

At that, the cat reached into his bag, shuffling through it for a few moments, before finally pulling out his phone.

Pan raised an eyebrow, "Wait wait wait, you're calling her right now?"

"I was only going to ask you to add her phone number into my contacts." Cato frowned, suddenly pulling his phone close to his chest, "...Should I call her now?"

"No! You saw her five minutes ago!" Pan sighed, dragging a hand down his face, "No sane person calls that soon after you get a number. You have to, I don't know, wait a few days."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, dating etiquette? I mean, you are trying to date her right?" Pan asked, but when Cato stayed silent, he continued, "Just trust me on this one. I've got at least two times more experience with this stuff than you do."

Cato rolled his eyes, "Two times zero is still zero…"

"H-hey! Did you-"

"Just put her number into my phone already." Cato pushed his device, as well as the slip of paper with her number on it, into Pan's hands, effectively silencing him.

With a grumpy grumble, the fox-cat hybrid frowned as he unlocked Cato's phone, and found his way to the contacts app. Quickly inputting her number in, as well as putting her contact as Cute Tavern Bunny, Pan saved it to the phone, "Alright, done."

"Thank you." Cato nodded, putting out his hand, "We should start making our way to the train sta-"

"I'm gonna call Sensei first."

The cat blinked at Pan's interruption, and he couldn't help but quirk a brow, "...You're going to talk to my father? Why?"

Pan shrugged as he scrolled through Cato's contacts, "I don't know, I think it'd be funny to hear his reaction to his only son getting a girlfriend."

"She isn't my girlfriend. We just met."

"Yeah, but you liiiiiikkkkeere her~" The cat-fox hybrid teased, as he finally found Sun's number.

"I didn't mind her company if that's what you're inferring." Cato's frown deepened as Pan brought the phone up to his ear, "Hang up or else."

"This is payback for calling me a virgin."

"I didn't call you a virgin… I merely implied it." He shrugged. "Besides, I didn't lie, did I?"

"You're such an asshole."

"And you'll be dead if you don't give me that phone right now." Cato took a step forward. "3…"

Pan couldn't help but grin teasingly as he waited for the call to go through, "Ooh you gonna count down? How scary."

"2…" He took another step.

The ringing ceased, as the call finally went through.

"Hey, kiddo." Sun's voice suddenly cut through the boys' silence; you could hear his smile in his tone. "What's going on?"

"Hi Sensei, it's Pan," He smiled as well, "Just wanted to call because something crazy just hap-"

"1."

"-OOF!"

Pan let out a grunt of pain as Cato suddenly rammed into his side, the younger boy desperately trying to grab at the device; thanks to his blindness, however, the effort was mostly fruitless, "OW, HEY!"

"Pan, hello?" Sun's voice sounded unsure, but neither of the boys paid much attention to it; as Pan struggled to keep the device in his hands.

"Give it to me!" Cato frowned as he finally grabbed onto the phone, pulling at it with all his might.

"I'm trying to have a conversation here!" Pan hissed back, as the two boys played tug of war.

Sun, still confused and his tone filled with worry and static, asked, "Are you alright, Pan?!"

"I'll be fine once this idiot let's go!"

"That's rich coming from you," Cato replied snarkily back.

"Oh please! You're the dumb one in this duo!" The fox-cat hybrid snorted, "Mr. I didn't know I had eye markings!"

"So now you have resorted to mocking my disability?" Cato's voice was monotone, but Pan could swear he saw a glimmer of humor in his intense gaze, "Low blow."

Getting tired of this game, Pan finally was able to pull away from Cato; holding the phone high above his head and out of the cat's reach. "Ugh, this is stupid! You're making Sensei worry for no reason."

"Weren't you the one that called him just so you could embarrass me?"

"Yeah, well, now I also remembered some other things I wanted to talk with him about." He sneered, tone teasing, "Like maybe getting a different partner for my next mission, cause clearly you're a crackpot."

Cato took a step back as well, as he flattened his ruffled fur; his hat unable to hide his intense gaze, "I'm a crackpot you say?"

And suddenly his mouth, which more often than not was stoic and straight, tilted upwards at the ends; as the cat began to chuckle, "It's funny you say that."

"Why?"

"Because I was about to say the same thing about you." Before Pan could even think about dodging, Cato grabbed a blood-red leaf out of thin air and threw it in his direction.

It wasn't long after that a puff of smoke and a jingle of transformation played, as a violet colored pot landed on the gravel-covered grown; a perfectly jagged crack down its lid. Cato's phone landed on the floor beside the pottery, the person who had been holding it gone.

Walking over, the cat reached down and picked up both the pot and phone; lifting the latter to his ear.

"Hey, dad."

"Oh, Cato!" Sun gasped. "I was worried you two were ambushed! What happened?"

"Pan and I had a… disagreement, so I turned him into a pot," Cato answered bluntly, holding said pot in between his hip and his arm.

"You… what?"

"Well, he called me a crackpot, which I thought was rude. So I turned him into one using my magic." The teen shrugged, "I figured I should teach him an important lesson on kindness, or whatever it is that you talk about."

Cato could practically hear the facepalm through the phone, as his father sighed exasperatedly, "...Cato."

"Yes?"

"You can't just transform people into pottery when you're mad with them. We've been through this."

"I wasn't mad, I was merely disappointed."

Sun sighed again, "Your mother will not be happy about this."

"We both know she'll love it."

"Well, Em most certainly won't." Sun muttered mostly to himself, before continuing, "Anyway, what was the reason why you called?"

Cato paused for a few moments, wracking his brain for an excuse, "...I just wanted to tell you that I missed you."

"...Really?" Sun questioned, and although Cato could hear the disbelief in his voice, there was hope in it too.

It wasn't a secret that they had a more distant relationship compared to that of his siblings, Ramona and Ava. And it didn't help that Cato always preferred spending time with his mother instead, since of her background with magic and his interest in it. To be honest, Sun and Cato just didn't have that much in common, although that didn't stop his father from trying. More often than not though, those attempts always failed, much to Sun's disappointment.

It was clear that hearing those simple words from his son was quite touching to the canuki though. Especially considering how guarded Cato was of his feelings; it seemed as though that was one of the only traits they shared, other than their clear physical similarities.

"...Yes, that's all."

"Ah… well, I-I miss you too, Cato." Sun said lovingly, "The house has been quiet without you two. Ava keeps on asking when her big brother will be back."

Even Cato's stoicness was no match against the mention of his little sister, the cat couldn't help but smile softly, "We will be home soon."

"I'm counting the days." Sun chuckled. "Just try not to turn anybody else into pottery, okay? And please turn Pan back as soon as possible."

"...Fine, okay." Cato agreed with a sigh. If they wanted to be back in time, they'd have to leave for the station soon. "I have to go now."

"Alright, take care, son." Sun said softly, "I love you."

"...you too."

And with that, Cato hung up the phone, before carefully sliding the device into his bag; as he precariously held Pan the pot in his other hand. Time to turn you back, I suppose. Shame. I like him more like this.

Placing the pottery on the gravel ground, Cato took a few steps back away from it, letting out a soft sigh as he waved his hand.

Suddenly, where the pot once sat, was Pan, a red leaf hanging from his muzzle; his expression a mixture of annoyance and shock.

"Welcome back." Cato allowed a teasing smile to come across his face as he stepped forward, offering a hand to the fox-cat hybrid, who currently sat on the gravel ground.

"We are no longer friends." Pan huffed as he took his hand, pulling himself up, his expression screwed up in amusement.

"You'd miss me."

Pan sighed as he brushed the dirt off his tool belt, "...Yeah probably."

"Let's just call us even then." Cato turned away, as they began to walk away from the tavern.

"That's probably for the best."