AN: So I'm feeling so much better and my flu is pretty much gone! Unfortunately the flu took my voice with it haha so I'm still at home (which is why you are getting yet another chapter) as I work in a call centre so it's a bit awkward when you lose your voice!
While the sudden drenching was awful it did have some perks. The stupid ribbon was also soaked in the incident and so Asami had removed it before towelling Akihito dry with the large fluffy towel. So while he did still have to put with the indignity of wearing a pink collar, he had managed to ditch both the bell and the bow and so he was feeling a little more congenial towards the whole thing. He still wasn't about to give in though. He was wondering if anyone had noticed him missing yet, it had only been just over a day and Akihito's friends were aware that he would sometimes drop off the radar for stake outs, sometimes up to days at a time. He briefly contemplated it that probably wasn't a good thing that they wouldn't be alarmed if they weren't able to contact him. Oh well, he still had plenty of time to look for escape opportunities.
Akihito spent the rest of the day stretched out in the sun streaming through the large floor to ceiling windows in Asami's office before being carted back home with him again after gorging himself on more delicious fish. He was starting to feel like a pampered house cat with all the attention, amazing food and nap time. He had realised with much chagrin that it didn't grate on him as much as it should so the next day he re-doubled his escape efforts. After the fifth time a different staff member brought a grumpy Akihito back to Kirishima he found himself locked in with Asami. He had slipped into the elevator and had to be cornered and dragged back. Miffed about his sudden confinement, Akihito slipped back into ninja mode and set about distracting Asami in retaliation. His pen was once again his main target and he completed a flying leap from the bookcase, grabbed the pen while completing a barrel roll and darted off the desk and under the couch. He dropped the pen and wiggled his way out to find a rather intense gaze focused on himself.
"You seem to feeling rather rebellious little kitty, you know you could end this by shifting back right now. No need to be stuck here."
Akihito glared. Like hell he was giving in. They had no idea who he was and he was planning on keeping it that way. He stalked forward and rounded the desk. He paused, taking in Asami's seated form before pulling out his claws and using them to scale Asami's pants until he was on his lap. He threw a frosty look at the man before leaping up onto his desk, casting about for something else to steal. His eyes fell on another equally fancy pen, he zipped forward and snatched up the pen in his mouth, made another fearless leap off the desk and dashed under the couch. He added it to the other pen and strutted back to Asami. He sat at his feet and fixed the man with the most intense stare he could manage. Ninja mode activated; bring it. They engaged in a silent battle of wills for a few minutes before Asami actually laughed. Akihito blinked in surprise. He was still laughing, it was a deep rumbling laugh that actually sounded genuine. What the hell was so funny? Asami was still chuckling when he scooped Akihito up and ruffled his ears. Akihito scowled and batted his hand away, he could feel his fur sticking up in different directions. Jerk did it on purpose. He was surprised when Asami stood.
"I doubt you are going to let me get any more work done today and I don't particularly want to set you on any of my employees, Kirishima will have kittens, so how about we call it a day?"
Akihito looked up in confusion. What was he talking about?
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It turned out Asami was meaning an afternoon in and watching movies on his very large TV with an amazing sound system. Asami had brought some work home with him and was pouring over some reports while Akihito was glued to a movie. Asami had a paid TV and movie streaming service along with the fastest internet money could buy and Akihito was in heaven. He was aware that Asami was probably doing this just to keep him amused and not causing havoc but damn if he wasn't going to enjoy this. Complete power had been passed over to him to pick the movie, which had involved another round of 20 questions but now there was an awesome action flick playing that Akihito had been wanting to see for a while. There was only one thing missing and he glanced over to Asami sitting at the other end of the couch engrossed in work. He sidled up to the man and paused but he didn't seem to notice his approach. He grinned and jumped up onto his lap, plonking himself right in the middle of the papers and stretching out. Asami froze for a few seconds before extracting the reports and putting them to the side. Akihito smirked in satisfaction when he felt a hand stroke down his back.
"Was I not paying you enough attention little kitty?"
Akihito just stretched out further and let the purr rumble through his body and the hand continued to gently stroke. He shouldn't get used to this, it was ridiculous to be sitting here being domestic with this man who he barely knew but yet it felt so comfortable. He didn't expect Asami to reach out and unfasten the collar, placing it to the side before resuming his attentions. He let his purr deepen to the point his whole body was practically vibrating with it and lazily focused back onto the movie.
VFVFVFVFVFVFVF
Asami was slowly drifting awake but was happy to stay asleep a little while longer. He had spent a surprisingly enjoyable afternoon watching movies with the little kitten he was already starting to think as his. The little troublemaker had surprised Asami with an apparent love of particularly grisly horror movies. He had been lulled into a false sense of security with the first pick of a newly released action flick but after that he had discovered the horror section and had proceeded to pick progressively more gruesome movies one after the other. What had surprised him even more however had been him climbing into his lap and practically demanding attention. He had even enthusiastically eaten his dinner directly from Asami's fingers without any hesitation.
He froze as he felt something unexpected. They had curled up together both in cat form again last night and once again he had shifted back into his human form in his sleep, a very common occurrence for him. What he didn't expect was the feeling of skin pressed up against his entire body. He let himself relax and moved back slightly. He opened his eyes and was greeted with a mop of hair sticking up in all directions which was a familiar pale ginger colour. He moved back a little more, carefully trying not to move too much and wake the young man that was curled up in his arms. His head had been tucked up under his chin, his body fitting perfectly against Asami's own. The faint early morning light creeping through the cracks in the curtains revealed a very attractive young man. A cute face relaxed in sleep and a body that wasn't as small as his tiny kitten form suggested. He was still small but not scrawny and his body was the kind of lean, toned figure that suggested athleticism. He had a quirky, stubborn attitude that intrigued Asami and the human form turned out to be delectable. The fact that he was also a shifter and turned into an adorable little kitten was just a cherry on top. Oh yes, he was keeping this one. He grinned and pulled his little kitten closer to himself. The young man stirred and curled even closer, nosing into his neck. Definitely mine.
Asami let himself doze for a while, just soaking in the warmth emitted the figure sleeping in his arms. He needed to make this situation a regular occurrence. He ran an experimental hand slowly down his kitten's spine, he paused then did it again and gave a satisfied smirk when a purr rumbled softly at the back of the young man's throat. He continued to stroke his back even as he felt him stir. Asami knew he had woken up when the purring abruptly cut off and his body went stiff. He slowly pulled back from Asami and looked up at him with a mixture of horror and embarrassment. The pretty blue eyes from his kitten form only looked even better now, a bright, sparkling colour that he could easily imagine lit up with mischief and laughter. He watched panic flick across his face and suddenly he was a kitten again and back peddling across the bed.
"Ah, it's far too late for that my little kitten. Now come back here and talk to me." He watched as he paused and stared at him as though weighing it up. He took a deep breath and shifted back to a human and scrabbled for the sheet to wrap around his naked waist. They just eyed each other for a bit, observing the other person.
"Do I get to know your name now?"
"Takaba Akihito." A cute voice to match, it just gets better.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty three." Young but not too young, perfect. He smirked and Akihito narrowed his eyes at him. Ah, there was that spark of defiance he had seen a lot of when he was a cat. He opened his mouth to ask another question when a loud growl interrupted him. Akihito immediately flushed.
"As much as I would like to know more about my mysterious little kitten, I suppose I should get you breakfast." He stood up and slipped on some sleep pants and turned to see Akihito resolutely staring at his lap. He had forgotten that he was rather shy, even Akihito's ears had gone pink with embarrassment. This brat might just kill him with cuteness. Asami picked out one of his larger shirts and dumped it on his head. He snagged his phone off the bedside table and dialled Kirishima, ordering some breakfast to be delivered. He turned to see Akihito standing in his shirt, just finishing buttoning it up and it was long enough to reach his knees. That might not have been the best idea, he looked good enough to eat. He couldn't help the growl that rumbled out, feeling the possessiveness rising up in him. Akihito gave him a very unsure look, shuffling in place nervously. Akihito trailed after him as he walked into the living room.
They were sitting on the couch with the TV playing quietly in the background as Asami slowly pried more information out of him. The surprised look on Kirishima's face when he was confronted with Akihito as a human was quite satisfying. It also turned out that Akihito's large appetite that was exhibited in his kitten form was even bigger as a person. Asami wasn't sure how he could pack so much away but his bubbly personality came out again as he tucked into the food with an unrivalled enthusiasm. Kirishima promised to bring over Akihito's clothes from the office and Asami continued to fish for information. The more he found out about his little kitten the more he wanted to know.
"Why do you keep calling me that?"
"Calling you what?"
"'My little kitten.' I mean you know my name now and since when am I yours?"
Asami gave him a feral grin and slowly crawled over to him at the other end of the couch. Akihito tried to back away but he pinned him in place and felt a possessive growl rip itself from his throat. He leaned down until they were nose to nose and noticed a flicker of defiance in those pretty blue eyes. Perfect.
"Because you are mine now."
"I'm no-"
He crashed his lips down against Akihito's in a brutal, claiming kiss. He let his weight drop against the small form under him and relished in the feeling of that body pressed up against his. Akihito had initially tensed up but he soon relaxed and responded in turn. Asami felt small hands reach up and fist into his hair. Tongues twined in a hot, messy way but damn if it didn't feel amazing. When they broke apart they were both gasping for air. He couldn't suppress the self-satisfied smirk.
"Mine."
Akihito rolled his eyes.
"I'm not a thing to possess, bastard."
Asami leaned down again and grazed his teeth across Akihito's pale throat earning a shiver in response.
"Mine."
Akihito shoved at his chest and suddenly there was a kitten bolting off the couch. Asami grinned before shifting and giving chase.
What Kirishima walked in on a little later was Asami stalking Akihito. Akihito was just managing to evade capture, darting away and the chase continued. He watched in astonishment as Asami actually pounced like some little kitten before tearing away after the streak of ginger. He placed down the bag with Akihito's clothes before fishing out his phone from his pocket.
"Ah, yes, Asami-sama will not be coming in today…"
Next chapter: Asami stress shifts and get stuck as a panther and of course who does he want to look after him?