The tabby felt safe, and welcome, and never alone here. In her happy daze, she spied a look over at Stella, who looked much more restless and tightknit than she did. Micheala popped her jaw to ask if she was okay but was quickly cut off by a voice from above.
“Soooo, how was your day, my precious Catty?” It was Jade, of course, and it seemed no surprise that Catty would settle for someone who treated her like the Earth’s handmade goddess of divinity. With a purr, the gray she-cat jumped onto the table and rubbed herself against her owner’s face. “… That sounds like a good, right? Well, I’m sorry I was gone for so long, haha! I was helping out with – mm – some stuff out towards the city…”
Micheala stalked across the room, scooting herself closer to Stella. “Stella?” she whispered gently, her eyes bright with alarm. (“…Y’know, with food and stuff? I mean, of course you don’t, you’re a cat, you probably don’t even know what I’m talking about!...”) “A-are you okay?”
(“…It just helps to talk to someone, since I’m too poor to afford a therapist. Also, I feel like you’re listening even if I can’t understand?...”) Stella gritted her teeth together and gave an uncomfortable grunt. “I, hate – tight… spaces…” she growled, squeezing her eyes shut and slumping down into the ground. (“…I’ve been trying to spread awareness about conserving energy and supporting your local farmers’ markets, and there was this absolutely adorable girl, Catts, oh my god…”)
“O-oh, oh god, I’m sorry,” Micheala sputtered, taking one paw forwards and then quickly retrieving it. More taken up space probably wouldn’t help Stella at all – wait, jeez, did I just insult myself? Dammit, oh well. (“…I’d like to think you’re, like, a little kitty lesbian. To make me feel a bit better about myself being all alone out here. Like, take that homophobes, my cat’s a lesbian too!...”) “Can I do anything to help?”
“No,” Stella responded bluntly before curtly turning her head away and towards the nearest exit. “Just… don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll be fine.” Micheala’s ears lowered against her head. Shit shit shit, I’ve got to find a way to make Stella feel better, but… how? I can’t get her outside because of the no kitty door and, um, …
“…I’ll just pretend you are. Thank you for always having my back, you oblivious, adorable cat, you. I love you so much. …”
Oh!
Micheala stumbled to her paws. Padding alongside the table, she lifted her head and began to mew loudly, entangling herself in Jade’s legs. Her little paws thrusted her forwards and up and with another noisy, charming squeal, she placed her paws on the chair ledge and propped her head up to gaze lovingly at Jade.
“I mean, I could see it! It’d make me feel better about our damn neighbor being so – huh?” Jade looked down. “Oh – Micheala, what’s up, sweetheart?”
It didn’t even take the tabby for the dark girl’s eyes to travel over the she-cat and land comfortably on Stella, whimpering as she held her muzzle between her paws. “Oh, hold on you cutie you—”
She huffed and promptly slapped her forehead. “Goddammit, how could I forget? Stella’s always gotten freaked out by small spaces, durrr!” Quickly, Jade rose to her feet and crossed the room in only a few steps, bowing to level herself with the heaving spaniel. Stella didn’t even bat an eye. “Hey there, darling,” Jade cooed softly, hands on her knees. “Do you mind if I pick you up and settle you somewhere else, Stella Bella?”
She gently took one hand and raised it to the she-dog’s nose, awaiting a go signal. When Stella sniffed the girl’s hand and didn’t budge or seem disgruntled, Jade gingerly prodded forwards and embraced Stella fully in her arms. Then she climbed to her feet – holding the golden spaniel steadily in her arms – and turned around towards the back door. “Catty, Micheala – I’ll be right back! Don’t worry your pretty little heads~!!!”
Then Jade swung open a door and stepped inside. Micheala stretched her neck to watch as the slim girl disappeared into the dark and glanced back briefly at Catty, tailtip twitching nervously. “Do… do you think Stella will be okay?”
Catty hopped down from the chair, watching the doorway intently as well. “She should be – I wouldn’t worry about it!” she twitched her whiskers playfully. “Stella’s always been funky about small spaces; just make sure you don’t talk to her too much about it, or she’ll get really touchy like she does when you bring up her feelings.”
“… Right,” Micheala gulped. She shot another look into the darkness, her eyes quivering with unsettled anxiety. Heavens, please please please not this feeling again. “I’m going to go check on Stella, I’ll be back—” she blurted out, and then fled the room.
Catty said something in return, but the tabby was too focused on finding her other friend and ensuring safety that she dove head first into the room without turning an ear to anything else. Softly but surely, Micheala squeezed herself into the room and let her eyes wander intensely until they finally rested on the familiar golden shape she had been looking for.
Stella! Oh, thank heavens and sky, there she is…! Perking up immediately, Micheala smiled tenderly to herself and padded her way over, tail now held high in the air like she had found the world’s most valuable, sought-after treasure. Yes, yes yes yes!! And she looks sooo much better already – hahaha, take that, stupid brain!
Jade – unsurprisingly – was the first to notice Micheala. With a warm smile, she raised a hand to the she-cat’s head and stroked between her ears. “God, you’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you?” she hummed.
Then her gaze returned to Stella, who lay on the floor with her head splayed out and eyes closed. She was motionless, and Micheala could only assume she was napping – or maybe she was dead? The sudden thought sent chills of panic running down the she-cat’s spine, but when she looked up and saw the calm, friendly expression of Catty’s owner, her worries immediately disappeared. People are always so sweet and nice, so… if she’s fine, then Stella must be fine. I trust Jade, always, I think…
Interrupting her thoughts, Jade sat back up on her haunches and turned her body to the tabby, staring down at her with compassionate eyes. She took her hand back and rested it in a loose ball on her lap, then took her other to cup it around her mouth. “Y’know…” she whispered. “out of all of Catty’s friends, you’ve always been my favorite, and – god, I sound crazy to anyone else, probably. You’re all just pets but I feel like you’re all my daughter’s best friends.”
She sighed, wiped her spare hand against her forehead, and stood up, brushing a few hairs off her skirt. “I’ll make sure Catty’s all tidied up and get her to bed in my room, okay? You just stay here and keep Stella company!” Micheala stood watching the door, and watched as it slowed to a close, snapping shut once it leaned close enough.
Something sat uncomfortably in the pit of the tabby’s stomach, something she couldn’t quite put her paw on. Part of it was it felt like proper routine to say ‘goodnight’ personally to Catty, and the even slight rupture in that schedule made Micheala feel… off. She frowned, turned, readied herself to jump out of the couch, when she suddenly caught Stella’s open eye.
“You’re awake?”
Stella grunted, and the tabby’s winced when she caught the subtle eyeroll directed her way. “Mmmmhm.”
“Are you, um… feeling better?” Micheala said quietly, a knot forming in her throat but god Micheala, get it together, she’s probably just frustrated and tired. Not at you, stop being such a baby, you dumbie.
“A bit,” the she-dog sighed. She nudged her head up on a small cushion, her muzzle drawn in a tight line. “Not completely, but… better. It’s more space-y in here.”
“Are—” Oh, right, shit shit shit Catty said not to bring too much up. Mission abort, mission abort, Micheala. “Um, I, uh…” She shuffled her paws awkwardly, suddenly at a loss for words and desperately searching for a change in topic.
Oh… oh no, Micheala frowned. Did she… hear Jade say I was her favorite? Is that – is that why she’s suddenly even more upset…? I hope not, oh god, please be okay Stella… She averted her gaze as the anxiety started to set its deadly claws in, and her heart began pummeling and she wanted to run she wanted to walk run walk think don’t think DON’T—
“I’M glad you’re better, though…!” Micheala blurted, her words fumbled and awkward in her mouth. As if she thought it’d heal the awkwardice of the situation, she turned tail and jumped clumsily onto the couch beside herself and Stella, just barely landing and still having to scramble most of the way. However, despite her best attempts, the combo of absolutely exhausted and terribly, suddenly stressed and kinda chubby and short legs was dragging the tabby down very, very slowly. And painfully. Shit.
“Need help?”
“Um—” Micheala wheezed, her back legs kicking helplessly behind herself. “… Yes…?”
Her heart warmed as she felt the spaniel laugh softly instead of bark sarcastically or make a sour remark – oh yay, she had made her friend laugh! Before long, she felt a sharp nudge from behind, and the rest of her sausage-like body toppled up after her.
“Th-thank you…!” she cheered, scrambling back up to her paws. Then she stared down at the she-dog, suddenly curious. “Do you want to get up here – with me?”
But Stella had already flopped herself down, her muzzle laid lazily between two paws. “Nah, I’m good, Mich,” she sighed, blowing a windy breath from between her two jaws.
“Oh, okay!” The tabby curled herself up, laying her chin down on the rough cushion of the cough. “Um… Stella?”
The she-dog lifted her head in acknowledgement.
Micheala bit her lip. “I’m sorry if you heard Jade say… that…”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Mich,” Stella interrupted, pausing her words with an abrupt, drawn-out yawn. Her head flopped down to the ground, her long, curly ears following like golden waterfalls cascading downwards. “It’s no biggie.”
“Well – I-I think you should be her favorite!” The tabby declared suddenly with an amount of vigor she didn’t even realize she was incorporating.
Stella only snorted softly in response, but her smile was evident; that was enough to give Micheala a grin of her own. “You’re really brave,” she whispered. “And really smart – and responsible!”
“… Thank you, Mich.” The spaniel responded this time, but her answer was curt. Micheala, satisfied with the response, felt her smile only widen in satisfaction.
There… now she won’t be sad. Stella doesn’t deserve to be sad, and neither does Catty, and neither does nobody…! Especially not because of me, or what somebody says about me. The tip of the cheerful she-cat’s tail twitched thoughtfully. I just – want everyone to be happy. No matter what. All of my friends and Tom and Addison and Jade and, everyone, to be happy.
Her eyelids fluttered shut. “You’re welcome!”
But before even a few seconds had passed, Micheala’s bright blue eyes snapped back open, wide and dumbfounded. “Wait, Stella?”
From below her, her spaniel friend opened one eye.
Micheala edged herself closer to the cough, peering down over at Stella. “Why… why did you want Catty to not know about us visiting the new dog…? And – when are we going again?”
Stella took a deep breath, and the tabby above her watched as the motion almost faded into a brisk yawn. “Well… the two of us already had a plan, hm…?”
“Yeah…!?”
“So… I didn’t want Catty to come in with her crazy ideas, and ruin, or, mess up things – or distract you, and throw you offcourse.”
“Oh,” Micheala responded simply, suddenly feeling very, very dumb.
She then rolled over on her side, peering at Stella from over the edge of the cushion with droopy, tired eyes. “…Are you sure you don’t want to sleep up here rather than on the floor…?”
The spaniel yawned. “I’m sure, Mich. Go ahead and get some rest, alright?” Shutting her eyes and spreading her legs out across the floor, the she-dog took a deep breath and prepared herself for sleep. “We gotta… get up early tomorrow. Goodnight Mich.”
The tabby in question rested her head neatly on her paws, still looking down at her golden friend. “What if we don’t get up in time?” She peeped quietly, as if not to disturb Stella.
“I’m always an early bird,” the spaniel responded, a soft smile working her muzzle. “Goodnight, Mich.”
And then Micheala nodded gently to herself, already dozing off. Carefully, she nudged her nose between her paws and covered her eyes, squeezing herself into a tightknit, comfortable ball. “Goodnight, Stella.”
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