Nick stroked Vidi as he watched Teo draw, Moody came too and climbed on top of his lap. Teo’s hair was still wet, as was his, from the shower they took earlier. The wet hair looked sexy on him but maybe that had something to do with the images that where still fresh in his mind’s eye. The both of them entangled under the stream of water. Nick couldn’t help but smile in reminiscence, a pleasant tingle between his legs, damn, he wouldn’t mind having another go at it.

As he zoomed in on his lover once more, he found his gaze zoomed in on him in return.

“Still no Mr. Fluffy, huh?”

“Yeah, yeah, I failed, I know it already! He’s not impressed with me at all..”

“Haha, I told you already that he’s a shy cat, I’m not surprised that he is still wary of you!”

“Still, no cat has ever given me the cold shoulder, it grieves me immensely!”

“I’m sure you will get over it! Do you want me to give you that hint now?”

“No! Don’t tell me! I will succeed!”

“Haha, when will you leave again? You sure about that?”

“Yeah, I’m sure! Just go draw already mister know it all!”

“As you wish my darling,” said Teo teasingly before he once more returned his attention to his computer.

Moody was warm on his lap. He signed, cats were heavenly creatures, so soft as they felt and then those beautiful eyes and perfect paws. He would miss them dearly together with their caretaker, once he left again to go home. Such a weird word suddenly, home…, the word felt empty, a heavy feeling spreading in his chest, making him feel cold inside. Home wasn’t home anymore, he felt like crying suddenly but pushed the feeling away. Instead he petted Moody who gave a mew of content and clawed his nails through his pants and into his skin.

He heard a cat meowing, it came from the kitchen. Nick got up and moved to the kitchen to see who was meowing and why. It was Mr. Fluffy, he stood on his hind legs and clawed with his paws in the wood of the backdoor.

“You want to go outside, Mr. Fluffy?” He came closer as the cat got on his four paws again and started to circle his legs, nuzzling him with his head. He opened the door for the begging cat and watched him go into the darkness, only to realize his big mistake.

“Oh, fuck! Mr. Fluffy, come back!”

But the cat had already disappeared into the darkness. Nick felt a terrible sense of doom sinking into his chest, the nauseous feeling of something that can’t be taken back. Oh, how he wished he could turn back time, why had he been so stupid?!

He pulled his shoes and jacket on and went outside to go look for the cat. The moon seemed really big and bright, illuminating the world in her cold light.

“Mr. Fluffy? Here pussy, pussy, puss,” Nick called. Of course, the damn cat was nowhere to be seen or heard. What if he was really gone? Teo would kill him! Or put him on the next flight home! And he really didn’t want to leave just yet, it was like he had come home, like he had always lived there, together with Teo.

He heard the honking of a car and felt the terrifying sense of dread multiplying tenfold. Oh, god, please not the road, please let this just be a bad dream? He started running towards the road while at the same time he felt the urge to turn around and run away. But he couldn’t do that, this was his responsibility, he had let the cat out.

Something was lying down on the road, he could see it in the moonlight. It looked definitely fluffy. He felt like crying in regret and distress. This was it, Teo would never forgive him, he was going to lose him, thanks to this dumb mistake! But as he finally neared the fluffy thing lying on the road, he saw it wasn’t Mr. Fluffy, it seemed to be a stuffed animal. At first, he wasn’t sure but as he came into reach of it, he saw that it was definitely a stuffed animal, and not any stuffed animal, but one that looked like one he had as a kid. He reached for it and took it up from the ground. It was a stuffed, long haired cat. He looked around but he was completely alone on the dark road. Then another car suddenly approached, the lights blinding him, the car honked loudly at him and as it passed way to near for comfort, he felt the wind of speed hitting him. That asshole!

He decided to go back to the house, the stuffed animal all but forgotten still in his hands. As he neared the house though, he saw to his horror that the backdoor was wide open. No, this could not be happening! He started to run to the house, hoping that no other cat had gotten out yet, and where was Teo? Hadn’t he noticed the cold draft yet?

As he came into the circle of light of the back porch, four small shadows run into the yard, all five cats were now outside in the darkness. Nick shouted his distress into the darkness, for a moment not sure what to do first. Until he decided to come clean and tell Teo what had happened. He walked through the backdoor and into the kitchen and halted. In the kitchen was an unknown guy.

“Who the fuck are you?”

“Me? I’m the lover!”

“Of who?”

“The guy inside!”

“That is my lover!”

“No, you left! Now he’s mine!”

“Says who?”

“The guy inside of course!”

“I don’t believe you!”

“Look, I’m even feeding the cats!”

And indeed, to Nick’s surprise, four cats circled the guys legs while he put the bowls with cat food on the ground. Even Vidi who had taken a while to get used to Nick, was nuzzling up to the guys legs. At least he hadn’t tamed Mr. Fluffy!

“No, you killed him, remember!”

What, had he said that out loud?

“That isn’t true! And you should leave! I never left!”

“Haha, you wish!”

He decided it was better to check on Teo then to fight this guy and he passed him to go into the living room. Teo was behind his computer, where he had left him earlier, still drawing.

He swallowed, it was now or never, hey babe, I need to tell you something!”

Teo didn’t look up and didn’t seem to recognize his voice either, “who are you?”

“It’s me, Nick!”

“Nick left!”

“What?! No, I never left!”

“But you did! You left, you can’t come back now, it’s too late!”

“No, you don’t mean that! I never left, how can it be too late if I never left anyway? And why is there a stranger in the kitchen feeding the cats!”

At this Teo looked finally up from his drawings and his face lit up, “Mr. Fluffy!”

Nick looked down, expecting to see the damned stuffed animal, only to see he held the notoriously shy very much alive Mr. Fluffy in his arms.

“What? How come…”

“Dear, are you alright?”

Nick’s vision was a bit blurry when he opened his eyes, the feelings of the dream were still fresh in his mind. He was lying on the couch, Moody still on his lap. Teo sitting next to him, his gaze fixed on his face.

“You were angry with me because I left!”

“What are you talking about? Did you have a bad dream?”

“Yeah, kinda! I think I lost Mr. Fluffy outside and when I came back you had a new lover…”

“You think I will replace you right away?” His voice sounded a bit amused.

“I don’t know, will you?”

Teo looked away at this, a serious note to his voice, “I told you, I don’t do long distance relationships!”

“I know…,” Nick felt defeated, he would lose him, he knew he would. The heavy feeling returned to his chest once again.

“Damn, I knew this was a bad idea!” Teo seemed upset with himself.

“What if, what if I stayed a bit longer, see how it goes?”

He seemed to want to say something, to object maybe. More than one emotion crossing his face before it settled on something like resignation, “fine, stay longer, if you can manage that with your work and everything, why not..”

The weird oppressive feeling in his chest slowly started to dissipate. It wasn’t over just yet, he got some more time to be here with Teo, before the both of them went their separate ways once again.

TBC