The first morning with the cat under the same roof was a disaster.

The cat had teared at the back of the sofa, and also made sure to spread all his sand all over the bathroom. It took Brian most of the day to clean after him, because the moment he wasn't looking at the cat, he did something naughty.

The second day was even worse.

Brian hadn't closed the bedroom door all the way, and the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a pair of big blue eyes staring at him curiously. Sadly, it wasn't the blue eyes he wanted to see next to him.

"Fuck off," he muttered to the cat. He pushed him away, tugging the blanket over his head. Next thing Brian knew was the cat jumping on his face, with the blanket between them. "Are you crazy?" Brian got out of the bed, leaving the furball trapped under the blanket.

After showering, he sat on the edge of the bed to get his socks on. A weak meow came from behind him, scaring him to death.

"Still here?" Brian picked the kitten, holding him in the crook of his elbow, and went downstairs. "Your place is here." He deposited him in the basket.

On his way back upstairs, the kitten followed him, making Brian groan loudly. He got dressed under the inquisitive eyes of the feline.

Back in the kitchen, he made himself coffee and a toast, watching the cat rolling around on the floor, playing with one of the toys.

Justin better accept his present, because Brian wasn't sure he could live with the cat.

While Brian put all the files he'd brought home over the weekend in his briefcase, the kitten started mewling loudly and rubbing between his ankles.

"Go away, or I might step on you."

His warnings went unheard, and the closer he got to leave for work, the worse the mewling got.

"For fuck's sake! Look, I'll be back later. Stop this whining."

The kitten stared back at him sadly, giving another weak meow, before jumping on the sofa and curling into a tiny ball.

Brian smiled, rubbing between his ears. "See? We can get along."

On the way to work, he kept thinking of the small cat he'd left all alone in his condo. This was the very reason he'd been against pets. They spent most of the time alone, and when the owners were with them, they rarely had the time for them.

Throughout the day, Brian tried to think of the right way to send Justin the cat. He didn't trust anyone to deliver the furball, and he was afraid the delivery guy would hurt or steal the cat. The best way was to give the cat to Justin in person, which wasn't the case.

By the end of the day, Brian decided to keep the cat until he figured out the best way to proceed.

He'd stepped out of the elevator and was searching for his keys when his phone rang.

"What, Steele?" He asked, exasperated.

"I just got an idea for the way we can show the new phone in the storyboards we have to present the officials."

Tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear, Brian unlocked the door and pushed it open. "That's what we've tried doing the whole day. All we did in the end was scream. Holy fuck!" He was taken by surprise when the kitten did a spectacular somersault and landed on his stomach, his claws catching in his jacket. Brian dropped his briefcase and keys in time to catch the kitten, who started sliding down. "You're one crazy fucker, huh?"

"You haven't even heard my idea," Evan said, amused.

"Oh, I wasn't talking to you. Remember my new companion. He thinks he's a torpedo and just jumped me when I stepped through the door."

"You still have the cat?"

"Yep. I decided to keep him until I think of a way to give it to Justin."

"I still can't believe you're willingly keeping the cat."

"What was your idea?" Brian changed the subject. He'd had enough of arguing with Evan over their account, he wasn't ready to fight over a cat, too.

"You know, never mind. It's not that good. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Whatever." Brian hung up, closing the door with his foot.

He went to sit on the sofa with the cat still attached to him. It surprised him that he wasn't more upset he'd dug his claws in his Armani coat, but the little one had no idea what he was doing. He was actually cute, the way he purred and kept rubbing his head to Brian's chest, looking at him with his big blue eyes.

"Yeah, I guess I missed you, too," he whispered, stroking between his ears, earning louder purrs.

Brian stared at the Dali painting across the sofa, pondering what was the best way to introduce Justin to his pet. He could drop by his place, but it was likely for Justin to send them both away. Maybe he could ring the doorbell and leave the cage with the cat and his supplies at Justin's door, but he had no idea when Justin was home. And he had no idea if Izzy had a policy against pets.

After ordering take-out food, Brian settled on a movie, before digging in. The cat sat curled next to him, sleeping peacefully.

Once the movie was over, Brian went to bed, exhausted after the long and tiring day at work. While he got ready for bed, he didn't pay attention to the kitten slinking through the ajar door and curling on the pillow next to Brian.

Only when he got in bed, he noticed his companion.

"Your bed is downstairs," he muttered, turning around and closing his eyes. To his surprise, the low purrs lulled him to sleep, but they needed rules. The cat had to understand sleeping with him was not going to become a habit.

On their third day together, Brian had Mimi make an appointment to the best vet clinic in the city. He even left work early to go home and collect his furry friend to take him for his first check-up.

The first thing he noticed when he got into the condo was a black something in the middle of the room. He went closer to inspect the thing, repulsed.

The kitten had surprisingly taken to his litter box from the first moment, and to see that thing in the middle of the room, repulsed Brian to no end. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look like cat poop, which freaked him out.

As he pick what looked like a ball of hair in a tissue and threw it away in the trash, he found the cat perched on one of the kitchen stool, snoring. It gave him time to grab the cage and think of a way to lure him inside. He could remember the cat not being a fan of the cage when he'd brought him from the pet store.

"Hey there," Brian said, petting the kitten. "Time to wake up."

The small ears twitched, but otherwise the cat remained asleep.

"Are you kidding me? Come on. I don't want to shove you in this cage." Brian nudged the stool a little. "Wakey-wakey."

A low purr and a twitch of tail was his only answer.

"Okay, you're asking for it." Brian deposited the open cage on the counter, then picked up the sleepy kitten. He hissed, clawing at the air, clinging to Brian's jacket, staring at him panicked. "Yeah, you asked for it. Sorry for the brutal wake-up call, but time's tight. Now get in there like a good kitty."

The kitten dug his claws deeper into Brian's jacket, refusing to go into the cage.

"For fuck's sake, you silly kitty. We'll be late."

A weak mew made Brian forgo the cage, understanding the cat didn't like it. He slipped him in his jacket's pocket, smiling when the small head poked out, looking around from a different perspective at the world.

Since he'd brought his car from Pittsburgh, Brian arrived fairly quickly at the vet clinic, but traffic was lighter than usual. He knew when he returned it would be rush hour when people left work and he'd be stuck in traffic for hours.

The visit was as traumatizing for Brian as it was for the cat. He was ready to beat the doctor with a stick for making his furry friend mewl so pathetically and try escaping the exam table when he stuck a third needle into his neck.

The doctor explained to Brian what the shots were, and that the kitten should have had at least one of them, and he had no idea how the pet store hadn't taken care of it.

"Uh, I have a question," Brian said once the doctor was done with his torment on his kitten.

"I can tell it's your first pet, so go on, ask anything. So far, you've done a stellar job."

Brian beamed, petting the cat's head. "When I got home earlier to get him, I found something on the floor. It looked like poop, but I don't think it was. He did his business only in the litter box."

The doctor pointed to a picture on the wall. "Did it look like that?"

"Yeah. Exactly. He's not sick, is he?"

"It's quite normal. It's called hairball. Cats lick their own fur as you must have noticed. They ingest it, and then vomit it out. I can give him some meds to make it easier for him, but it's something normal. And if it happens when you're home, you don't have to panic. You'll hear retching sounds."

"Hairball?" Brian pulled a repulsed face. "And can't he hide that gross thing?"

"That's one of the things that cats don't hide. So get used to it. It won't happen often, only when his stomach can't take it anymore."

"Well, fuck. It will be often. Look at him. He's so tiny." Brian scratched behind his kitten's ears. "Maybe I can save him this torture by washing him? I mean taking him to a salon to be washed."

The doctor chuckled. "He wouldn't appreciate it. This is a cat's nature, so let it be." He handed Brian his card, smiling. "I bet you'll have many questions as a new pet owner."

Brian eyed the card amused, catching the double meaning immediately. For once, getting into the doctor's pants was the farthest thing on his mind. He wanted his kitten to be well.

On the ride home, the black furball sat curled up on the passenger seat, purring in tune with the car's engine. It took Brian about an hour to make a fifteen minutes drive.

Once inside the condo, the cat simply jumped out of Brian's hand as he was juggling between shutting the door and not dropping his keys. He went to one of his toys, digging his claws into it, playing.

Brian let him be, knowing he needed some time alone after visiting the doctor, so he took advantage of the time to shower and order dinner. When he was out of the shower, he was shocked to find the cat on top of the vanity, staring at him. All his fur was fuzzy due to the high humidity in the bathroom.

"You're a creep, you know that?" Brian snatched his towel, drying himself under the cat's inquisitive eyes. "Hear that?" He grinned, when the doorbell rang. "It's my food. Let's go."

It took Brian to arrive downstairs and open the door to realize the cat hadn't followed. After paying for his food, he took it to the counter and pulled out the boxes.

When the cat still didn't appear, rubbing between his legs, he decided to track him down, because it was too suspicious.

He'd barely reached the upstairs area when he was greeted by loud mewls.

Shit, he thought worried. Maybe he was afraid to jump off the vanity.

Brian rushed into the bathroom. The cat wasn't on the vanity anymore.

"Hey? Where did you run off?" He made to turn around and check in his room, when he heard another mewl.

With a few more steps deeper into the bathroom, he found the drenched cat in the toilet, not looking pleased.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! I don't even want to know how you got there. Thirsty?"

The cat looked relieved to be saved from the water, but he had no idea that he was in for more water. Brian put him into the sink he never used, which was supposed to be Justin's, plugged in the sink, filled it with slightly warm water and some of his shampoo.

"I don't care how much you hate it, but I won't have you reeking of toilet water." After a long battle, Brian had the cat washed, and without being scratched. He deemed it a good thing.

Next, he blow dried the cat, who kept trying to escape the warm air.

Needless to say, after such a horrible day, the kitten hid in his basket, refusing to even look at his human. Not even when he tried feeding him later that night.

The being upset at his human lasted through the following day and the next morning, but it was all gone when Brian returned home late at night, tired and irritated after a long day at work. The cat kept his distance until Brian got in bed.

When he decided to join his human, he found the door shut. Planting his ass in front of the wood wall between him and his human, the cat started mewling loudly.

It worked wonders when the door was snatched open. But instead of being invited in that big, fluffy bed, he found himself being carried to his own bed. After a short petting, his human disappeared up the stairs again.

He tried his new trick several times, until he was sure he'd simply be invited to sleep next to his human. His human never opened the door on his seventh try, but there was a loud growl from the other side of the wood wall.

In the morning, Brian found the kitten asleep in front of his room. He sprang up the second he heard the door opening, alert and ready to play with his human. He had little precious time, before he left, and he'd find himself all alone for longer than appropriate.

Brian went to make the strongest coffee he could make, throwing nasty looks to the evil kitten. He'd been in quite a mood the previous night, but he'd resisted under the pressure of letting him sleep in his bed. He knew that if he allowed him in there too often, he'd think it was his bed, and claim it as his own. Especially if...when Justin returned to him. They'd fight over the spot next to him.

Being a Saturday, he decided to not think of anything work related. He lazed on the sofa with the newspaper and his coffee, playing catch with the cat. The feline must have been a dog in another lifetime, because he brought back the toy mouse Brian kept throwing away when the kitten deposited it on his lap.

"What part of playing on your own don't you get? Can't I read the paper in peace?"

He rolled his eyes when the cat curled next to him, stretching one of his legs and gently pawing at Brian's pant, staring at him pleadingly.

"Oh, for fuck's sake. What do you want?" He deposited his paper and coffee on the table, picking the kitten with both hands, bringing him above his head. "No, no. Claws in. We won't play if they're out." He brought him down slowly, until the cat was cuddled against his chest, purring softly.

As he stroked his furry friend, Brian contemplated his new life. He'd never thought of himself as a cat person, as a pet person in general, but the cat had gotten under his skin.

He couldn't wait for his plan to get Justin back to work and to bring him home. He'd adore the cat, and without doubt, the cat would love him too.

King Purr, as the cat had self-named himself, sat in front of the door, expecting his human to make a return. He was never so late, and King Purr couldn't feel him near.

When his human had left earlier, he'd told him to be extra good because he had a surprise for him. Being abandoned for so many hours was a stupid surprise.

The longer he stared at the door, the more worried he grew about his human. It wasn't normal for him to come home when the place was so dark. They were usually in the soft bed upstairs by that time.

When King Purr was about to lose all hope, he felt his human approaching. Not long later, the sound of locks turning had him on his legs, ready to jump on him. The smell of someone else next to his human, stopped King Purr.

He carefully stepped closer, only for his human's friend to step on his right front paw. He mewled loudly, lifting his paw off the ground to inspect the damage, before licking it gingerly.

What kind of brutal friend did his human get? King Purr was going to do everything in his power to rescue his human from this person. He'd make him go away.

He was extremely happy to be back in his human's hands. His gentle human even checked on injured paw, which was much better than expected. The brute could have broken it.

When his human approached him to the brute, he hissed loudly, reaching to claw at the stretched hand. No way was that insensitive human going to touch him again. King Purr had to protect his human and his place.

He watched from his spot in his basket how close his beloved human interacted with the mean one. They seemed close, closer than his human was with him, which was unacceptable.

A loud sound, like an explosion, sent his little heart racing and he took refuge in his human's warm and gentle touch. He could always make everything better.

Then the mean one got really close to his human, King Purr, not knowing his intentions, clawed at his jaw. He was pleased to hear a sound of pain coming from the brute. Instead of being praised for the good deed, King Purr found himself on the floor, while his human was all over the brute, making sure he was okay.

If his human liked getting hurt, it was out of King Purr's paws. He'd tried and would keep trying to make sure his human was safe, but if the brute stuck around, he had no idea what he could do.

To his dismay, he was even locked out of the bedroom that night, and too tired to even demand entrance.

From that moment on, the brute was a constant presence. It seemed to King Purr that his human was quite fond of the brute. He kept licking his face.

King Purr had no choice but to adapt to the change.

He had influenced his human in not being careful when he held him.

King Purr was not impressed when his human held him so high above the ground, balancing precariously on his palm. So he did the only thing imaginable. He clawed at his human's hand, jumping to the counter then to the ground.

Whoa. That one had been an impressive jump. King Purr was proud of himself, as he curled on the sofa, licking at his fur.

Not too long later, his human decided to play with his friend on the sofa, which was currently King Purr's favorite place. He escaped right on time, before they could squish him.

Until he found himself alone with the brute.

When his human left in a haste, only giving the brute a petting and more licks, without even looking at him anymore, he knew it was going to be a bad day.

The brute came to him the second his human was gone. King Purr tried to hide in his basket, and when the brute got too close, he hissed loudly in warning, showing him the claws.

He even tried feeding him, but King Purr wasn't going to touch the poisoned food. He never knew the brute's intentions.

To his dismay, the brute even locked him in the place where his toilet was. So many things in that place scared him. There was a glass showing what was behind him. There was that big bowl of water, in which he'd nearly drowned a while back. His human had given him a bath after rescuing him from there, for which King Purr had no idea if to be grateful or not. That place stank. There was white stuff falling from a wall.

Hey, it moved.

Deciding to test if it fought back, King Purr clawed at the white stuff. After a little pawing at it, the white stuff rolled on his head, getting him trapped in it. Much squirming and mewling later, he freed himself from the white stuff attack, right in time for the door to open. He zoomed out, past the startled brute.

He even dared to call him 'mean kitty', when it wasn't even his fault the white stuff attacked him out of nowhere.

When King Purr found himself alone, he inspected the house for traces of the brute. The scent of the brute led him upstairs. He found a soft fabric that could be a nice bed. He knew it belonged to the brute. After digging his claws through it and even napping on the cloth, he did something that could land him in trouble with his human. He pissed on the brute's cloth.

Many hours later, it was the brute who returned first.

King Purr sat quietly on the back of the sofa, tail twitching as he watched the brute walking around his place.

Then he returned downstairs with the cloth in his hand. He stopped in front of King Purr, who decided to ignore him. The ignorant human didn't deserve his time.

"You little asshole. Lucky the shirt was already ripped, or I'd have ripped you a new one!"

King Purr stayed very still, hoping the brute would go away.

"Does Brian know you piss all over the house?"

King Purr's tail twitched violently. He was going to make the brute regret he said it, if he dared to badmouth his good deed to his human. King Purr only wanted the brute gone, but he didn't want to upset his human.

King Purr was the king of their lair, and anyone who decided to move in had to be approved. The brute was definitely not approved.

oOo

The insensitive human had become an unwelcome constant presence in their kingdom.

King Purr made it his goal to have all his human's attention whenever the mean one was around. Most of the time, it worked, but sometimes it seemed that his human forgot all about him when his new friend licked his face.

Maybe King Purr should try licking his face too.

Nope. That one didn't go well.

His human scowled, pushing him away. The mean one dared to laugh, and shower his human in his special licks.

Whenever he found the bedroom door open, King Purr slinked inside, crawling in the big soft bed. He enjoyed scaring the mean one, though he got trapped between his big paws more times than he could count. It was all worth it when in the morning his human woke up smiling. He usually picked King Purr up, carrying him to his basket, and King Purr loved the few moments close to his favorite human.

King Purr learned to live with his human's Yellow. He wasn't exactly as bad as he originally thought, but he kept his distance.

The Yellow one always scolded him for lying on the counter, or sharpening his claws on the sofa, or stealing one of his sticks. The sticks were fun. They left colors on the floor.

Probably to annoy King Purr, Yellow listened to loud noises, making loud noises too. He never did that while his human was around. King Purr got aggravated, and no matter how much he hissed and mewled, Yellow wouldn't stop it.

His human always put a stop to the madness when he came home, cuddling him close. King Purr loved being in his human's warm hands. Especially when he seemed to know his name.

He called him 'Baby Purry', maybe baby meant a small king. He couldn't wait to grow up and be a real King Purr.

One day, when he was once again alone with the insensitive one, King Purr sat on the stairs, watching his human's Yellow friend. He looked harmless curled on the sofa, talking to his hand. Maybe he was crazy.

King Purr decided to approach him and see if his initial opinion was wrong. He lay at the Yellow's feet, staying on alert in case he chose to attack.

Right when he was about to relax, out of nowhere, the mean human's legs trapped him to the sofa. King Purr didn't care he might get in trouble with his human for scratching his friend as he clawed his way out of the trap. He wasn't going to try getting friendly with Yellow ever again.

And he dared to say they couldn't be friends. Of course, they couldn't, when he kept attacking him for no reason.

King Purr sat curled on the table by the front door, waiting for his warm, loving human to return. He wished he could voice his concern about his friend.

It was not long later when his human stuffed him in the small box. King Purr hated that thing. No matter how loud he cried and mewled, his human didn't open the little door. For what seemed like forever he was in the small box, stashed away in a dark room with other animals in the same predicament as him.

When he was reunited with his human, he expected to be pulled out and cuddled, but the only reassurance that his human still loved him was his voice talking to him.

King Purr remembered the only time he'd been in that box for so long, maybe not as long as now, but still too long to be acceptable. It was when he'd met his human.

Maybe the mean one convinced him to take him back to that crappy place his human had rescued him from. King Purr couldn't see Yellow, but he could feel him near.

When he was finally let out of the box, they were in a new place. He's never been there, but his human prompted him to explore.

Only a few steps to the left had him shocked and scared at many people gasping at his sudden appearance. He rushed back to his human, clawing at his pants.

Safely in his human's hands, they went back to the room hosting the many people.

When a small human ran to them, King Purr found himself in Yellow's hands. Terrified to be handled like that, he accepted the gentle petting, as his claws dug in the cloth covering Yellow. He wanted back to his human, but the mean one chided him to get over himself.

By the looks of it, his human had completely forgotten him, cuddling and licking at the cub in his arms.

His problems seemed bigger than his human abandoning him. The other people approached and petted him, cooing at him. King Purr was grateful that Yellow showed mercy for once, keeping him tightly against his chest, protecting him. Then his human came to his rescue, and King Purr had never been more grateful of his beloved human.

While everyone left the big room, King Purr curled in the corner. A nap was all he needed after the traumatizing experience.

He was startled awake by the cub, picking him up by his front legs and depositing him on his lap. King Purr could tell the cub was a good little human, and he smelled a lot like his human, which was a bonus. He accepted the stabs and slaps on his body. He was still a cub and didn't know how to be gentle.

To his surprise, Yellow approached them, showing the cub the correct way to pet him.

King Purr eyed him curiously. There was yet hope for Yellow to become his friend.