No Ordinary Cat

No Ordinary Man

"Oh, Tetsu. Not again..."

Kei tried hard not to laugh. He really did. But his smile kept breaking up his serious face, and well, he laughed anyway.

"Keep laughing, Moonshine. I'll change back, and..."
"And what? Chase me?"
"I mean, if that's what you want."
"Stop. You barely caught me last time, and it took you hours to change back."

Tetsu, currently in cat-form, narrowed his eyes. He was clearly trying to come up with a retort, but Kei's mom chose to drive into the driveway at that moment. When she got out of the car, she took one look at the scene, and burst out laughing.

"What was it this time, Tetsu?" she asked normally. "There haven't been any storms in the area lately. And no explosions from kids' experiments, that I'm aware of."
"He hasn't said," Kei replied. "At least, not yet."
"You didn't ask, either," Tetsu said sarcastically.
"Well?"

Kei's mom pulled out a few bags of groceries from the back seat of the car, and started to go inside. Tetsuro took the opportunity and ran in after her. Kei shook his head, adjusted his bag on his shoulder, and followed both of them.

It had been a year since Tetsu transformed back into his human form and returned to Kei. He thought it was permanent, that the only way he could transform again was if someone else did it for him. He learned the hard way that he wasn't as magically gifted as he wanted to be. Still, in the last year, he discovered he could change form. Sometimes, he could even do it on purpose.

Most times, like now, an outside interference would trigger the transformation. Loud noises being the main culprit. What made it more embarrassing was that it still took him a while to change back. Not to mention it still caused him to black out for a short period of time afterward. He wasn't used to this new power. He wasn't used to Kei being able to talk to him via mind link, either. But, after the first debacle (random thunderstorm), Kei had Akiteru teach him how to communicate that way.

Once he was inside the room he'd been given to use while he lived here (that he still didn't use, preferring to stay with Kei), he pushed the door closed, and cast a simple locking spell. He sat in the middle of the sparsely furnished room, and then cursed. He forgot a change of clothes, and a sizable snack for after the transformation back into human form. Before he could unlock the door again, someone knocked.

"Tetsu?" Kei tried opening the door, but stopped when he found it locked. "Tetsu, open up."
The latch clicked, and Kei turned the knob, entering and quietly closing the door behind him. He had a change of clothes with him. And a bento box.
"I brought your clothes and some food for... after."
"I think you read my mind." Tetsu said dryly.
Kei smirked. "Not something I can do, even if I want to."
"I don't know. You knew I needed clothes and food."
"This isn't the first time you've forgotten."
Tetsu laughed. "You're right. It's not. Thank you."
"Do you want me to leave, again?"
"No. But it's not easy changing back when you're with me."
"Why? Is it that gruesome?"
"Not at all. It's not even all that painful. But," and he stood on all fours and moved to weave himself around Kei's legs, purring. "Having you with me is too distracting."
"Oh? How?" Kei reached down and scritched him behind the ears, and ran a finger down his back.
"I think you know."
"Maybe I do."
Tetsu twitched his ears and pounced back to the middle of the room.
"I'll try to be faster."
"Just be careful. Your wizard friend isn't back yet from his trip, and Akiteru is taking tests again, so he can't come home if you get stuck."
"Okay. See you later."
"See you." Kei stood up and opened the door, and spoke normally. "Mom said dinner will be ready around 7pm. And we're both super curious about what changed you this time."
Tetsu looked at the clock on the bedside table.
"I should be ready by then."
"Be careful. I love you."
"I love you, too, Moonshine."