Whisker me away - Part 3: He's got cattitude
A heartfelt sigh escaped the Shadowhunter at the feeling of warm water almost cascading down on him. He held his face right into the shower jet, before turning and allowing his back to enjoy the same treatment. He finally felt human again, after all the blood and ichor had been washed away. Alec ran his hands through his hair, forcing it back and out of his face. Only then he dared to open his eyes. He wasn’t particularly fond of getting soapy water into his eyes. He had to endure enough pain in his line of work as it is.
“Meow!”
Alec jumped at the sudden and unexpected sound right outside his shower cabin. He barely avoided hitting his head against the shower head, but it was a close call. His heart was racing, pumping adrenaline through his system and his hand immediately went to his back, were – of course – no bow was. It took his foggy and tired brain a moment to realize where the sound had come from and who it belonged to.
“Midnight!” He opened the frosted shower door just enough to look outside. “What are you doing? How... did you get inside?” He furrowed his brows and gazed at the open door that separated his bathroom from his bedroom. He could have sworn that he had closed the door... But cats couldn’t just open closed doors, could they? He looked down at the furry being in question, who in turn stared right back at him with a seemingly innocent expression.
“Meow, meow.” The cat tilted his head, its tail waving in what could only be described as impatience.
Alec sighed. “What? Are you this hungry?” He couldn’t even have a moment for himself it seems. Then again, he probably had been in the shower longer than he wanted. Oh well, it was one of the only luxuries he allowed himself to enjoy. “I am coming... give me a minute.”
The cat purred in return and licked at its paw, before rubbing it against his ear.
Another sigh escaped the Shadowhunter. He turned the shower off and missed the warm water on his skin almost immediately. Then he carefully reached out of the shower to get his towel, which was barely out of reach. He cursed under his breath, while weighing his options. He wasn’t too keen on running around naked, when clever golden eyes watched him carefully. Perhaps he was irrational, but somehow the thought made him feel uncomfortable. He was... peculiar sometimes.
As if sensing the tall man’s distress, the animal in question stretched itself, showing its claws in the process. Midnight winced slightly and stared almost accusingly at his wounded side. He shook slightly, then made his way towards the towel rack. The cat bent forwards, shaking its butt and with an elegant jump, landed on top of the towel. It purred in satisfaction, before nudging the towel towards the outstretched fingers of a certain Shadowhunter, who gaped at the animal in awe.
“Meow!”
“Oh, eh... thank you?” Alec blinked in surprise, before taking the wanted object. He quickly closed the shower door again and made haste in drying himself up. He finally wrapped the towel around his waist, only then he allowed himself to step out of the still steamy shower cabin. He shivered as the cold air hit his warmed skin. Just another reason to quickly change into sleep clothes so that he could crawl under his blanket. But no! He would need to find Midnight something to eat first; he had promised it after all.
A pleased sounding meow came from the cat, who was sitting slightly crooked on the towel rack. It appeared as if the animal avoided putting too much weight on its wounded hind leg. It truly was a smart thing, mused Alec.
“Come on, I need to get dressed.” The tall Shadowhunter was halfway through the foggy bathroom, when he noticed that the black cat wasn’t following him. He turned around with a puzzled and questioning look on his features, but Midnight just gazed right back at him, with a slightly tilted head. “What is it?”
His furry companion pointedly held up his bandaged hind leg und looked pleading and innocently at him. Alec sighed. He had an idea what Midnight wanted. “You just jumped up there... surely it doesn’t hurt that much...”
“Meow...,” Even his meowing sounded pathetic and pleading. The cat even dared to lie on the rack, making itself appear small and vulnerable. Luckily for Midnight, Alec had a soft spot for his furry companion, despite only knowing him for a couple of hours.
“You can’t be serious.” But he didn’t mean it and even walked back into the room. He picked the cat up with ease, secretly pleased when Midnight purred and snuggled closer to his chest. “You are a little menace, you know that.”
The cat peeked up at him as if to say: “I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Yeah... right.” Alec didn’t believe it for one single second.
He put his precious cargo back onto the bed, before stretching his neck. The exhaustion was taking its toll. Even his stamina rune wouldn’t help him much in this state. But it was nothing a good night sleep couldn’t fix, but first things first.
The young Lightwood slowly made his way over to his sparely filled wardrobe. Almost everything he owned were casual clothes he could wear on missions and in which he was comfortable. There definitely wasn’t anything colourful and only a handful of accessories found their ways into his possession. Most of them had been unwanted gifts that he would never wear. He’d rather be dead than to be seen with those silly things. They would just bother and hinder him on a hunt. In all honesty, he wasn’t sure how Izzy did it with her necklaces, head pieces and especially with her high heels.
He quickly shook himself out of his thoughts in order to pick something out. Without really thinking about it, he took a casual black shirt, a boring pair of comfortable pants and of course some boxer shorts out of his wardrobe. He put the clothes of his choosing on the unoccupied bed side and he was just about to remove the towel, when he froze. He glanced towards the golden eyed feline, who seemed to study him intently. Alec felt uneasy all of a sudden.
Without a second thought, he grabbed a corner of his blanket and threw it over the unsuspecting animal. There came immediately protesting and displeased sounds from it, but Alec just hurried to get himself dressed. Perhaps he was paranoid, but he simply didn’t like the way that Midnight had stared at him. It had seemed almost... hungry. He shuddered at the thought. He wouldn’t even allow Jace and Izzy to see him in such a vulnerable state and they were his siblings.
“Meow!” Midnight moaned and griped loudly, even after Alec helped him out of his blanket prison. Golden eyes were judging him, hard and wasn’t that ironic? Alec had thought animals didn’t judge, after all. Midnight even hissed at this point.
“Yes... I am sorry, alright. I... just like my privacy...” Why was he even explaining himself to an animal? He really must be going crazy. Then again, he had the feeling that Midnight understood much more than a mere cat should. Strange.
The hiss he received wasn’t as loud and aggressive as the one from before.
“Next time I just ask you to turn around, alright?” Alec tried again.
The black cat examined him for a minute, and then it relaxed again. The tall and dark haired man found himself exhaling in relieve.
“I’ll keep that in mind... Do you want to stay here while I look for something to eat and drink for you or would you prefer to come along?” Alec deemed it wiser to not just assume again, even though he had a feeling that his feline friend would want to stay on the comfortable bed instead of going on some errand. He was once again proven wrong, when Midnight stood up. He was limping again. His little jump on the towel rack had apparently not been a very good idea. Alec couldn’t watch it any longer, which is why he offered the cat to crawl into his arms once more. The unspoken invitation was received and accepted fairly quickly.
The Shadowhunter picked his furry companion up with ease and with a content feeling in his chest. At least this way he knew that Midnight was safe and wouldn’t get himself in any trouble. Alec took a peek at the feline in his arms and wasn’t at all surprised to see an almost smug and satisfied look. He smiled a little at his friend’s antics. He wasn’t even bothered by the furry tail that brushed his arms ever so often.
“I’ll be honest”, the dark haired male began, once he and his cargo had left his room, “I am not sure the Institute has much to offer for animals, since Shadowhunters usually do not tend to keep pets. We’ll have to make do with what we’ll find.” He petted the cat, who purred in contempt. “We or in this case rather I can go and buy some things tomorrow. Eh, I mean today, just later.” He shook his head. He almost forgot that it was early, very early in the morning. Not many shops would be open at this time of the day and Alec would rather get a few hours of sleep, before going out again. Midnight would hopefully forgive him.
“Alec!” A voice sounded behind the young Lightwood. Almost immediately, his shoulders slumped and he sighed. Great, just what he needed. “I didn’t know you had the early shift as well. That’s great. Do you want to go on a hunt together?” The Shadowhunter who spoke to him was... annoying, to say the least. Alec had the feeling that the young, brunette woman was interested in him and definitely in more than friendship.
He rarely used his position and name to his advantage, but in this case, he had made sure that his and her shifts rarely overlapped, if at all. He didn’t even feel the slightest bit of guilt.
“I don’t”, he quickly responded. The slight shift in his arms made him aware that Midnight was apparently not happy about the foreign presence. “I am just on my way to find something eatable for my friend here.” He trailed off.
“Oh! You have a cat? How cute. What’s its name?” The brunette bent slightly down and cooed at the kitten, who returned it with a hiss. Alec had to stifle a laugh. Apparently Midnight shared his taste.
“Midnight... and he is not particularly fond of people...” The last bit might not be completely true, but the dark haired Shadowhunter was in no mood for any more small talk. Besides, the extended claws helped him make his point.
“Oh...” The woman didn’t seem happy.
“As I said, I am on my way to grab some food and then I will return to my rooms. I highly suggest for you to return to your duties.” Alec didn’t leave room for her to disagree.
“Right... well, it was nice seeing you again. Perhaps our schedules will be better aligned in the future... Or you might want to train with me some time?” She didn’t give up, Alec had to give her that.
“Thanks, but... I have a full schedule.” Midnight hissed again and glared fiercely at the female Shadowhunter, who suddenly appeared very nervous.
“Oh... I see. I... yes...”
“Have a good hunt”, was Alec’s simple farewell. With his head held high – he didn’t want to show any kind of weakness or tiredness, not in front of the other Shadowhunters – he walked past her. Midnight glared at the equally retreating woman annoyed. Only after the unlikely pair rounded a corner, did the cat retreat its claws. “What a day, right?” Alec mumbled and he could have sworn that Midnight nodded in agreement.