Chapter Text
“Aventurine, can you come by my lab when you are free? I need some things to be taken care of while I’m on the mission.” Ratio writes the message and sends it before looking around to check if there is anything he forgot.
He has a project that needs him to be away from his office for at least three weeks, something related to the Simulated Universe. Screwllum from the Genius Society asked for the doctor’s insight on it, looking forward to working together. It is something new for Ratio too, he is familiar with the Genius Society but not with working with them. So he makes sure everything is in place; all the papers are graded, his lessons are cancelled for the upcoming weeks, and his assistant is informed.
There is only one little thing that irritates him, which is an obstacle in this project. He and Screwllum already planned the possible paths, blessings and Curios, the only thing left being to implement them. While working on the program to create themselves a ground, they came across different problems like unexpected errors, problems regarding Aeons and most importantly, unknown and out of place Curios. Screwllum had to ask Madam Herta to learn about some of them and they both inspected the famous cabinet filled with various devices.
One of those Curios kept appearing in the coding, even Madam Herta not knowing the purpose of it. So Ratio brought it up to his laboratory, examining it while sitting.
He has no luck though, the thing not even giving him any clue about its effect. It’s a pink fluffy ball, like those keychains and feels great to play but that’s it. No symbols on it, doesn’t work whether in real world or simulated universe, and still manages to be a problem.
Ratio sighs and checks the time, Aventurine must be done with his work.
Their situation is… Complicated, to put it mildly. Ever since they returned from the Penacony, they had some sort of bond between them, even Ratio couldn’t deny that. Aventurine visits him a lot, joking around and buying him not really small gifts. Ratio insists on not accepting of course, however the blond’s spell is sometimes too strong for him and he gives in, grumbling while doing so. He cannot say no to being taken care of, especially when Aventurine catches all those little details about him.
They aren’t exactly friends, no, their relationship isn’t that deep. Aventurine sometimes becomes vulnerable for a few minutes and switches back, expecting Ratio to not take him seriously. Ratio does, though. He notes things down inside his head, even when he doesn’t want to. He knows Aventurine does the same too, but somehow expects Ratio to be uncaring even after he proved him wrong in Penacony.
He is also aware that sometimes the company of the gambler isn’t too bad, intriguing even. He would prefer Aventurine over any geniuses, especially for him being willing to learn and grow in his own way.
While thinking all that, he misses how the time passes. He suddenly feels sleepy, his eyelids heavy. He blinks, trying to get rid of the blur in his eyes as he grabs his phone again to text Aventurine. He ignores the low battery warning, opens his chat with him and presses the screen, while supporting his head with his hand, not understanding why his mind is suddenly foggy.
(Ratio: where sre yuo? + alabaster head sticker)
Maybe he was working too hard on the project, planning out all the planes and such and not getting enough sleep. Still, it is unexpected.
He yawns and puts the phone away, too tired to get up and charge it. He lays his head on one of his arms and grabs the Curio with the other, feeling the softness against his skin. Something sparks under all that fog and Ratio barely registers it before falling asleep.
Oh, fuck.
When he opens his eyes, it takes a few seconds for him to adjust. He looks around without moving his head, everything looking a little… Weird. The light feels off, the heights are different and he actually senses something wrong with his body. So he tries to lift his head to check himself, probably a side effect of the Curio. He presses his hand onto the table to help himself and he pauses at the thing he sees.
A paw. A purple, fluffy paw.
He jerks up, frightening himself. He moves his head and body around on the table trying to understand and he sees three more paws, all puffy. He can see a bit of his body too and it clicks.
He turned into a cat.
He lets out a small noise, which comes out as a kind of meowing which horrifies him. Ratio tries to take a step at his phone, only to lose his balance and fall. He doesn’t feel anything when his body hits the table, his fur being too thick for it to have a real impact. No, no, no, he tells himself as he manages to get up and takes a few steps carefully to his phone, looking at the screen.
To find a purple, red and golden eyed cat looking at him back.
He feels the panic creeping into the back of his mind, trying to calm himself down. He needs to contact Screwllum about this, he would see the Curio’s role in all of this. So he tries to open his telephone, and he gets tired of standing up after a while, so he sits down which is not less uncomfortable and paws at the screen.
It somehow manages to sense his paws but his fur keeps getting in the way and Ratio is about to bite something, preferably himself, for making his password needlessly hard to draw.
When he finally does, he can feel his tail wagging behind him which feels utterly weird and ignores it, clicking at least twenty times before his chat with Screwllum opens.
Considering the size of his paws, he can’t write anything and calling is also not an option because he tries to let out a word which comes back as a meow, yeah, not an option.
He is about to scratch something with his new claws when he decides to take a photo of himself with the Curio. That would make the famous genius understand, right? Right?
So he tries to move the fluffy ball to the position he wants and since he still is not used to using his paws, it keeps moving away, almost falling off the table. He has no chance but to use his teeth which makes him literally jolt. Every sensation is just so new and the feeling of biting something feathered nearly makes him throw up, however he manages. He pushes his telephone with his head and paws to raise it against his books, opening the camera app after literally a minute of pressing and he stands next to the Curio.
After five more minutes of trying to capture it properly and sending it, the response comes and Ratio is about to believe in any Aeon with how relieved he is.
“Oh? I didn’t know you had a cat Mr. Ratio. It looks really healthy and seems to like the new Curio. If it has no other uses, it can surely keep it. Wish you two well.”
Oh, no, no, fuck.
He is practically talking to himself, which all consists of angry meows as he hops onto the things on the table, feeling more than agitated. It isn’t about feeling bad but it feels weird, so, so weird. His already sensitive nerves are making him feel overwhelmed, not feeling comfortable in his own skin like he has an itch all over his body.
He plays with the Curio too, trying to sleep again next to it and waiting for something to happen. Nothing happens.
This isn’t bad, of course it will get solved. Someone will notice his absence and things will be connected, the effect will go away. Still, it doesn’t change the fact that everything is just so different and makes him panic, his own limbs feeling like they belong to someone else. He can’t talk, his voice isn’t his, he sees differently, he smells differently, his balance is off and he has a tail that moves on its own.
He jumps down from the table to the chair, his clothes pooled around it. He gets under them, at least trying to sense and smell something familiar. He is literally trembling and he knows there is no need for him to react this much, that he is exaggerating but he just can't help it, his cat-like instincts fighting with his human ones.
He wraps the fabric around him, lying on the chair as he tries to calm himself down.
“OMW doc! Is there anything you want to drink? It’s on me.” Aventurine messages Ratio and waits a while before getting out of the half restaurant-half market type of thing. Since the doctor didn’t answer him, he just got him lactose free milk, something Ratio drinks on a daily basis whenever he wants something sweet or refreshing. Aventurine doesn’t understand his love for milk but considering Ratio is twice his size, maybe he should replace his coffee with it too.
There aren’t many people left in the building, the work hours nearly about to end. He meets a few familiar faces and walks without wasting any time, already curious about the things the doctor will leave him. His assistant would normally do everything under his name so it could be something like watering the plants in his house if he has any.
They spend much more time compared to the past but Aventurine still doesn’t know Ratio properly, a certain distance between them even after the event in the Penacony. He doesn’t mind it though, after all the esteemed doctor Veritas Ratio is a busy man and hardly has time for someone like Aventurine.
He checks his messages when a notification rings, it’s from Ratio but oddly written, typos unlike him. He asks if the doctor is okay, sending question marks.
Well, he is lucky that he doesn’t have to play a persona of himself and can just let go around him since Ratio only cares about him in a way that a teacher does about his student, a doctor does about his patient. Someone from the crowd, not holding much importance.
Still, he believes he isn’t that bad, otherwise Ratio would state that without holding back. So he must have been doing a good job, gaining the doctor’s approval.
He knocks on the door, raising his voice a bit, “Ratio? I’m here.”
When he doesn’t get an answer, he raises an eyebrow and checks his phone again, no new messages from the doctor. He writes again, just in any case. He knocks on once more and seeing it doesn’t work, he moves to the screen near it. Ratio has all the types of security and normally it’s hard to pass them but a few days before he registered Aventurine as one of the authorised people. So he writes down the password that was given to him specifically and lets the camera scan him before going in.
(You are not here?? I didn't even take that long; lucky that I'm now authorized + Aventurine with sunglasses sticker)
His lab is big, that’s why Aventurine spends a minute looking around to see if Ratio is in the bathroom, his little office, behind any big machine but nothing comes out of it. Could it be that the doctor already left because something came up? He knows the project was about the Simulated Universe so he could just be teleported, maybe that is the issue.
He walks towards his desk to see if he left any notes on but what greets him is the sight of Ratio’s clothes, on the floor and around the chair like he suddenly vanished. He frowns, looking at the scattered papers to find anything when he catches a small movement from the corner of his eye.
He lifts the clothes to check it and what he sees makes him pause and blink to make sure it's real. It’s a cat, not just any cat but a huge one. So big that nearly covers the whole chair, camouflaged by the clothes since it’s purple. If Aventurine is seeing right, it is the exact shade of Ratio’s hair colour. It’s sleeping, but definitely not peacefully considering how it hugs itself and trembles.
Aventurine swallows, looking around to make sure he isn’t seeing things. Since when does Ratio have a cat? And why wouldn’t he tell this to him? He didn’t know much about cats but even he knew by looking at the size, it must have been at least a few years old. He can have just adopted it, however the fur was thick, plus the cat looked well fed and healthy. It must have been a while since Ratio has it.
Which brings up the question of why Ratio didn’t tell him about it beforehand. Was this what he meant by taking care of things? Aventurine, out of all people? The doctor is very well aware that Aventurine poorly takes care of himself, yet alone another living thing. He wouldn’t just drop a cat onto Aventurine for Aeons know how long. He messages Ratio again, in any hopes to receive an explanation.
He sighs and brings a hand to his forehead, pressing his lips into a thin line to see what he's missing. Then the cat makes a small voice, almost sounding painful and squirms. Aventurine holds his breath at that, not sure what to do. He loves animals, however he is…
Afraid wouldn’t be the right word. Because of his past, he lived and saw many things. Animals were rare where he grew up but even that didn’t spare them from the abuse, from the people that didn’t treat Aventurine with any more kindness. The difference was that he could use his mouth and brain while the animals just did their best to survive and run away, not being able to ask for help and being more vulnerable.
He always did his best to help them, sharing his food even when he had crumbs. What he learned was that since they couldn’t talk, they couldn’t express whether they liked something or not. Of course you could see the signs but having a clear idea without bonding with that animal was hard.
That’s why Aventurine puts a distance between him and animals, no matter how cute or harmless they are. He doesn’t try to pet them, he doesn’t invade their personal space. He gets a little close and stands still, sometimes ranting to them or complimenting them. It’s their choice to come close or not, to trust him enough to eat the food he is offering. He doesn’t expect them to reciprocate, it’s not like they can anyway. He is afraid to cross the boundaries of something that cannot tell about their boundaries and clearly is in the vulnerable position compared to a human.
So he doesn’t know how he will be able to take care of a pet. He knows how to love, however he doesn’t know how to show love. That’s why no matter how lonely he is, he never gets a pet because deep down he knows that he won’t be able to give the care and love it deserves and he doesn’t have the right to keep a living thing to himself selfishly just to feel less lonely. Well not just pets, he has made peace with the fact that he wouldn’t have someone to spend his life with and that’s okay. It’s not like he deserves it anyway.
A cat, not just any cat but someone like Ratio’s cat that probably has certain routines and likes a specific way of living, under Aventurine’s care. Absolutely not, he wouldn’t be able to do it.
The little one makes a sound, akin to a whimper and Aventurine licks his lips before lowering himself on his knees, one of his hands holding the chair and the other one on it, trailing closer to the cat.
“Hi there,” he says softly, careful to not startle the cat, “Are you okay?” The cat opens its eyes after a while and gets startled nonetheless, however doesn’t jump on Aventurine and watches him instead.
“I don’t think we have met,” he continues to use his soft voice, gently smiling and holding his hand close for the cat to smell it if it wants to. “I’m Aventurine, you must be Doctor Ratio’s cat, right?”
He raises his eyebrows at the sight, the cat’s eyes being the carbon copy of the doctor’s. Could it be that this cat isn’t a normal one but a result of an experiment? The Ratio he knew wouldn’t experiment literally on a cat, however this might be completely something else. Which would complicate the situation even further.
The cat looks at him and somehow he feels like it’s aware, and moves a little to press its nose to the blond’s palm, snuzzling a bit. His heart melts at the sight, the cat still looking afraid but calmed down by someone’s, his presence.
“Can I touch your neck? I want to see your name,” he asks and the cat glances at him and lays still so he takes the chances, his two fingers grazing over the fur at its neck. He doesn’t feel anything even though he checks once more and he lets out a confused noise, “You don’t seem to have a tag. Ratio wouldn’t be that irresponsible, would he?”
The cat meows at that, suddenly moving to stand up and Aventurine pulls his hand like just touched hot iron. They both pause and after seeing the cat looking at him like it’s confused, he gives an awkward laugh, relaxing his shoulders, “Sorry about that. Let’s see what we can find about you, hm?”
He stands up, starting to search the desk. There is a pink fluffy ball, probably the cat's toy and it’s still warm. He leaves it near the cat, which is watching him way too intently. He even thinks his life is in danger even at one point, the cat completely focused on him. He messages his thoughts to Ratio.
(I dont know SHIT about cats; come back ehre; ????WHY IS IT THIS CHUNKY WHAT ARE YOU EVEN FEEDING HIM??; It looks at me like it wants to eat me send help)
He finds the doctor’s phone but doesn’t know his password so he sighs, places it onto the table since the battery is about to die anyway. If Ratio is already in the Simulated Universe, would that mean he has his phone there? Since he doesn’t have anything better to do, he decides to report everything to Ratio by messages, just in case.
However, a paw touches his hand, turning to find the cat stretched over to reach him. “Do you want his phone? Don’t chew on it though.” He gives it and his lips part as the cat tries to open the phone instead of doing cat-like things.
Oh, perhaps Ratio somehow managed to turn it into an intelligent life form.
After the cat struggles, Aventurine decides to step in and help, letting the fluffy paw lead him. He opens the phone to the doctor’s last message to the guy from the Genius Society, a photo of his cat. He goes up to see if there is any information about the doctors whereabouts or anything that can help him, but there isn’t. He decides to not pry too much, only looking at today’s logs and still nothing.
He sighs, propping himself up on his arms to sit on the empty side of the table, looking at the cat while the telephone in his hands closes with a vibration, “It looks like we are on our own. Do you have any idea where the doctor is?”
The cat paws the clothes and tries to roll on the chair, almost falling due to his size but Aventurine catches him and rolls him back, “Of course you wouldn’t, you are probably just an extra intelligent but nonetheless, a cat.”
The cat glares at him and he shrugs, “So, what do we do now? Do you know his assistant?” He turns his head to find a photo of his assistant somewhere and finds a low quality one, showing it to the cat, “Would you like me to get you to them? Or do you know Screwllum?” He tries to see any changes in the cat’s eyes or behaviour but it just looks at him, completely unbothered.
“I don’t know how to look after a cat, Ratio wouldn’t leave you with me,” he mutters to himself, taking a deep breath and crossing his arms, “He probably meant for me to take you to the one that should take care of you. Maybe he left an address or a number on your box, do you know where it is?”
Still no reaction. He shakes his head, “I can’t believe something like this happened, Ratio out of all people. I really don’t think he would be this careless but…” His voice trails off, trying to come up with a solution.
Again, there is a paw at his leg and he looks down to see the cat trying to snuggle up to him, still with caution. He lowers down one of his hands to pet it gently and the cat lets him, enjoying the soft touches and making a purring sound.
“So, since you don’t have a tag, I guess I have to come up with something.” He looks at it, trying to come up with suitable names. “How about Chonky?”
He receives a hiss and snorts, “But it’s true.” That ends up with a smack to his knee from the fluffy tail. He chuckles and thinks something else, “Okay, okay, how about Pancakes? Plural, because, you know.” At that, the cat chomps down on his hand.
It doesn’t bite though, its teeth touching but to only hold the hand in his mouth, almost like a warning. One more comment about my physical appearance and you will say goodbye to your hand.
“Let’s think, hmm,” he tries to come up with anything other than food names, “Ratio would probably name you after a maths equation or something. Or maybe after a scholar? He counts as a scholar, doesn’t he? So how about I name you…” He remembers something about it being better for the cats to have short names so he proposes his idea, “How about I call you Veri, short for Veritas?”
Cat looks at him and when Aventurine is sure it will bite his hand for real, it pulls back and gives a few licks over the places its teeth were pressed against. Aventurine smiles at that, “Veri, it is then. Good boy.”
He doesn’t know how a cat can frown but Veri somehow does, “Wait, good girl?” He receives a side eye and the cat turns its butt to him. “What, are you gender neutral? Don’t turn your butt at me,” he says while blinking, now sure that the cat is unbothered and intelligent.
“I’m pretty sure I need to know your gender though in any case, maybe there is a medical record of you somewhere,” Aventurine sighs and gets to it, looking everywhere he can think of for twenty minutes. All that stuff about the lessons Ratio teaches, his latest projects, all the letters sent to him -both digital and papers-, nothing has any relations to a cat. He messages again, at this point starting to suspect the cat can be an alien lifeform.
(why did you even make a carbon copy cat of yourself, explain yourself at once; THIS IS SOME KIND OF ALIEN ISN'T IT??? AM I IN DANGER; where the fuck you have been keeping him, i cant find his box or any medical records???; good heavens, i will get back at you for this)
It starts to follow him after a while, walking a little funny and worrying Aventurine even more but he doesn’t dare to carry it around. The cat starts looking normal after a while, probably only sleepy, especially after seeing cat nightmares. He wonders what those nightmares would be about. Maybe about water but he can’t imagine a cat resembling the doctor this much hating baths.
He crouches down near the wall in despair, not sure how to handle this. Veri follows him again, placing a paw over his leg. He makes an amused sound to that, “It’s getting late, it looks like you will be staying with me until we figure out the situation. Would you like that?”
Talking to a cat, even though it was an obviously clever one, is weird. However, it seems like Veri understands, nuzzling Aventurine’s leg as an answer. He sighs, checking his messages once again before continuing, “Since there is no cat box, I will go to the pet section and get you one, okay?”
He doesn’t even have time to stand up because the cat claws his pants, making Aventurine almost lose balance. He is sure he is not bleeding but Veri’s claws definitely cut the fabric. He places a hand on the floor, steadying himself. “I need to get a box and food for you, I will be right back,” he tries to reassure the cat but it hugs him with all his paws, letting out an angry meow.
“Oh, come on. I’m not going to leave you here,” Aventurine mumbles as he gently does his best to get the cat off him and fails, one hand isn’t enough due to Veri’s huge size.
“Aeons, why are you literally huge?” he grunts and sits down, grabbing the cat with both hands and pulling. Veri is also stubborn, not letting go till the point Aventurine is sure his pants will tear apart. It continues to glare at him but somehow looks afraid too, like it doesn’t want to be alone. Aventurine heard it before that some animals can have separation anxiety, maybe it is the case with Veri?
“Fine, I will carry you there. Can you please let go now?” He asks between his teeth, Veri makes a small noise and folds. Aventurine scoops him, holding it up in the air and looking at the cat’s sunset eyes, “We need some rules. One, don’t eat me. Two, don’t be some kind of alien agent. Three, I cannot promise to be the best caretaker so don’t complain to your father about me after this is over.”
The cat squints at the first sentence, gives him the side eye for the second and kicks air for the third. Aventurine can feel his arms getting tired. “I don’t believe that you two are not somehow connected. Ratio would look like you if he was a cat.” The kicking intensifies with that.
Aventurine just inhales deeply and waits for the cat to get tired, and it comes before he gives up so he is glad. He puts the cat on his lap, letting it rest against his knees, “Okay then, you can be a good boy if you want.”
He can feel the cat getting ready to kick him again but he scoops him tightly, standing up while muttering, “I have never seen a cat get angry at praises. You two surely have weird quirks.” And he continues before giving Veri a chance, “And don’t even think about biting anywhere on my chest.”
The cat grumbles but stays still, letting himself be carried. Aventurine gets the toy and Ratio’s phone just in case with one hand. His other arm gets tired easily so he pauses, looking at the clothes on the chair.
“We need to work on your weight,” he complains as he leaves the cat on top of the table and receives a hiss. “I don’t know if it’s because of your breed or something but cats aren’t normally that chunky, Veri. I will bring you to a vet when we have time,” he says playfully as he gets the outer robe of Ratio, tugging it around his chest in an x shape. Then grabs the cat again, placing it inside the handmade baby wrapping. He notes that the cat isn’t against the idea of a vet, so he is at least happy that he won’t be struggling while on the way.
He messages Ratio again, then heads out with the cat.
("Aventurine meet my cat, I need you to take care of him" "Aventurine this is Pythagorean Theorem, doesn't he look like me?"; but nO instead you dump a mini version of yourself into my life?? ITS LOOKING AT ME FUNNY AND JUDGES ME; it will kill me in my sleep i know it; you have some explaning to do when you come back)
He respects Ratio, a lot. He admires him and this, a living thing from Ratio is now under his care. He doesn’t want to disappoint the doctor and is actually scared at that possibility. He takes a deep breath and locks the laboratory, walking with the cat wrapped on his chest.
Ratio wants to scream because after all those comments, Aventurine doesn’t understand it’s not a cat similar to Ratio but is Ratio. He can’t get mad at him though, Aventurine doesn’t know about the Curio and believing Ratio found a way to make a pet intelligent isn’t that hard.
Also, this is one of the best scenarios. Anyone else could mistake him for just a cat or thinking he is one of the experiments and lock him inside a cage with minimum food and water. Even though Aventurine keeps mumbling that he can’t do this, he should call Topaz and ask about pet care and all that, Ratio knows he is in good hands. He was literally having a panic attack inside a cat body when Aventurine found him, talking softly. The only thing that irritates him is the comments about his weight but considering his normal size as a human, he must be quite a big cat too. That’s mostly his fur though, he isn’t that chunky like Aventurine says.
There are also other questions like what he should eat, the toilet situation, how he is going to clean himself up and more. However, he is tired. He still isn’t used to moving his body around, still overwhelmed. Aventurine’s perfume somehow helps him to calm down, making him let out low purrs while resting against his chest. It’s not even his own doing, he still doesn’t have full control over the voices he makes and his tail but it’s getting better.
Plus, he never noticed how lean and soft Aventurine’s fingers are. They are cool, sometimes stroking his head as he walks to the pet section. Ratio knows the blond loves animals so he thought he would be getting hugged and petted the second Aventurine sees him. Instead, there is a distance again, perhaps the same one Aventurine has with Ratio.
They finally get there and Aventurine chooses the biggest box which barely fits and they continue to banter as the blond tries to convince him to get inside while Ratio meows back at him.
“I’m not a cat, I won’t escape,” he meows out, but of course Aventurine doesn’t understand. His main fear is Veri running off if he keeps getting carried.
“They stink, I want to eat real meat,” he continues to meow as Aventurine puts samples from all those expensive cat foods and turns away.
“My God, stop turning your butt at me. I can’t let you starve,” he grabs him and turns it to the direction of the food, only for Veri to turn his back again.
He knows he isn’t making it any easier for the blond but he isn’t going to eat those, no chance. Also, being a cat isn’t that different from being himself. He turns his butt instead of wearing his bust, that’s all.
“Okay, at least choose some toys. Please?” He places them all in front of him while the person responsible from the shop looks at them like both are crazy. He paws a few of them so Aventurine can leave him alone. He also buys litter, which is one of the worst fears of Ratio, and many other things.
At the end, he is tired so he lays on the counter, watching Aventurine pay for all the things. Heh, that’s on him. Who would buy the most expensive things at the store for a cat?
Well, the gambler does. He blinks when he remembers that Aventurine sees this as a mission from Ratio. He doesn’t even know anything about animals -that wasn’t exaggeration, he really doesn’t know shit from what Ratio witnessed in the store- and still tries to take care of one, because someone he calls friend left a cat to him. He imagines himself in the same situation, he would be pissed at the blond for giving such a big responsibility without a warning. He doesn’t have any time to care for a pet either, so he wouldn’t accept it if it wasn’t really needed.
Aventurine looks worried more than angry, checking his phone constantly to hear from Ratio who was currently a cat. He feels bad for thinking he was lucky to have the blond take care of him but he can’t tend to himself even if he wants to.
While he thinks all that and watches the gambler with sleepy eyes, Aventurine smiles at him and comes to get him inside the wrap after he is done. “Sorry to make you wait, we will find you something to eat at home, okay Veri?”
He gets little pets while they walk to Aventurine’s car. After leaving all the stuff he bought at the back, the blond places something like a box in between the two seats of the car, putting Veri inside. He secures him with a soft collar, enough for him to move around freely without being able to jump onto the wheel.
He is too sleepy for that anyway. He decides to nap and receives belly rubs before Aventurine starts the car. It feels warm, maybe it’s not so bad to be a cat.
He changes his mind once more, he hates being a cat. They are on each other’s throats because Aventurine tries to feed him with all those weird foods and treats and he hisses, running around the house. He knows he is making a big mess, turning everything upside down literally but no one can make him eat those things.
“Veri, please, you have to eat something. It’s fine even if you like only one brand, please,” Aventurine is running after him, trying to catch the cat. He still is tired, and also not used to this, and maybe, just maybe a little bit chunky.
So he gets stuck under the couch in the living room, squirming around and meowing. He can hear Aventurine sighing and crouching down. “That’s what happens when you don’t cooperate, Veri.”
“Meoww, meow meow,” Please help, I can’t get out.
He thinks for a second that Aventurine understands him, “Will you at least try them out?”
“MeOW,” Ew, no. Aventurine laughs helplessly and grabs him gently, pulling him bit by bit and finally getting him out. He purrs while the blond lifts him up.
Ratio knows how pretty Aventurine is but not to this degree, especially outside his work clothes, which makes him pause and watch the blond.
“How about normal meat and fish? Did Ratio feed you with those?” He nods immediately, purring louder. Looks like Aventurine is fine with that outcome, grabbing and bringing him to the kitchen, closing the door and leaving him onto one of the chairs.
He gets to cooking, looking up the recipes and calling Topaz to make something safe for Veri. Ratio watches him before checking out the kitchen. Aventurine’s house is beautiful, modern, mostly green and yellow.
It looks more like something in magazines than a real home but Ratio knows that Aventurine doesn’t like getting attached to the things. So he probably buys everything expensive and has good taste, without much thought. He hasn’t been to the blond’s bedroom since the door was closed so he waits for a chance to explore there.
Not just making him look like a cat but the Curio also gave him cat-like feelings, making him want to rub on Aventurine’s legs and roll on the carpet. He hopes these don’t get any stronger because he can hardly resist, Aventurine’s silky pants looking too soft.
The meat smells good and he meows, zooming around with the last bit of his energy. He expects Aventurine to put it onto the ground but the gambler leaves his portion onto the table and gets him there too. Ratio watches him sit and rest his chin on his hands, intently watching the cat. “Meow?” Aren’t you eating?
“I don’t really use this table, go on. And I will probably eat later, I don’t want you to attack something inedible and then end up in an animal ER. And that took lots of effort so please try to eat it,” Aventurine says with a warm voice, his soft locks enhancing his eyes. Ratio looks at him without blinking, mesmerised before starts eating.
Finally, something that he is familiar with. This would solve the food problem, also he notices how hungry he actually is. Alas, he eats it fast, ignoring the blond’s warnings. He meows while eating, giving his opinion on the meat. It is a little bland but well cooked, five points. I would also like it to be more juicy next time.
“I guess you liked it, good. I can do more of that,” his voice sounds relaxed. Ratio licks the plate clean and decides this much is enough, meowing two more points for Aventurine for getting the portion right. Aventurine types something on his phone while Ratio plays around on the table, until the blond gives him attention.
(alabaster head sticker; I think it doesnt hate me, for now; he can change his mind the moment he finishes his food though; I will update and if something happens to me its all on you)
“Okay, time to clean you up,” before he has time to escape, Aventurine grabs him and cleans his face and paws with a wet cloth, not paying attention to Veri’s hisses. “Your fur needs to be cleaned, don’t meow at me.” Veri continues talking though, I can do that on my own, get that thing away from me Aventurine!
Aventurine is proud of finishing the job before it turns into a bloodbath so he hums and lets Veri go, looking around the house. He prepares the litter and places some of his toys in the meantime and decides to rest after everything is done.
He is still on his leave for one more week, a good coincidence. He plans his tomorrow, now including a cat while a movie plays in the background. Veri comes and sits onto the other corner of the couch, away from him. He doesn’t mind, understanding the cat isn’t that affectionate.
Ratio actually wants to cuddle, unlike his usual self. He blames his cat nature for this, despising the idea of being petted. But it would be so good if Aventurine’s soft fingers played with his tail. The idea makes his tail wag and he has to stop it with his paws from moving again. In a manner of minutes he is trying to catch his own tail, spinning on the couch until the blond stops him from falling.
They both sigh and think internally, this is going to be pretty tough.