Jay & Catseye

[x-icarus.livejournal.com]

Catseye comes upon Jay in the woods and she questions him to death.

"Hey Cats," came Jay's voice from up above, camouflaged in the oranging-redish tree. He was barely distinguished amongst the leaves, balanced on a heavy branch high up and it was obvious that through steady, sure feet, he was not going to fall. If anything, he was quiet, still as one would be if they were hunting rather than practicing serenity.

The catgirl gave a start at the sound of her voice. "Bir- uh, Jay!" she cried out, gazing upwards. "You scared me!" In the blink of an eye she shifted to catform so she could climb the tree up to where he was balanced, then shifted back into girlform on a branch a short distance away. "Hi Jay! Is... are you in the woods to find me or is Jay just outside for a fly?"

"Jay's just sittin' here, takin' five," he replied and stood up on the branch, climbing one limb higher. The tree groaned in protest and he shifted to a heavier branch so that he wouldn't be falling from the weight of metal in him. "What'er ya doin'?"

"Cat- I am just patrolling the woods to make sure everything is okay," she said with a smile. "Also looking for dead animals to give to Cammie."

"Why you givin' dead animals to Cammie? She formin' a cult or somethin'?" he asked. It wasn't unusal to him to find the ferals and the likes in the woods but he was surprised he could startle Catseye, taking that as silent positive re-enforcement that he was getting somewhere on his stealth.

Catseye shook her head. "No, Cammie likes to eat them. Cammie's powers make her not be able to taste foods that Cat- me or you think are yummy but instead Cammie thinks things like poison for rats and dead animals are yummy. What is Jay taking five from?"

"Life," he replied simply. "Maybe you should do the same huh? Oh hey, how's things with Nick? He being a gentlemen?" he asked curiously.

Cocking her head in confusion, Catseye sharpened her claws on the trunk of the tree. "No, Nick is a student and a wolfboy."

"Yeah and he's keepin' his paws to himself right?" he asked with a hint of impatience.

"Sometimes he holds my hand like when he took me on a date or when I was sick at the amusement park," she told Jay, still focused on her claws. "I do not know why it is called an amusement park because amusement means fun things and being sick is not fun, not at all!"

"You should buy yourself a dictionary, yanno? You'd have an easier time with words n' stuff," Jay remarked, climbing a bit higher. "So he held your head while you puked?" he hissed with amusement.

"I have a dictionary," she informed him. "Cat- I was being ironic. And I did not puke! My stomach was feeling yicky after I went on the rollercoaster with Callie so Nick was singing to me to make me feel better."

"Oh good god, he's a romantic. Lucky." He paused and ducked under a branch, stepping to try and swing to another one. "You done anythin' fer him lately?" he asked.

Catseye followed him across the branches, careful to keep to ones close to his while avoiding the ones he was on, so she wouldn't overload it and send them both tumbling out of the tree. "Done anything? I don't understand," she said apologetically. "You mean like reading books to him?"

He looked back briefly, the only sign that he gave away noticing her wording differently, but he didn't say anything. Why ruin a good thing? "Nah, like somethin' nice fer him. Like if he does somethin' nice fer you, you should do somethin' fer him. Somethin' he likes, yanno?" He was about to suggest a massage but then thought better of it. One thing led to the next with those.

"Something he likes? What do boys like? I know they like sex but I am still learning how to do that," she mused, frowning. "What else do boys like?"

"Ugh, don't need to know," Jay shook his head and jumped down on the next branch. He was feeling pretty useless up in the tree since he'd been discovered,thus, made his way down. "Try thinkin' what Nick likes, yanno? Less sex, more hobby-like stuff. Seriously Cat's. Not everyone wants ta know about what you and Nick are doin'." He whacked his head off a branch and almost lost his balance but felt a hand on his spine. Stilling, it was the first time someone had touched his spine like that and he cleared his throat, grumbling a thanks over his shoulder before he continued his descend.

"You are welcome Jay," she mumbled, sensing that Jay was uncomfortable with the touch. "But Jay if you do not want to know what me and Nick are doing why did you ask? Or do you mean no one wants to know about the sex part?" she queried, trying to work out what he meant. "Because I know that sex is private and I did not mean I was doing sex with Nick I meant practicing by myself."

"Cause yer a lady and he's a gent, y'all aren't gonna kiss 'n tell cause that ain't right if ya do," he said, mostly to assure himself that she understood it and looked up, just to check that she got it. "What Ah meant was like uh...Okay, you know what Ah like right? Just like gettin' me a gift, except yer gettin' it fer him so he knows he's appreciated." Not that Nick cared much, Jay knew he didn't need anything from a boyfriend to assure that things were fine. "Ah dunno, don't you like to do stuff like that?"

"Oh! It is like leaving mousies on pillows to show I like people? I should leave a mousey on his pillow for him? Except not a mousey, something he would reallyreallylike?"

Jay sighed. "Yeah Cats, just like that. Ah reckon he might even like a mouse or somethin'." He reached the last branch, hung down by his arms and dropped, scattering fallen leaves away from him. Kicking them up, he began to walk away, knowing she would follow.

Tilting her head in thought, Catseye nodded. "Maybe he would like a mousey. Do you want to help me look for one? You could practice being sneaky some more," she offered with a smile.

"Nah," he shrugged. "So what are ya gonna get Nick then? Be a little more creative than gettin' him something everyone else gets too."

"You said you reckon he might like a mousey," Catseye exclaimed, confused. "Am I supposed to get him a mousey or something that no one else gets?"

"Do whatever you want Cats. Make up yer own mind fer once. He's yer boyfriend. You should know what he likes. Ah was just suggestin' somethin," Jay replied irritably. "Does he like all these questions? Do you even ask him all this?"

"Why is Jay angry with Catseye?" she asked, taken aback and slipping into familiar speech patterns. "Catseye just did not understand what Jay was saying, that is all! Catseye can make up her own mind yesyesyes and Catseye knows what Nick likes but Jay confused Catseye and Catseye did not know what was the best thing to do, that is why Catseye asked!"

The question about whether Nick liked her questions stunned her even further. "Why would Nick not like questions? Because Jay does not?" She'd never thought about whether her questioning bothered Nick before, and suddenly it worried her.

"Cause Jay don't wanna answer questions anymore Cats. Ah ain't exactly king of relationships. You should ask Amanda or somethin'. Ah was just sayin' you should do somethin' nice fer Nick but yer askin' a million questions like Jeb does on Sunday morn on the way to church. Get's kinda tirin."

"But Jay always answers Cat-my questions," she pointed out, frowning. "You never think it is tiring. Are you angry about me asking questions, or me asking questions about relationships because you think you are not good at them?"

"Ah'm just--" he stopped mid sentence and brushed his hair from his eyes. "Ah'm sorry. Ah'm just tired yanno? Garrison's got me in the dangerroom a lot. So Ah'm uh, just tired and yanno, maybe Ah ain't the right guy to be asking about relationships. That's kinda on hold fer me right now."

"But you have good ideas about doing nice things for people," Catseye praised, trying to be helpful. "I would never think to give Nick a present if you didn't think of it and tell me. So you are the right guy yesyesyes! Don't be sad about relationships on hold Jay," she told him with authority, hugging one of his arms.

Jay's arm wrapped around her reluctantly, giving her a brief hug. "Ah ain't sad about. Ah'm just burnt out. Havn't had time to think about boyfriends n' stuff. Thinkin' Ah might head home for Christmas, though shits gonna hit the fan cause they ain't seen me. Momma's been buggin' me to come home, so she can see her 'pretty bird'," he mocked quotations there, grimancing.

"Christmas would be good to be home," the catgirl nodded. "It is good to see motherpeople at Christmas because it is a big holiday that is VeryImportant to be with family, sometimes your friend family but sometimes your other family too if you love them as much as your friend family. Jay's mom loves him veryverymuch."

Her head tilted, confused once again. "Finger moving like that means you don't think you are pretty, right? Or you do not think you are a bird? I think you are not a bird but you are veryverypretty!"

"No no," Jay shook his head and let her go. "It's like quotin' what's she's sayin'. Yanno? like word fer word, but yeah, kinda like being sarcastic, like Ah don't believe her." He flattered a bit. "Somethin' like what you said," he concluded. "If nuttin' comes up, Ah'm gonna take two weeks and go see 'em. Skip Thanksgivin' cause Ah gotta work."

"But you can have Thanksgiving at the mansion with your mansion family," the catgirl reminded him, grinning happily. And we can go to the Red X training together unless it does not happen because of the holiday?" She knew from Elpis that technically only the thursday was the holiday, but also knew that sometimes things were closed on the friday as well and she couldn't remember if field leader training had been rescheduled to another weekend or not.

"Ah think they rescheduled it. Not sure, maybe we gotta check. Crystal's always on top of that stuff, so is Clairce. Ah gotta write it all down. You gonna be around for 'em holidays or off doin' something with Nick? Too busy fer yer old man--" he joked.

The catgirl thought about this a moment. "I do not know. I will probably be with Evan and the motherperson, maybe LittleBrother too for some time on the holidays, but definitely with the mansionpeople too because they are just as much my family as Evan and the motherperson. But Nick's mother and father are dead," she mused, "so I should do something with him right? Maybe I will ask Evan if he can be with us for holidays?"

She frowned again. Jay was so confusing sometimes. "Who is my old man? I do not understand."

"Ferget it," he stabbed the heel of his palm to his eye and shook his head. "Ah reckon Nick would probably like that but maybe you shuldn't be throwin' that around, that his family's dead, yanno? He might not want people to know that," he pointed out.

Catseye nodded vigourously, understanding. "It might be private. I understand. I will ask him if it is private. If you are tired do you want to go nap Jay?" she asked curiously. "I have my own room now and I am trying to sleep there like a grown-up person in my own bed but it is so quiet there and sometimes it is lonely so if you want to nap there with me that would be good?"

"Yeah, maybe," he replied, unsure if he should commit to it. She looked sadder than usual at being in her own room, while Jay appreciated his freedom and guilt racked up in him, thinking about Dani and when she snuck into his room at night. That hadn't turned out well. "Yeah, maybe another time Cats. Right now ain't the right time, yanno?"

"Are you busy right now? Practicing sneaking?" she inquired.

"Well no," he said, kicking a stone as they broke out of the edge of the woods, heading back towards the mansion. "Ah'm gonna do what you said, go for a nap, except in mah own bed. Yanno, alone."

"Ohhh, alone!" she exclaimed, nodding vigourously. "I understand. Alone in your own bed, so you can explore sex by yourself."

"What!?" He slapped a hand to his face. "Ah ain't goin' to bed to jerk off, gah Cats. what the hell--"

"But how come I cannot come nap with you then?"

"Cause Ah wanna nap alone? Cause... cause maybe Nick ain't gonna like it."

"Napping is something friends can do so I do not think Nick will be angry," she told Jay, "but I understand you want to nap alone." She didn't quite understand, because Jay was her friend and he'd never had a problem napping with her before, but she remembered that sometimes people just wanted to be alone for private reasons and that she had to let them. "Maybe after your nap we can play and you can try to be sneaky some more and scare me?"

Jay stopped at the mansion doors and turned to her. "Look Cats, Ah-- if Ah let you sleep with me, are ya gonna stop askin' questions? Cause Ah don't wanna play today. Ah just wanna be grumpy okay? If you can lie down and be grumpy with me,that's great, otherwise, Ah just wanna be alone."

Brightening, Catseye nodded emphatically. "Yesyesyes! I can be grumpy! I will be grumpy just like Jay and Cammie, and I will not ask questions anymore I promise!"

Good god, Ah'm gonna regret this.

"Fine. Cat form only," he paused, holding the door closed, waiting for her promise.

"Of course! I understand," she said with another vigourous nod. People tended to be less grumpy when she started to purr, anyway.

"Good." The door was opened for her and Jay followed Catseye through, feeling a little less grumpy and about a few years younger when they use to do this.