Short Story: [Emberfate] Serenade

Hey everyone!

Here is the short story for this month — the last instalment in the series of pet chaos, this time starring Nathan and our favorite cat, Wobbles! As with the last few stories, this was drafted by Anna 'Lavinnia' Kończak and then edited by me.

Unfortunately, I'll need a little bit more time with the next beta build update for Reanimation Scheme, but I hope to get that up by tomorrow or the day after. I'm really sorry about the delay, and if anyone has cancelled their pledge so their access expires today, I'll be sure to PM you with the download link to the beta build once that's ready!

For now, I hope you all enjoy this short story. And thank you as always for the support! 💖

---

"So... what is the surprise you wanted to show me, Nathan?" You peer at the computer screen in front of you, noting with interest how red your boyfriend's cheeks are.

At your prompting, Nathan gives a cough, averting his gaze before mumbling into his microphone. "It's... well, it's nothing that exciting, so don't get your hopes up."

"Psh, I'll be the judge of that. Now spill it!"

His next words come out with visible effort. "I... Do you remember, uh, how I was trying my hand at writing lyrics for a love song? And... you said last time that you wanted to be the first to hear —"

Before Nathan could finish his sentence, you're already cutting him off with a resounding yes. "Yes, I want to hear it! Absolutely! You think I would ever say no to getting serenaded by my handsome boyfriend, especially when it's a song written by his talented self?!"

Although his blush deepens, you don't miss the way his eyes light up in delight at your enthusiastic response. He offers you a shy smile and nods. "Okay, then let me grab my guitar. But really, don't expect too much — I'm really not great at this."

"Shhh. No more putting yourself down. It'll be amazing, I'm sure. Now go!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going."

With a laugh, he disappears from the screen for a few moments before returning with his beloved guitar in hand. You watch as he takes a deep breath — then another. You sit there with bated breath, but he continues staring at his fingers on the strings for a long minute.

This isn't the first time he's sung for you, but it's clear that this time it's different — perhaps because it's his own work that he's performing. You wait patiently, making sure there's an encouraging smile on your face.

It appears that this quiet standoff between Nathan and his guitar has captured the attention of Wobbles, his cat, as well, and she soon leaps up onto the table with a meow, staring at the musical instrument with curiosity.

Eventually, Nathan plucks up his courage and peeks up at you, murmuring so quickly that you almost missed it. "This — I wrote this for you. Sorry it's really cheesy."

Before you can respond, he opens his mouth and begins to sing.

You're immediately enraptured by the sound of his voice and the beautiful melody — but most of all, the lyrics that has so much love dripping from every word that it almost brings you to tears.

Just when Nathan reaches the second chorus, Wobbles mews.

Both you and Nathan's eyes fly to the cat. He falters for a brief second before continuing with his singing.

Wobbles lets out a louder meow, then another. You quickly realize that her meowing is strangely on beat, as if she's following the rhythm of Nathan's song on purpose.

By now, Nathan's voice has been drowned out by the sound of Wobbles singing her heart out. Your boyfriend is now full-on glaring at his cat, but even as his hands still on the guitar and the music stops, Wobbles carries on without a care in the world.

You stare at the scene before you with wide eyes. Slowly, you bring your hand to your mouth to hide your amused grin while Nathan speaks to his cat through gritted teeth. "What a wonderful performance, Wobbles."

She cocks her head at Nathan with a haughty tilt of her chin. At that, you finally lose the fight against your laughter, and you collapse into giggles.

Nathan shakes his head with an exasperated sigh. "I'm sorry, I don't know what's gotten into her. I didn't expect her to... interrupt the song like that."

"That's okay, I loved the performance! And Wobbles' interruption only proves that your song is amazing — even a cat couldn't resist singing along!"

He coughs, a blush spreading across his cheeks again. Although he tries his best to suppress his pleased smile, you can see the corners of his lips turning up uncontrollably.

"W-Well, it would have been better without her participation. She might just be a little tone deaf — didn't you hear how she messed up the chorus?" Nathan jokes, and you chuckle in response. "I'll sing it for you again next time — when she isn't around."

“Aw, but then how is she supposed to improve and become the star she deserves to be?” You throw him a playful wink, eliciting another laugh from him.

“Oh God, don't encourage her. Can you imagine her singing on stage in front of a crowd like that?"

"Hey! I'd pay for a ticket to see that. You and Wobbles would be the best duo!"

"I don't know if the world is ready for that yet... or ever will be. But if you want an encore in private..." He looks up at you with a smile that has more confidence in it than before, scratching Wobbles' chin with one hand. "That can be arranged."