Short Story: [Emberfate] Shadow

Hey everyone!

Last reward post for Patreon for June! This month, I come bearing a silly short story of Nathan wanting to add a new member to your family in the form of a small feline creature. I hope you all enjoy this!

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"Sunshine? Are you there?" You hear the voice of your boyfriend, Nathan, faintly above the melodic tune in your ears. Surprised, you slide your headphones off as you call back. "Yeah! What is it? Everything okay?"

"Meow?" The cat curled on your lap stirs, lifting her head to blink her drowsy green eyes at you in a silent reprimand of rousing her. You can't help but smile, stroking Wobbles' head gently as you murmur a low apology. "Sorry, girl. Blame your dad for being too loud."

"Yeah! Hang on, where are you? I need to talk to you." A moment later, Nathan bursts through the door to your study. A light sheen of sweat covers his forehead, and he roughly wipes his arm across his brows to get rid of the perspiration as he leans against the wall for rest.

Wobbles shoots a haughty look at the new arriver, parting her mouth in a delicate yawn with a stretch. Then she leaps off your lap, landing nimbly on her paws and slips by Nathan's legs out of the room. 

Now free from the weight of the cat, you rise to your feet, approaching your boyfriend with a laugh. "God, Nathan, what happened to you? Did you run all the way back home because the car broke down or something?" 

You grab his hand, pulling him to the loveseat. "Come and sit down for a rest. I'll grab you a cold drink." 

"No, wait! I have something important to discuss with you." He doesn't struggle as you push him down onto the chair by his shoulders, but he quickly scoots over and pulls you down into the seat with him. 

"Okay...?" You eye your boyfriend with a strange look, but you oblige, shifting to get comfortable in the chair. "What is it?"

"So..." Nathan coughs, his eyes wandering around the room with a hint of guilt that you know too well. "I was at the studio helping Derek out with his newest song recording, right?"

At your hum of agreement, he continues. "His friend, Tristan, was there too, and they were chatting during a break. And well, I may have accidentally overheard the fact that Tristan recently adopted a pregnant stray cat, and the cat gave birth a few days ago to a litter of kittens!" 

Nathan's eyes begin to sparkle. "Tristan has been looking for new homes for the kittens, but there's still a few that needs a loving home. And well, I was thinking..." 

He pauses then, eyeing you nervously for your reaction, but you give him none. Letting out an awkward laugh, he presses on with more hesitance. "I-I know you've said we probably shouldn't add more pets to the mix for now, but..." Nathan lifts one wobbly finger before your face, wearing a sheepish smile. "How about one tiny kitten?"

You continue to stare at him wordlessly. Perhaps emboldened by the lack of immediate refusal, Nathan brightens, fishing his phone out of his pocket. A few taps and swipes on the screen later, he offers you the phone and points excitedly at the photo displayed on the screen. "Look! Tristan showed me some pictures of the kittens. Aren't they absolutely adorable? The tiny black one in the back — he looks like a little void cloud! My heart melted when I saw him!" 

Your eyes snap to the kitten in question that has so clearly captured your boyfriend's heart immediately. In the photo, the kitten seems to be staring straight at the camera with piercing green eyes, his head cocked in an inquisitive gesture, as if looking directly into your heart.  You can't help but agree that he is as adorable as Nathan describes.

"Nathan, are you sure about this? I mean, I guess our finances are fine, so we can afford taking care of another pet, and we do have enough room in the house..." Your voice trails off as Nathan grins, a teasing glint in his eyes. "What?" 

"Aww, see, you do want Shadow as much as I do. You're already considering the logistics and details!" He beams, wrapping an arm around you. "I knew we'd be on the same page! Don't worry, I thought about it very thoroughly too. I have experience taking care and raising a kitten, and I know I can handle the responsibility. Wobbles has never been hostile to other cats she's met, so I think she'll be able to accept Shadow if we slowly integrate him into the family, and —"

"Shadow? You've already named the kitten? And that's the name you chose?" You cut him off, staring at him in incredulity. A small flush spreads across Nathan's cheeks, and he lets out an embarrassed chuckle. "What? I think it's a fitting name." 

You raise an eyebrow at him, failing to suppress a laugh. You guess you shouldn't really be surprised — this is the guy after all, who named all his characters by ripping off hex codes of colors just so he wouldn't have to think of names. Maybe you should just be glad that he didn't name the black kitten #000. 

Taking a minute to think over the matter, you have to admit that the little void kitten is extremely charming — not to mention the elated spark in Nathan's eyes that warms your heart to see. Eventually, you relent with a sigh. "Okay, how about this? I'm guessing you haven't seen the kitten in person yet either — why don't we go to your friend, Tristan's house, and meet the kitten first? Then if he seems to like us, we can consider this. Carefully." 

Nathan jumps up like a kid on Christmas morning, squeezing you into a tight embrace and pressing a kiss to your lips. "Yes! I love you, sunshine! Come, let's go!" 

"Wait, right now? Is your friend okay with that?" You can barely protest as he pulls you down the hall to the front door with excitement. 

"Don't worry, I texted him earlier and he said we can come over any time this evening! I can't wait for us to meet Shadow!" 

"Okay, fine. We can go now. But we're not naming the kitten Shadow."

"Aw, why not? Then... how about Sooty?" 

"No."