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Chapter Eight
Sticky Situations
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Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Silky black fur stood on end as the little black cat pelted back and forth. He jumped on the bed, raced along the covers, vaulted off the other side and galloped down the hall. He slid on the tiles in the kitchen, bouncing off a cabinet, and raced back to the bedroom. Tiny tongue poking out, Kalevi panted for breath. Panic was still blazing red hot in veins.
He couldn’t shift!
He couldn’t fucking shift!
And he was so going to get fired!
He took the lowest-paying jobs that would take anyone off the street. The advantage being he could get the work; the disadvantage being they would replace him in a heartbeat if he didn’t show up without calling to say why! And Chester was such a gigantic asshole! There was no way he wasn’t going to bust Kalevi for not showing up! What the hell was he supposed to do now?
He tried to calm down, steady his heart, count his breath, and all that normal shit, but nothing worked. He was running out of time. The black cat pelted up and down the hallways several more times. Some stupid part of his brain thought that if he could tire himself out, maybe the shift would come…. It didn’t. Now what?! This had never happened to him before, not when he was a kit and not even when he was a teenager. Desperately, Kalevi raced back into the bedroom. His phone was still where he had thrown it carelessly the night before.
He couldn’t believe he was about to do this. This was utterly ridiculous. To his enormous relief, his paw pads did at least register on the touch screen of his phone. The facial recognition obviously didn’t work, but he was able to awkwardly pad in his passcode on the second attempt. This was the first time he was actually glad Ben had put his and Vano’s number into his mobile. After a lot of messing about, he managed to dial Ben’s number. He tapped the speaker button. It rang and rang.
Pick up, you bastard…
‘Kalevi? Is everything alright?’ Ben’s voice came as a relief, which was weird because normally Kal just wanted the other shifter to shut up. Unable to talk back, Kal did the only thing available to him. He yowled. Loudly.
‘Kal?’ Kalevi gave a flat cranky mew as a response. ‘Kal, is that you?’ Kalevi’s mew dropped right down to a pint-sized growl.
‘Kalevi, are you stuck as a cat right now? Mew twice.’ Urgh. Mewing on command. So this is what it had come to. At least the man seemed to be quick on the uptake. Tail lashing, Kalevi mewed twice.
‘Alright. Are you at home?’ He mewed twice again.
‘Okay. Vano and I are coming over.’ Kalevi wailed angrily. He was going to get fired! Someone needed to call his boss.
‘Kal, you need help. You can’t – Kal, it’s very hard to speak when you’re-‘ Kal continued to angrily wail into the speaker. Suddenly, Vano’s deeper voice broke over Ben’s chatting.
‘Were you meant to work today?’ Vano rumbled. Relief, like cool water, washed over Kalevi’s whole body. He mewed twice, much quieter this time.
‘I see. Are you expected to work a shift soon?’ Two more particularly flat meows.
‘Alright, Kalevi, don’t panic,’ Ben’s voice said. Kal really wanted to scratch that man in the face.
‘We have a list of your jobs and contacts for them.’ They what?! ‘Before you get angry, they collect that sort of information for all shifters for exactly these sorts of reasons. Is your brother with you?’ This time Kalevi gave a single meow. He felt ridiculous.
‘Did you have an argument?’ Vano asked. Kalevi stared down at the phone but didn’t answer, guilt and anxiety making him strangely limp.
‘It’s Thursday so you normally have a shift at the grocery store, yes? And then the fish market?’ Kal forced himself to mew twice.
‘Alright. I will go there. Ben will come to you.’ Kal sat there, his tail flicking. This was what he wanted, wasn’t it?
‘Stay there, I’ll be over soon,’ Ben said and disconnected the call. Kalevi huffed. Where exactly was he supposed to go? He was stuck as a bloody cat!
Ben pulled up in the driveway an hour later. An entire hour! What the hell had the other shifter been doing this whole time? Kalevi had needed to lap water out of the sink. It’s not like he just left a water dish lying around and he’d been thirsty. Come to think of it, he was also hungry. He didn’t exactly have a mountain of food lying around the house at the best of times and certainly nothing he could access now he had toe beans instead of fingers.
‘Kal? I’m coming in, okay?’ Kalevi tipped his head to one side. How the heck was he planning on doing that? He might have been pissed off last night but he knew Eli would have locked the door. They learnt a long time ago that this was not the kind of neighbourhood to leave doors unlocked. To his indignation, he heard a key turn in the lock. Since when did they have a key to his house!? He was going to kill them!
Ben let himself into the abode, knowing full well that Kalevi was not going to be happy to learn that he and Vano had made a copy of the house key. Unfortunately, this too was part of procedure. Especially given that both brothers had exhibited signs of instability. Ben had been worried he might not be able to find Kalevi. There was still a chance the man might run or do something else incredibly insensible. Thankfully, that fear was mitigated.
A small, adorable black cat was sitting just inside the house. Ben smiled as he put his bags down on the ground. ‘Hey Kal. Sorry I’m late.’ He reached down to pick him up and was met with a paw of lashing claws and a low, angry yowl.
Grumpy kitty. Very grumpy kitty.
‘Kalevi? It’s okay.’
Okay? Okay!? Was this man deaf, blind, and stupid!? He was stuck as a cat! That was definitely not in any way, shape, or form, okay. Kalevi hissed, his little ears pressed flat to his skull and his tail whipping. Ben picked up his abandoned bags and walked them into the kitchen. The black cat followed at a wary distance.
‘I know you’re worried about your jobs. I promise you, you don’t need to be. Vano has gone to speak to both of your bosses today.’ Great. Just… great. Kalevi would have groaned loudly if he was able. He could just imagine the enormous six-foot-something stooping into the fish mongers to talk to Chester. Might have been an amusing conversation on any other given day. Chester was an old bastard held together by grease and hot air. He didn’t like being intimidated and whether Vano meant it or not, his very presence would likely be interpreted as a threat. Kal was probably as good as fired.
‘Would you like something to eat?’ Ben called casually, opening one of the grocery bags he’d brought. Kalevi felt prickly all over. He swore to whatever still lived up there, if Ben pulled out a can of cat food, Kal was going to use his claws to flay the man’s ass open. Ben took out a foiled bag and began ripping it open. All at once, the delicious smell of roast deli chicken wafted around the kitchen.
Okay, yeah, Kal could work with that.
Ben had to bite his lip hard not to react. The tiny cat was utterly adorable and very transparent despite his jet-black coat. What was once a murderous, razor focused angry feline was now an adorable little creature sniffing the air. Pinned ears pricked up and a pink nose wiggled. Ben only contained himself by reminding himself that any boops, pets, or coos would likely result in a lot of blood. So instead, he focused on gently pulling the still warm chicken apart.
Kalevi didn’t notice how hungry he was until a large plate of roast chicken was placed at his feet. He dove in.
‘I’ll get you some water,’ Ben decided. He filled a shallow bowl with clean water and placed it on the ground next to the cat. He knew how indignant and scary it could be being stuck in animal form. It was… violating in a way. It was akin to having a limb suddenly disconnect and start flopping about on its own. It was a genuinely unsettling and creepy sensation. Ben had experienced it himself twice in his own life. Those experiences were part of what made him vow to help others never to go through the same feeling.
He watched the cat eat and couldn’t help but feel a strong twinge of pity. The cat was skinny. Not dangerously so, but the spine, shoulders and hips were visible. The ribs too, stuck out a little through the sleek black coat. He had muscle to him, but little to no fat reserves. Whilst Kal was busy, Ben did some careful poking around. The kitchen cupboards were nearly empty. All the brands of oil and such were all home brand or imitation brands of more expensive products.
The spice rack consisted of salt, pepper, garlic powder and a small, neglected jar of dried basil. The sugar jar was empty and so was the fridge. The food situation seemed to be quite dire. A low growl made him pause. Kalevi was looking up from his chicken, his little eyes piercing Ben where he stood.
‘Sorry to be poking around dear. I was going to make a cup of tea. Do you… have any tea bags?’ The cat’s ears flickered. He turned his head, looking pointedly at a shelf. Ben reached up and grabbed down an old biscuit tin. Inside were a few, rather sad-looking teabags.
‘Thank you,’ Ben said pleasantly. There was an impatient flick from the black tail and the cat went back to eating. Ben wanted to look around a little more, but he knew better. Cat he may be, but Kal was still keeping careful watch on his visitor. The room was cold. All the old blinds were drawn down. Ben knew that electricity could be a killer in the colder months. It was worrying. As a feline, Kalevi would be sensitive to the cold. There was an actual reason why cats sought out the sunniest spot in a home. Eli was bigger, both in human and in cat form. He likely wouldn’t feel the coming winter as badly.
First things first. Ben needed to get Kalevi fed and a little more relaxed.
‘Kal?’ He waited until the black feline lifted his head.
‘Did you get a chance to text your brother before all this happened?’ Ben asked, waving a hand at Kal’s furry body.
The cat rumbled unhappily and shook its head.
‘Do you mind if I check your phone? If not, I could call your brother, make sure he’s okay?’ Kal bobbed his little head in agreement. Ben smiled. Okay. This was progress. He found Kal’s phone easily enough. It was low on battery so Ben plugged it in to charge. There was only a single message on the screen.
Eli – Gone to stay with Myles. Don’t wait up.
Ben sighed. He strongly suspected that Eli didn’t know how bad things were. There may have been clothes on the floor and some dishes in the sink but one thing Ben had never seen in his trip to Kal’s place was bills left on the counter. The fridge was usually empty unless Kal knew his little brother would be home. The lights were on when Eli was home, the television was used when Eli was home. Every other time the house was kept cold and dark. The kid wasn’t stupid, he likely knew that Kalevi worked hard to keep a roof over their heads, but he probably didn’t realise just how bad life really was for Kal…
‘He’s gone to spend a night with Myles,’ Ben called. Kal was lapping water from the bowl. His tail was still swishing back and forth with agitation.
‘Kal, I’m going to ask you something and I need you to actually consider it, not just bite my head off.’ The black cat gave him a very flat and unimpressed look. ‘Would you consider coming with me? Just for a day or two. You need somewhere quiet and warm. Somewhere you don’t associate with stress. You can eat whatever you like, sleep in a warm bed?’ Ben tried to sound casual, but he really needed the cat to agree.
This situation, this freeze shift, was very bad news. Ben and Vano would need to report this to their superiors. Kalevi was on very thin ice. This was one of the shifter community’s biggest fears. The fact that the involuntary shift occurred in the home instead of on the street was the only reason Kal wasn’t being ordered to leave… Kalevi stuck his little pink nose up in the air. Ben winced.
‘This is important Kal. Eli is safe. Even so, I’m going to have Kate check in with him. You need to be safe too which means regaining your ability to shift as soon as possible. Please come with me.’
Kalevi stared up at Ben. He felt a hell of a lot better with a belly full of roast chicken, but he still didn’t want to just leave. Eli might come back early. All of Kal’s stuff was here. As he looked up at Ben, he detected something unexpected coming from the older man. He was worried and hiding it behind a gentle smile, but there was also something else. Fear.
Surely the man wasn’t afraid of him, which meant Ben was afraid for him. Kal’s stomach flipped. After all, being stuck as a cat meant he had lost control. His fur began to prickle again.
Where exactly was Ben trying to take him?
Was this the moment the council came and took him away, locked him up like his batshit crazy father and left him to rot?
Shit, what the fuck was he going to do?
Should he run?
Where to? He was stuck in this fucking house as a damn cat with no opposable thumbs. He couldn’t let them take him! What about Eli?
‘Kalevi, calm down! I just meant visiting my house. Nowhere else, I promise. I won’t let them take you,’ Ben hadn’t meant to add that last part, but at least it worked. The cat stopped fluffing up. ‘I promise it’s going to be okay.’
Kal snorted quietly, his gaze dropping to the floor. No one should be allowed to say that. It wasn’t something the man could promise. They all said that at first, his teachers, the social workers that had tried to visit once, the nice lady at the grocery store who had given them a free bag of groceries the one time. His father had slapped her across the face for interfering in his family business. She stopped working at that grocer after that.
‘Please Kal. Come with me. It can’t be any worse than staying here, could it?’ Ben asked.
That was… probably true.
After a long, agonising moment, the little black cat nodded its head. Ben let out a relieved sigh. ‘Okay. I’ll grab some of your clothes and your phone and we’ll head out.’ Kal followed Ben into the bedroom where he howled at the man until he finally picked out the correct clothes to Kal’s standard. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite quick enough to stop Ben from opening a particular drawer…
‘Well then…’ Ben said, not entirely able to hide the amused grin at the sight of the condoms, dildo and lube only partly hidden amongst the various old shorts. Well, Kal was likely too busy for the dating scene. Ben couldn’t actually picture Kal dating anyone. But then why the condoms? Wishful thinking? Unfortunately, sharp little claws found his leg seconds later.
‘Ouch!’
Half an hour later they were ready to go. Kalevi had made sure that his ancient laptop and phone were packed in between the various clothes. He wanted to be able to get back to work the second this insanity was over. Ben was trying not to radiate tension. He was sure Kalevi understood the severity of the situation, but he was still afraid the little cat would bolt into the street. He stood by the front door, hesitating to open it. Kalevi was watching him, little head tilted to one side in adorable confusion. Ben bit the inside of his lip. He just had to trust that Kal would do the right thing, if not for himself, then to keep his little brother safe.
‘Right then, let’s head off,’ Ben said in a falsely cheery voice. He opened the door, holding his breath. The cat meowed, but stayed at Ben’s side. Ben let out a long sigh of relief. He picked up the bags, took one last look around and closed the front door behind them, locking it.
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END
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