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It was a peaceful day on the express.
Himeko was sitting quietly on one of the Parlor Car’s couches, her leg crossed over the other as she held a thick leather bound book with one of her hands, the other cupping a mug filled with her home brewed coffee. Pom Pom swept the Parlor Car’s floor calmly whilst March, Dan Heng, and the Trailblazer were off enjoying Penacony, helping when needed after dealing with the rippling effects of Dominicus’ fall.
Welt sat quietly next to the broadcast screen, doting more on the trios absence rather than listening to the monotonous voices of the IPC news reporters.
It was truely a peaceful day.
But where were you?
The thought crossed Welt’s mind. He had imagined you were still huddled under your blankets, sleeping in soundly as per usual. But it was too late in the afternoon now, you should have awoken earlier; unless his memory was beginning to fail him. Before his anxious thoughts took hold of him, Welt turned off the broadcast before rising from his armchair, striding towards the entrance to the Passenger Cabins.
He walked swiftly down the hall, reaching your cabin door and ratting his knuckles against the door firmly. He could hear his own deep breaths, silence enveloping your room eerily. His second round of knocks were more urgent, his ear against the door, eagerly waiting to hear your voice call out. But just like before, no answer. He sighed, sliding open the door and entering.
Your scent filled the room comfortably, making Welt feel more at ease before seeing the sight before him. Your clothes and undergarments were lying across the dishevelled bed, curved to the contours of your ruffled quilt. What caught Welt’s attention as he moved closer was the large circular object bulging out from under the fabric of your discarded shirt. His eyebrow rose in curiosity when said object emitted a soft humming sound, its middle rising and falling as if it were… breathing?
Welt lifted up the shirt, finding a peaceful cat sprawled out between the layers of fabric. His eyes widened as the cat stirred from its slumber, opening its gentle eyes.
“Now, what’s this?”
Welt smiled softly. He had always been fond of cats, albeit he barely had the chance to see one in person in his previous world. When he arrived here, he would see the small creatures across his journeys and yet never had the chance to meet them. His face softened as the cat in front of him yawned widely, blinking its exhaustion away. It was only until the cat brought the paw to its eye - mimicking how a person rubs the sleep out of their eye - did they begin to freak out.
The cat sprung out from under the shirt, startling Welt as he pulled back. It stared curiously at its tail, trying to hold it to confirm its existence. But instead it just looked like it was chasing its tail, not frantically questioning its very existence. Welt chuckled lightly, being careful when he settled on the bed next to the fluffy creature.
“Calm down, little guy..”
Welt said gently, piquing the cats attention. The feline looked up at Welt with a pleading look, praying for his understanding. Come to think of it, its fur coat seemed to perfectly match your hair… And its eyes reflected your own eye colour…
“Oh… Oh my..”
Welt came to realisation quickly. The discarded clothes, the cat nestled between them, and its appearance. It was you.
“What did you do this time, *name*?”
Your eyes narrowed at the man as if you had meant to “conveniently” turn into cat for no seeable reason. Welt picked up on the cat’s facial expression, chuckling softly.
“Alright, alright… I see you probably didn’t mean for this to happen, hm?”
His tone grew softer, his hand reaching down to scratch your head. Your eyes shut at the pleasurable feeling, rubbing your furry head against his fingertips. Welt’s face was filled with adoration as he watched you move closer into his touch until you were standing on his lap.
“I should bring you to Himeko… maybe she would know what’s happening here…”
You meow in agreement and Welt just smiles wider. He goes to pick up your soft body, cradling you in his arms like a baby. You go to rub your cheek against his jawline, feeling his light stubble against you. You purred loudly as your face pressed against his lower cheek, enjoying the rough sensation of his facial hair against your fur. Welt pressed his lips together tightly, his lips raising into a big smile again, trying to keep himself from aggressively coddling you.
“Or maybe… I’ll just keep you here, all for myself”
Welt chuckled softly before he felt your paw whip his cheek, expressing your disapproval. He feigned his injury, understanding your urgency to turn back into your original self.
“Ow! Alright, alright… We’ll take you to Himeko then”
He laughed heartily before walking out of your room and down the corridor of the Passenger Cabins.
“You’re way more cuter as a cat though, *name*”
He laughed softly as you let out a growl, petting you as compensation.
“I was joking, little one…”
—
“Himeko, we have a *small* issue here..”
Welt announced. Himeko’s attention left her book, her eyes immediately settling on your feline form. Her eyes were shocked before smiling softly at the fluffy creature.
“Oh my…”
She giggled softly, noticing how lovingly Welt held you in his arms. She smiled wider before a voice piped up from behind them both.
“Is that a cat in Pom Pom’s Parlor Car?! It’s going to shed, get it out of here Welt!!”
Pom Pom’s voice echos through the room, approaching the two while eyeing the cat down like it was their opponent. You meowed at Pom Pom, acknowledging how they felt about keeping the floors rid of any mess.
“Are you afraid they might replace you, Pom Pom?”
Himeko jokes, smiling widely as Pom Pom’s face grows angrier.
“No! You know how I feel about animals on the Express!”
They huff in frustration, side eying the creature sitting comfortably in Welt’s arms. Welt chuckles at their exchange.
“Well it’s not an animal, because it’s *name*. I found this little thing nestled between their clothes when I went to check on them”
Welt states, finding his words reasonable enough until he looks at the expression on Himeko’s and Pom Pom’s faces. They didn’t seem to convinced. You noticed this too, meowing eagerly at the two in hopes they would understand.
“How would this cat get on the express without anyone noticing? And why would *name* just disappeared?”
Welt reasoned, hoping to light the bulb in their minds. Himeko nods in agreement, her finger resting under her bottom lip as she thought.
“You’re right, Welt… but how could we fix this? We could see if Herta knows but the trio isn’t back yet-“
“I can’t possibly prepare for another jump! It’s such short notice!”
Pom Pom interrupts, scurrying closer to the two. Welt looks down at the feline in his arms to find it staring back at him, he pets the cat while trying to think of a solution. He smiles as the cat begins to purr against him. He was hoping to relieve some stress for *name*.
“We’re back!!”
You hear a gasp from the other side of the room.
“Is that a cat?!”
March’s bubbly voice draws closer, running over to the cat nestled in Welt’s arms. She pets it, cooing about its cuteness as Dan Heng and the Trailblazer come closer to the group.
“March, be careful-“
Welt warns, but before he knows it, you were scooped up into March’s arms and swung around with her as she giggled happily. You meow in protest but they fell on deaf ears, except for Welt’s, who was looking at you worriedly.
“Can we keep it, Mr Yang? Pleeeeeeasssse?????”
She begs while letting the Trailblazer and Dan Heng pet it, though Dan Heng kept his distance, claiming he was allergic. You meow softly, feeling a little dizzy after being swung around by March. Welt sighs, noticing you’re still alright. He approaches March, gently taking *name* away from her.
“We have to keep them, March. They’re *name*”
He says softly, looking at you to confirm you’re okay before petting you once more, smiling softly. March, Dan Heng, and the Trailblazer looked at him with the same expression Himeko and Pom Pom had. He looked up to face the trio before explaining the situation once more.
“You seem very fond of them, Welt”
Himeko teases. Whether you were a cat or not, his face of adoration didn’t waver. It was clear, to Himeko at least, that Welt’s feelings had been changing for you, reforming into something new and exciting. In response, Welt held your fluffy body closer to him, like how a lady clutches her purse when offended, squishing your fragile body against his chest.
“I’m only being protective, we still don’t know why this happened or how we could solve it”
You meow, suffocating against his chest before he releases his tight hold, looking down and caressing you as he mumbled a soft apology. Himeko giggled again before March spoke up.
“Well.. maybe they will turn back naturally? Like how you found them, Mr Yang.”
She notes, showing off a rare glimpse of her reasoning skills. Welt nods, settling on that solution for now to subside his worries. You meowed as your tummy growled, Welt took notice, petting you reassuringly.
“Does anyone have any food for *name*?”
—
Much to Welt’s protests, you ended up eating a slice of Clockie pizza the trio had brought home from Penacony. Everyone couldn’t believe how you managed to eat the whole slice, but at least it was one problem out of the way. After finishing, you were shooed off of the floor by Pom Pom, who began sweeping where you stood shortly after. Dan Heng had decided to retire to his room early, not wishing to get sick from the fluffy hairball of a cat. So instead, you had begun to play with March and the Trailblazer. The Trailblazer swung a ball of yarn around that March had kept aside for her sewing, and yes, she had already started planning the cute little outfits she could make for you. After a while the Trailblazer noticed your less enthusiastic attempts to get the yarn and instead resorted to petting you instead, noting the similar nature you and Ruan Mei’s creations shared.
Eventually, you stood up, your body curving as you stretched, and walked away from March and the Trailblazer, who both waved a goodbye to you as you wandered over to the other end of the couch where Welt and Himeko sat. You rubbed your head against Welt’s leg. He looked down at you, his face lighting up when he saw you at his feet.
“What are you doing, little one?”
He chuckled, talking to you as if you were a child. You jumped up onto his lap - making Himeko chuckle too - and settled on his lap, indicating you were tired. He weaved his fingers through your fur gently, his face staring at your tired one.
“Shall we go to bed then?”
He asked you, a soft meow escaping you as he picked you up, cradling you in his arms once more. Himeko giggles.
“They are quite cute when they are like this..”
“They are, aren’t they?”
Welt smiles. You try to give them both a look of disapproval but your eyes could barely open. Himeko pets you, wishing you a goodnight.
“Goodnight then, Himeko”
“Good luck, Welt”
—
You curled up in Welt’s bed, purring softly under the warm blankets. Welt had pampered you with love before letting you sleep, making up for all of the troubles of today, and of course, just because he wanted to pet you, to show you that he was here for you. He now sat at his desk, his sketchbook open, his fingers gripping a pencil that sketched an array of cat portraits, trying to capture your feline essence onto the page. Completing yet another sketch, he turned his head to look at your tired cat form, your small chest rising and falling while your belly faces the cool air of the room. He looked back down at his page he had filled with feline you, and smiled.
He couldn’t deny you were adorable snuggled up to him all day, always close to him, rubbing your fur all over his clothes, as much as it will be a pain to get off, he didn’t care. He was happy. But besides the happiness, caring for something to tiny and fragile… It reminded him of his son…
“Joffrey…”
He whispered softly, smiling melancholically. He hadn’t said his name in a while, nor had he heard it. He missed him, thinking about him every second he can so he wouldn’t forget the reasons why he needs to return. He sighed softly, brushing away the lump forming in his throat. He began to wonder instead, would Joffrey like cats? Should he get him one when he comes home? He smiled at the thought of Joffrey playing with a cat like *name*, laughing happily as the affectionate cat licks his face. Or maybe even when he’s tucked into bed late at night, narrating one of his favourite books to help the cat sleep softly…
“Welt?”
A voice calls out to him from his bed, along with the rustling of his blanket. His eyes widen, turning in his swivel chair to face *name*, who had returned to their normal, human self; naturally, just as March said. He smiled softly once more.
“Hello, *name*”