Cat's Meow

[Micah Cooper]

There were a few times in his life Micah felt truly lucky. This was one of them. Some might think it's because he has a hunter so close, yet he doesn't have to feel any fear. It's said that for shifters baring their neck is a sign of trust. When Ezra touched his neck, that piece of information popped into Micah's head for some reason. Maybe that's why it felt so right. The trust he had in Ezra was unshakable. He trusted the man more than anyone else in the world. Except for Jinx of course but that goes without saying.

Trust made this easier but didn't ease the burden. How would believe what he had experienced? A faceless being appears and offers you power for a piece of your soul. The world Micah and Ezra live in is far from normal. But the witch's story was a Faustian bargain. It is a mark upon you that you can't hide. All this power Micah had didn't do a thing against fear. Noting would.

Sleep might do him Micah good, "I missed sleep so much," he sighed. "Not as much as you," the enchanter told Ezra. He reached out and ran his hand over Jinx as a silent acknowledgment. Micah missed both of them more than anything. He missed the way his bed sank a little when Ezra was there. He missed the way Jinx dominated the middle of the bed. He missed waking up to a soft tail smacking him in the face because he was taking too long to get up. He missed not being able to get up because his legs were intertwined with Ezra's and Micah couldn't bear to wake up him up.

As their finger's locked together, Micah had a slightly amused. Hazelton is filled with wonder and magic. Literally. But those moments he spent outside gave him a new perspective. There was so much darkness here. So many deep secrets that chip away at their own lives and those around them. But even that didn't change one fact about this town. "When things go quiet, that's when we really have to worry."

And them Micah remember, "Ms. Robinson's lamp!" He jumped up like nothing had happened. He refused to let go of Ezra so he just dragged him up with him. "She brought me an old shepherdess lamp. I was supposed to fix it for her so she could have it on her table during her 70th birthday." He walked from one end of the living room to the other, dragging Ezra with him.

"And Old Man Le found a cabinet in his basement that he wanted to restore. I was supposed to help him out." The walking didn't stop.

"And one of the old mansions in Baker City was being sold and they were supposed to have a sale. I was going to take you with me," Micah told Ezra. "There is this cute mom-and-pop pet store that sells handmade cat toys and cat food."

[Ezra Chen]

Could he not sleep where he had been? Ezra felt too abuzz with emotions to sleep but he would gladly lie beside Micah, intertwined bodies as their fingers were now. Eventually, sleep would claim him. Or perhaps he would simply watch Micah. It felt like he needed to make up for so much lost time. What happened to him during his time away? It was as if he didn't age much but then there was that look in his eyes. That look in Micah's eyes killed him.

He smiled reassuringly and he lightly stroked the side of Micah's neck but before he could suggest what Micah longed for--sleep--Micah made an accurate observation about Hazleton. Ezra nodded.

"Very true," he murmured. The quiet in Hazleton was far more unnerving than the storms. At least they knew what was happening when something was happening loudly. When it was silent, there was no telling which direction the next rash of strangeness would emerge.

"Wh-what?" Ezra found himself being dragged along with a suddenly energetic Micah. So much for the sleep! Even Jinx let out an indignant meow before leaping down and following with his tail in the air like a flag.

"Micah... Micah, Ms. Robinson? Le? That mansion sale...? Ah... How long do you think you've been away?"

[Micah Cooper]

The absence of time made sleeping impossible. Now that there was time again, Micah wanted to sleep. But time was catching up. Everything that he had missed was rushing towards him. The adrenaline kicked in. His body was going through some weird fight or flight response. And he was taking Ezra with him. It was nice that he wasn't trying to stop Micah even though this situation was strange beyond belief. And Jinx wasn't happy either. His familiar was probably more concerned than anything. Micah disappeared and now he's back acting weird.

Micah stopped at the question and looked at Ezra. "A year," he said hesitantly. It felt wrong. His mind and body told him it had been longer. "I saw the calendar when I came in and I... a year? I can't just disappear for a year. I was going to perform the ritual, so I'd be safe from the fog and then I have work. I have so many things to finish. I have Jinx to take care of. I have you," he smiled a bit at that part. "It wasn't supposed to happen. I had so many things to do and now..."

The thought slipped from Micha. His head sunk down, and he rested it on Ezra's chest. "I need to sleep it off. It's too much right now." All this time he still hadn't let go of the other man. He wasn't even thinking about it. For that moment, Ezra was a part of him. He couldn't ask for more.

"Let's go," Micha headed for the bedroom with Ezra. He felt a sense of déjà vu only unlike those times, there were only innocent intentions. He doesn't know how he got into bed. It's a blur. One moment he is walking and then he's under the blankets with his head on Ezra's chest listening to the man's heartbeat. Jinx was there too. Micah sensed it. This comforting energy in this room was what he had missed. It had been too long.

"I won't let anyone make me leave you," Micah said, "Never again." All these emotions – anger and regret, love and relief, worry and despair. It was too much to go on without a moment to rest. Now Micah finally had that chance. He had to be ready for what the future held. For him. For Ezra. And for Jinx. And Ezra's litter of cats.

[Ezra Chen]

Yes, a year. It was true. All the things that seemed so important to Micah had long gone and moved on with the tides of time. Everything except the two of them--Ezra himself and Jinx. They might have moved with time but they refused to let Micah become nothing more than a memory. Ezra had a hard time letting go of things and he knew from experience cats could be stubborn creatures. Jinx obviously hadn't given up on Micah. Although... Ezra did have a few questions concerning Jinx that he wanted to ask Micah, mostly because... well, he thought Micah had been coming home and disappearing again, since the place remained pretty clean.

But it wasn't Micah. And if it wasn't Micah...

Ezra cast a look down at Jinx, who seemed like nothing more than an innocent black cat, watching his master with big, adoring eyes.

Once they were cozily tucked into Micah's bed, Ezra gave Micah's temple a soft kiss. This. He had missed this in Micah's absence. Sometimes, a year felt like such a short time. Sometimes, it felt unbearably long. When there was no date in sight, it was harder to wait. If he knew for sure Micah was coming back, he knew he would have been able to wait. Not knowing. The not knowing and the fear, that was what made it unbearable.

He was here now, though. Ezra smiled, finally allowing himself to really absorb the fact that Micah was back. Somewhere nearby, he could hear Jinx purring and the subtle movement of the bed that signaled the cat was kneading on something. Probably Micah himself.

"You're back now. That's the part that matters." He wanted so badly to ask about the ritual but judging by Micah's exhaustion, he thought it would be best to save it for later.