sorry if this is out of left field!!! but 70/79 puss and kitty softpaws?
AUGH this is in all likelihood very different from what you expected anon, but I hope you still enjoy it even with the tragic bend.
---
"So here you are again, as promised."
Death the wolf glanced down, and realized that for all he moved through the world relatively unseen, Puss in Boots was still aware enough to know he had come. It had been years since they had last "officially" met, and while Death had not changed at all (no major cultural shifts, you see), the once arrogant, careless cat had worked hard to get his last life to stretch over many a happy year. Yes, if the collection of gifts and memorabilia that adorned what seemed to be his and Kitty Softpaws' shared bedroom, if the signs of kitten activity around here and the rest of the house, if the still lively party attended by some strangers but mostly true and teary-eyed friends still going full throttle below were any indication, Puss in Boots had taken full advantage of the time he had left.
Yet he was a mortal creature, and he had changed significantly not just in attitude but in appearance. When Death the wolf had last truly "seen" the cat, Puss in Boots had been a strong and strapping feline in the prime of life, always ready for a swordfight, a high-speed chase, for one adventure after another. Now, he was bedridden, and clearly had been for some time. His boots, an elegant cane, and a wheelchair had been discreetly pushed into one corner of Puss and Kitty's bedroom. His once vibrant fur was more gray than orange. His limbs, which had once rippled with well-toned muscle, were thin and looked delicate enough to break with a slight nudge. And every now and then Puss winced, as if something was causing him a significant amount of pain. It was clear he was a cat on his last few days of life. Yet for all of that, with the Death he once feared so much so close, Puss's manner was not that of a feline afraid, but rather one who was content with what his life had been, who was accepting of what would come next.
"Iiiiif you don't mind, lobo, I think it would prefer it if we skipped the banter and you just went back to being invisible until your moment comes. You are still very scary, you know!"
Death rolled his eyes, but complied with the slowly dying tabby. The cat had lived his life to the fullest and was more accepting of his inevitable fate than many others. And, for all his past frustration with Puss in Boots, Death the wolf wasn't so petty as to deny him a little more peace at the end. He made a conscious effort to become invisible to mortal eyes, and if Puss's whispered "Thank you, lobo" was any indication, it had worked.
It was a good thing he did, too. A mortal being in a state of near-death naturally meant Death the wolf was put in a position of near-mortals, making him easier for even those whose time had not yet come to spot. And Death the wolf would like to spare Kitty Softpaws the further sight of him before it was necessary.
The door to Puss in Boot's room opened, and the cat burglar herself stepped in, the more subdued sounds of the party drifting in, before she firmly shut the door behind herself and locked it. She too had changed since Death the wolf had pursued Puss in Boots to put the fear of, well, himself into the tabby. More gray around the muzzle, a little slower than she once had been, and certainly more aware of Death's presence than she had been before.
She was now at the beginning of her last life.
And that of her beloved's was quickly coming to an end.
And she had agreed to make it conclude all the faster.
Puss in Boots tried to sit up a little straighter. "Kitty..."
"I'm angry at you."
Puss visibly wilted. His eyes glistened with unshed tears, but before he could speak Kitty covered her eyes with one paw and put up the other to keep him silent. She shuddered with her own pent-up emotions before finding her voice.
"I agreed! I still agree! I wouldn't have EVER agreed if I hadn't looked at this from every angle and decided that this was the best thing to do!"
"But you're dying. Slowly, painfully, you're dying. There's nothing I can do to make it better except help it end before your own body makes your life become pure torture. It's not your fault. But you're the only one I can be angry at. And I hate myself for it."
Silence stretched between the two. Then, though it clearly cost a great deal of effort and pain for Puss to do so, he beckoned the tuxedo cat over, reached out, and gently grabbed Kitty's paws.
"I told you many years ago...even though I am like this now, a single life spent with you is everything I could have wished for. And what a life it was! The fighting! The feasting! The robbing from the rich and giving to the needy! With, of course, a small percentage of the booty kept for ourselves."
Puss gave her a woobly wink, and Kitty couldn't help but laugh through her tears. Puss chuckled as well, but then turned away from his beloved's face, his eyes unfocusing as if he was taking a few last seconds to go through treasured memories. As if he was already glimpsing the eternity that awaited. It was a few minutes before he regained enough strength to speak again.
"You know...for awhile, I fantasized that on my last day you and I would have a touching heart to heart in which I was such a great orator I got you to promise to move on as quickly as you could and live a happy last life without me. I imagined it would a very romantic and noble gesture! But...I like to think I've grown a bit wiser in my old age. Wise enough at least to realize that what you feel about this isn't up to what I say, and that it would be foolish to make you give a promise that neither of us could assure life would let you keep. Call no cat happy until they are dead, eh?"
A weak chuckle that quickly morphed into a weaker, pained cough. Puss had to spend a few more minutes catching his breath even while Kitty, all her former anger replaced with worry, gently rubbed his back. It was taking more and more effort for Puss in Boots to simply speak. But the tabby, stubborn in dying as he had been in living, was determined to get out everything he wanted to say.
"I...I don't want to spend our last night together trying to convince you of things that neither of us know will come to pass. But this I tell you. No matter how else we both feel at this moment, I love you as much right now as I have loved your for all those glorious years we got together. I know that you are a magnificent feline who deserves every joy that life can offer. Kitty, at the end of my last life, I wish with all my heart that you live yours as happily as I got to live mine."
Neither Kitty nor Puss could contain their emotions or the accompanying tears after that. Kitty threw herself into Puss's arms and hugged him hard, sobbing into his shoulder. Puss in Boots had given a pained squeak at the force of her embrace, but he still returned it as much as his frail limbs could. After an hour, when they could cry no more, they seemed to have come to a silent agreement that it was time to put the last step for The Glorious Life of Puss In Boots into motion. Making sure the tabby was as tucked in and comfortable as he could be, Kitty Softpaws padded over to her side of the bed so she could snuggle against him. They spent the next few hours after that in simple conversation, reminiscing about their adventures, exchanging little nips and licks of affection. Finally, as Puss's breathing grew raspy and his eyes were fluttering from pain and exhaustion, Kitty brought out a bottle of their favorite milk-- generously topped with heavy cream--and two glasses. She further topped Puss's portion with a colorless liquid that would ensure a painless death to even a giant. They toasted each other, downed their drafts, and drifted off into a gentle sleep side by side.
They were both deep in the arms of slumber when Death the wolf did what he had come to do and scythed the frail silver thread that connected Puss's body to his vitality. He would never be privy to what, if anything, happened afterwards. But Death still found himself offering up his own silent wish, as he had countless times before, that after him was something good.
Kitty awoke but a few moments afterwards, as if she had sensed that Death's work was done. Death the wolf watched her as another wave of tears trickled down her face after she turned towards Puss and understood he was gone. They had done far more than most to prepare for this moment, but though Death would never get a family of his own, his lupine form and accompanying wolfish desires meant he understood all too well why such loss, no matter how much it was expected and sometimes even needed, always resulted in such sorrow.
Kitty got out of the bed. She padded over to Puss's side, and stared at the cold, frail body, grasping a paw that would never again squeeze back. It may have just ended, but the love they shared was something she would cherish for the rest of her final life.
"Thank you for making my previous lives so wonderful, Puss. I will never love another as much as I loved you. But I'll do everything I can to make your last wish come true."
Kitty gave Puss's forehead one final, gentle, lick. She folded his limp paws over his chest. She folded his favorite blanket over his body, both of them having agreed some time before that it would serve as his burial shroud. She had to pause repeatedly to give vent to her grief. She didn't try to hide her sorrow, and Death the wolf found he liked her better for it. But the living must go on. So she finished tidying up, gave one last look to the shrouded body on their bed, and unlocked the door.
6 notes
·
View notes
“Where are you going?” My brother, Woogie, asks as he comes home from work. His colleagues and him had gone out to have a drink after a long day and he had just gotten home. I was pretty dressed up for a night in, especially since it was getting late into the evening.
“Umm…” I follow him to the kitchen where he thanks me for making dinner for him and begins to dig in.
I grab my phone and keys and put them in my bag before glancing up at him.
“So I have to tell you something and you have to promise me you will NOT freak out.” I speak slowly as if that will make this better.
“Just spit it out.” He snorts. He probably thought it was something stupid like I got period blood on the sofa again.
“There's this guy and-” before I could say anything else Jay, one of my brother’s coworkers, interrupts me. My eyes widen as I suddenly jump and back away from the kitchen entrance.
“The fuc-” Another coworker, Harry, who had tagged along, quickly covers Jay’s mouth and smiles nervously.
I should’ve known. These guys always come over with Woogie. I had known them for the longest time, and if this was any other day, I wouldn’t have a problem with their visit. Today just wasn’t good timing.
“We’ve been talking for a long time and I really like him bro. He’s so sweet, and I know you’d like him too!” I quickly say before anyone else could interrupt me. I look at him with my Puss In Boots eyes as I await a response.
“The fuck-” Jay curses again but Harry once again covers his mouth.
I hear an engine coming from the distance and immediately recognize it. My heart skips a beat and I glance up at my brother.
“He's here.” I reveal as I look at the street from the kitchen window. His car pulls up a few seconds later.
I look over at Woogie with questioning eyes waiting for him to say something, anything. He stands from his seat, this whole time he had remained silent and I could feel sweat building on my forehead. He silently exits the house and I quickly follow behind him. Jay and Harry follow closely as well.
He looks over at the car and puts up two fingers before rolling them towards him In a “come here” manner.
The guy who was here to pick me up immediately steps out of his car and runs up our driveway.
“H-hello,” He bows down to show respect.
He walks over to my side when Jay puts out a foot to trip him.
Harry helps him stay steady and smacks Jay uptop his head.
Jay shrugs his shoulders and childishly sticks his tongue out directed to the back of my date's head.
I smile at the interaction. Jay was so silly.
“Woogie, meet my date, Woojae.”
Before he could respond, Haon comes walking over from Minsiks house.
Haon and Minsik were my next door neighbors. We were all pretty close since we had no one else to hang out with growing up. They knew Woojae and were waiting for us to reveal the news to my brother.
He was just passing to his house when he noticed Woojae’s car. He looks from the car to us back to the car over and over again.
He randomly runs back to Minsiks house and yells.
“They finally did it!” Out of nowhere, Minsik comes running out and also notices the car.
He looks over at us and gives us a thumbs up.
They walk over to us and immediately back us up.
“Dude! Woodie here is a good guy. He's been staying single as a Pringle just for ya daughter, you know?” Minsik starts as he hooks his arm around my brother.
I groan and pull him off.
“Not helping.” I growl at him and he immediately cowers away like a sad puppy.
They stand at the sidelines next to Jay and Harry. I see and hear all four of them asking questions to get caught up on the situation. I ignore it and continue looking at my brother.
“Why do you like my sister?” My brother finally speaks after what feels like years.
“The fuck that's the only thing you gonna ask. Let me at him bruh.” Jay threatens as he throws air punches while Harry holds him back.
“I've been training with Zombie. You better catch these hands mother-” This time it was haon who cut him off and mumbled something about 'if you're angry just take a moment and look at yourself, the person you see is not you…”
I roll my eyes and focus back on My date and brother’s interaction.
“Why do you like drinking?” Woojae asks my brother. I look at him bewildered.
This better be good.
I could tell my brother was thinking the same thing.
“It tastes good.” My brother comments with a smirk. He knew where Woojae was going with his answer so he was probably expecting Woojae to say.
“Well your daughter tastes good.”
Or something like that.
“Exactly. Everybody has different taste buds. For example, my mother hates beer but my father loves it. Taste buds are different in everybody's mouth. Your sister likes spinach and I hate it. Taste buds are like feelings. Everyone has different feelings for different people. You might see Minsik as a nice next door neighbor but I see him as guy who loves to party. I like her because she tastes good to my taste buds.” Woojae finishes.
I stared at him with tears in my eyes before I hug him. I could see Jay tearing up as he curls up next to Harry.
Woogie was still emotionless as always.
“Okay. No later than 9pm.” He quickly replies before he sits back down, this time on a chair we had outside on the porch, and takes a deep breath.
I look at Woojae and hold my hand out to him. I already know I had an embarrassingly bright grin on my face. He gladly takes it and leads me down to his car.
“After you, milady.” He coos sweetly as he opens the door for me.
“Why thank you, mister.” I reply as I get in and make myself comfortable.
“Where did you learn that?” I ask him as I stare at him with hearts in my eyes. We were on our way to the movies already.
“What?” He questions with a giggle. He was getting shy.
How cute.
“That amazing way with words.” I flirt exaggeratedly as I continue to stare at him dreamily.
“From you. You're my muse.” He responds but then shys away and cringes.
“Ahh” he screams like a little girl.
I burst out laughing but my heart skips a beat nevertheless.
“Ah! My heart is beating too fast!” I tease as I hold my heart.
He screams again and makes the final turn to enter the parking lot.
“I like that.” I continue with a smile.
“What? The movie theater?” He asks as he focuses on parking perfectly.
“No. I like that corny mouth of yours.” I purr as I send him a wink.
“Oh baby. This mouth can be more than just corny.” He winks back, but he can’t hold his face for more than three seconds before screaming and cowering away.
“You know what my mouth could be?” I challenge him as I lean closer to him.
“What?” He glanced at me suspiciously.
“Yours.” I whisper in his ear. I back away to catch his reaction and witness a horrified look cross his face.
“Baby, I wasn't ready.” He quickly says while shaking his head.
I giggle and another beat skips in my chest.
He quickly gets out and opens the door for me.
I exit and immediately intertwine our hands and swing them back and forth as we walk into the theater.
“I can't believe we didn't go on a single date these past few weeks.” I make conversation as we wait in line.
“Me neither. You know how long I've been wanting to hold your hand?” He cheeses as he holds our hands up.
“Mmm… a few weeks?” I tease him. I laugh at his eye roll that follows and lean into him.
“Finally.” I snuggle into his arm and freely breath in his cologne.
We pay for our tickets and snacks and sit in our spots.
Before the movie starts we talk about what had happened earlier.
“For a second I thought your brother was going to throw me into a trash can.” He explains his worries as he digs his hand into the popcorn bowl.
“What? My brother isn't that mean.” I laugh quietly as I recall the events from earlier that day.
“If anything you should be grateful Harry was there to stop Jay from jumping you.” I retaliate as I laugh out loud.
I visibly see woodie shiver as he remembers Jay's words and actions.
“Does he really train with Zombie?” He quizzes with fear in his eyes.
“Yes.” I reply teasingly. His eyes grow before he looks away in fright.
“Don't worry! I won't let him.” I quickly reassure him as I squeeze his cheeks.
He groans and gets another fistful of popcorn.
“Stop it or else you'll finish all of it before the movie even starts and I am not sharing my nachos boi.” I nag him as I smack some popcorn out of his hand and back into the bin.
He squeals and reaches for it again before fitting it all in his mouth.
I burst out laughing, earning a few daggers and a “shhhh” from somewhere.
We giggle quietly and wait for the movie to begin.
Throughout the movie, we held hands, and leaned on each other. The date was even better than I imagined.
“You want to go eat? It's 8:30… oh wait, gotta be back by 9.” He finished with a sigh.
“We can get McDonald's and then eat at my house.” I suggest.
“What if everyone's still there?” He worriedly questions as he looks at me doubtfully.
“Well everyone already knows how much we're seriously about each other, so I don't think It's a big deal.” I respond with a shrug.
He thinks about it for a while before nodding.
We pass through the l McDonald's drive thru and get our food before heading home.
When we get there, haon and minsik, are gone. Jay, Woogie, and Harry are the only ones still outside just sitting around and talking. Thankfully they aren’t consuming alcohol, that would’ve been both hilarious and disastrous.
“Here goes nothing.” Woodie whispers as he opens his car door. He runs over to my side and opens my door as well.
“Thank you, sir.” I playfully curtsy after stepping out.
“You hired your own valet boy?” Haon jokingly asks as he comes walking down the road with a basketball in his hand.
There is a group of guys behind him. They call themselves Kiff clan or something like that.
“Haha very funny.” Woojae replies with a stoic expression.
I pinch his cheek to break his angry expression and sling my arm around his neck.
“No, even better, I got a date.” I counter as I squeeze him to me. He giggles and pushes me away only to give up and squeeze me just as tightly.
“Eww. Let's go Kiff We GOt a SWaG.” Haon exclaims as all his buddies follow him into his house.
“Okay now let's go eat. I'm starving.” Woojae Says as he rubs his tummy . I could feel his cheek moving because we were right next to each other, cheek to cheek.
We separate and grab the bags out of the backseat as well as the drinks.
“Hi brother.” I greet as I lead the way up the stairs with Woodie behind me.
Before he could ask what Woodie was doing back here, I hold up a bag of food.
“Who's hungry?” His eyes immediately light up and he snatches the bag away.
“I brought some for everybody, even you Jay.” I tempt evilly.
“B-b-but my diet.” He cries. He literally looks like he is about to die.
I shrug my shoulders and wink at him.
I place four drinks down and realize I have an extra one.
“Minsik was gonna come back for a shirt he left over here or something like that. Not sure what he said, just give it to him.” Woogie comments as he pulls the drink down and places it on the table.
I nod and walk inside with Woodie.
We walk to the kitchen and dig in.
“Yo if this big Mac was a person, I'd leave your ass.” I joke as I take another bite.
I feel a balled up napkin hit my forehead but ignore it.
“Oh yeah? If pizza was a girl I'd leave your ass too.” He turns away with his arms crossed.
I choke from laughter. Once I recover, I get up and give him a back hug, because his back was still to me.
“I'm sorry.” I apologize as I pry his arms away from each other.
“No, you're not.” He childishly replies.
I sigh.
“You're right.”
He looks at me with a bewildered look on his face and pushes me away.
I laugh and sit back down.
We finish our food with me trying to get him to talk to me and him continuously ignoring me.
“Wanna play Mario Kart?” I question as we throw our trash away.
His face immediately brightens.
“Is that even a question?” He asks as he runs to the living room.
I follow him with a chuckle and set the game console up.
We begin with small bets of 5 dollars but it soon increases to dares like “I dare you to go on the roof and throw something on Jay.” Which we end up not doing because we are too scared.
“This is the last game okay? You have work early tomorrow.” I state as I hit the play again button.
After an intense race I win.
“Okay whats the last dare?” He asks as he looks over at me with pleading eyes.
“I dare you… to…” I meet his eyes and wiggle my eyebrows before continuing. I crawl closer to him and sit down.
“Make my lips yours.” I finish as I look up at him.
He sends a small grin.
“Now that, I can do.” He whispers as he leans closer.
Our lips meet and I swear I hear fireworks go off in the distance.
We kiss until we can’t breathe anymore.
When we finally pull away we look into each other's eyes and smile.
I give him another peck and he does the same. We keep doing that until he engages me into another long kiss.
Finally we pull away, for real this time, from each other and he gathers his things.
“Thank you for today.” I tell him as I smile. He looks down at me with a smile too.
“I'll see you later babe.” He tells me sweetly.
We open the door and see Jay passed out on Minsiks lap. Minsik is just surfing through social media completely unbothered.
My brother and Harry were busy talking about work.
They look up when they hear the door open.
“Thank you for letting me take your sister out tonight. I promise I will protect her.” He smiles politely as he bows his head.
“Yeah. Thanks for the food I guess.” My brother gives in awkwardly as he gives Woodie's shoulder a pat.
Jay wakes up as if he senses my date’s departure.
“You!” He points at woodie.
Woodies eyes widen and he freezes in place.
“M-me?” He asks as he points at himself.
“Yes, you! How did you know I liked chicken nuggets? Come here bro!” He grins, to everybody's surprise. He pulls woodie to him and shakes his hand.
Woojae gives a nervous smile and reciprocates the handshake.
“See you man.” Minsik says as he also shakes Woojae hand.
It seems like Jay just barely notices him.
“What the- Minsik? Da fuq? Why am I sitting on your lap? You pervert!” Jay yells. He tilts the chair they are sitting on and Minsik falls with it.
I sigh and a few chuckles escape.
“Sorry.” I apologize to him. He shrugs.
“I'm used to it.” He replies as he rubs his arm.
I walk woojae down to his car and we sadly say our goodbyes.
“Text me when you get home.” I demand as I begin walking away. Our hands are intertwined but our fingers begin to separate the farther I go.
“Okayyy. Come here.” He whines as he pulls me back. He hugs me and gives me one last peck before we finally let go.
He drives away and I wave to him until I no longer see his car.
I walk back up to the porch and hear minsik comment something.
“What is this? Your first date or your first anniversary?” He asks as he rolls his eyes.
“Youre just jealous because your single.” I retort as I stick my tongue out at him.
“Jay is still single and he's 31.” He points out carelessly.
We laugh at the mentioned man’s hurt face and then run when he gets up from his seat looking like he was going to murder us.
I walk inside after seeing Minsik get spanked by Jay and get ready for bed.
When I get out of the shower I realize I have a message from woojae.
Just got to this house.
He then sends a picture of his house and I laugh.
Whyd you call it this house?
Because my only home is you.
I could already see him squirming around in his bed and screaming into a pillow.
Go to sleep you teenage girl. I can hear your screams all the way over here.
Why you gotta be so rude~ don't you know I'm human too~
Good night woodie.
Okay okay. Good night babe.
————————
Wrote this when I was on something or sleep deprived idk. I had this in my drafts for like 3 years and I’m just cleaning out my drafts and deciding whether things should be posted or deleted. DID NOT PRROFREAD! I’m sorry! I will proofread soon, probably after finals!
Let me know if this type of writing is something you’d like to see again in the future!
———————————
Woodiegochild x oc
Woogie as your brother
Jay as your brother’s overprotective friend
Haon and sikk as your neighbors
———————————
Enjoy!!!
26 notes
·
View notes