Birds of Feather

Chapter 5: Nameless Firebird

"I really appreciate this." You feel a little like a broken record at this point, but you're not sure what else you can say. "I feel like I'm managing to show you all my worst traits like some gallery of flaws."

He chuckles a little, the sound slipping over you soothingly. "You'll have to be far more direct, Miss (Y/N) if you're trying to run me off, yoi."

You feel the rush coil in your stomach a little and laugh nervously. "Ah, haha, yeah I have no qualms about being direct, I promise."

"You sleep at your office often?" He prompts, shifting the conversation as he turns off the main streets and heads toward your place.

"Not enough to have my own apartment key or anything," you answer teasingly. "But often enough the owner brought in breakfast for me this morning."

"It's good to have a boss that looks out for you like that." He muses, and you can see the smirk on his face as you laugh.

"Ah, like one who picks up five drinks on his own to keep his staff happy?" You prompt.

"Vet staff operate on coffee and purring kittens." He assures you.

Oh, to be a purring kitten. You muse to yourself, imagining how you could fit at least six kittens on his shoulders. Eight, if his shoulders weren't so relaxed.

His car pulls into your, thankfully empty, driveway and you step out as he puts the car in park. He doesn't make a move to exit so you duck down and look over at him.

"Come inside." You say, not offering up a choice so much as making a demand. "I'm certain you're enough of a gentleman you'll stay put in the living room while I get cleaned up and changed."

You see his ear go red from your current viewpoint and he smiles. "There's no easy way to argue that, yoi." He says with a smile, pulling the keys free of the ignition and stepping out of the car.

You smile as you lead him up to the front door. "More efficient when there's no room left for argument."

He chuckles at the statement as you open the door. Wooden floors, a more modern design, and not much aside from basic furniture and some sparse decorations. Your home was a little spartan, but you didn't really spend much time at home, so you hadn't seen much of a reason to really dive into it.

It was functional. Functional enough to play host to a dozen people if needed, but any more than that and you'd have to rent extra chairs and maybe consider paper plates.

"Let me start up some coffee before I hop in the shower." You offer, heading to the kitchen. "The TV's single remote controlled, I just have a basic package, but you're welcome to watch something."

"It'll be nice to enjoy the quiet," he assures you. "You don't have to make coffee just for me."

"Mm, well, I'm currently all out of kitten purrs, so this'll have to do." You say with a smile, pulling down a couple of mugs. "Some fresh coffee will be nice after my shower anyway, so it's not just for you."

"In that case, I gladly accept." He chuckles softly, staying at the edge of the kitchen. "It's a nice place you have here."

"Thanks. It was one of the first places built, we had to gut it and rebuild it just before I moved in. Don't compliment the cleanliness of it," you say with a smile. "I pay for a service. Or do compliment it," you add. "They do a great job."

You point to a sky-blue mug. "You can use this one when the coffee's ready. There's sugar, and some creamer in the fridge, but I don't think you'll need them."