Cat and Mouse - Drabble Series

Pairing: ShikaNeji

Warning: Shounen ai

Summary: [Drabble Series] Cat!Shika. Mouse!Neji. Is it possible for a cat to love a mouse? And would that mouse love the cat back? [ShikaNeji]

Inspired by: TwentyOne by Mrs. Paper (Chapter 17: Cat)

Disclaimer: Naruto and anything related does not belong to me. Don't sue.

Note: In recent years, I've discovered that my tenses fly every which way and that I don't usually stick to one tense throughout the story. Yup, I've got tense problems. If anyone can help me point out any tense/grammar issues, I'd really appreciate it!

The Mornings

Shikamaru knew the rhythms of each morning by heart.

Mondays, Kurenai would run late to her job downtown and would leave the house in a hurry – sometimes forgetting to eat breakfast or to kiss Asuma goodbye. The dark-haired man would then silently sulk, and it was during these times that Shikamaru knew he really wanted to smoke a cigarette.

Tuesdays, Asuma would burn the eggs and Kurenai would run into the kitchen to the sound of the fire alarm blaring at the top of its artificial lungs. The smell of burnt eggs – scrambled into a dark mush – and toast (yes, he'd manage to burn that too) floated above the kitchen in a dark cloud. Which perfectly matched the look on Kurenai's face. Asume would gulp, and Shikamaru would snake over to rest by his leg.

Wednesdays, the mornings would always be hectic. Most of the time they would both be late to work, and the house was filled with a sort of frenzied hurrying that was rare to see outside of Wednesday mornings. Shikamaru sometimes joined in the darting back and forth –"where's that contract?" "I can't find a pair of matching socks!" – just because he can. That is, if he wasn't too busy bathing in the sun – thoroughly enjoying being the only one in the house who was not in a state of near panic.

Thursdays, things would calm a little. Kurenai would cook, and Shikamaru would be stuffed before breakfast was laid out. Asuma would grumble that the cat ate better than he did, what with all the scraps and bits that Kurenai faithfully fed Shikamaru between bouts of chopping, frying, steaming, baking and overall making of a delicious, well-balanced meal that Asuma could only dream of being able to produce. And probably not even then.

Fridays, the ease into the weekend became obvious. There was no fuss or frenzy, and blueberry pancakes drowned in maple syrup were placed on the table in due time, smelling and looking delicious next to two tall glasses of orange juice. Ties would be tied on properly, and contracts would be filed alphabetically in the brief case. Sometimes Asuma would even have time for a quick game of Shougi with Shikamaru, leftover from last Friday's game. Shikamaru always got an extra treat for being, thus far, undefeated.

Saturdays and Sunday mornings were the best. Neither Asuma nor Kurenai had to work, and this left the early morning silence untouched and unbroken. Sometimes Shikamaru slept until noon, and spent the majority of the leftover time stretched out in the sun. Sometimes he rolled onto his back, other times he lay with his head on his paws and tail swishing lazily. He would listen to Kurenai read to him – mostly Sherlock Holmes, and the occasional Dickens – or he would play Shougi with Asuma. Life was good on the weekends.

And, well, except for one weekend. That was when Kurenai brought home a little grey mouse named Neji. That part wasn't so bad. It took a lot to ruin his weekend mornings; it'd take much more than a mouse.

What was bad was that she wouldn't let him eat it.

And what was troublesome was that after a while, he didn't want to. It was troublesome that for a cat, he no longer associated hamburger with mouse.

Instead, he felt this strange bubbling feeling in his stomach. Like when he had eaten too many fish sticks in a row... except this felt a lot warmer, better.

Cats. He had fallen in love.

This is the prologue/introduction to this drabble series. I've always wanted to have a drabble series! They seem like so much fun to write (and read).

I'm not sure I like the end of this chapter, so maybe I'll change it later.

Please tell me what you think!

-Horologii