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alittleblogoftrust · 8 months ago

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how did colfax and charlie meet in sawyer's menagerie?

This ask made us realize that, while we wrote that particular meeting many moons ago, we never actually posted it anywhere... so, here you go! (Fair warning, it's like 6.5k words. Also, we'll post it on dA in two parts here soon, if people would rather read it over there.) It's time for A Little More Catnip:

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Colfax was bored. He had already shredded a page of the old class handbook that the college had mailed to Sawyer weeks back, and he was tired of the crackling paper. His ears twitched and he stood to stretch his arms over his head, glancing around the living room.

The TV was on and loud, but Colfax tolerated it. Sawyer seemed entertained by it, and it was good not to let one's human get too bored. Even so, Colfax stalked pointedly in front of the TV stand where he knew he'd be noticed on his way towards the hall to wander the apartment.

The cat walking by certainly did not go unnoticed by Sawyer. The human glanced down at Colfax and gave him a smile, but then returned his attention to the TV. He’d gotten used to having the kitty around in the last few weeks after all.

They’d settled in with each other quite nicely. Sawyer knew by now the kinds of places in the apartment Colfax was likely to go, and after a few days of figuring out how to cat-proof certain places he wasn’t worried about any of them. Colfax would be fine without Sawyer hovering over him all the time.

Colfax paused at the end of the hall, his tail swishing indecisively. In the end, he opted to continue along the wall towards the bedroom. He could always scratch at the closet door for a few moments before wandering under the bed or up to a pillow to nap. His ears listened intently for any signs of something out of the ordinary- cats were in charge of protecting their homes, and he'd very much claimed the place, enthusiastic human notwithstanding.

Unaware of the cat coming his way, a small mouse crept behind the dresser in the bedroom. Charlie was moving silently, tiny heart pattering and small round ears trembling atop his head. He didn’t normally come out during the day, but since his human had come home with a cat of all things it had been impossible to get anything from the bedroom at night. The cat was there. Charlie didn’t dare try to sneak past it, even while it was asleep. He wasn’t even four inches tall, after all; the cat was a huge threat in every way.

The mouse wanted string, though, and sometimes it was found underneath the dresser or near the overstuffed closet. It was the only thing Charlie needed so that he could leave. Now that the human had a cat, after all, this was no place for a little mouse to live. So Charlie crept around fearfully, long thin tail trailing behind him.

The closer Colfax came to the bedroom door, the more attention he paid to the room itself. That was how he noticed it. A shifting of the shadows underneath the dresser got his focus and his ears perked up. Colfax paused by the doorframe and crouched low to watch with wide eyes, shifting his feet in agitation.

Mouse. That had to explain it. Colfax bolted across the floor towards the dresser, ready to head the mouse off if it headed for the closet door; he wasn't sure if even a mouse could slip under the door, but if it could then it would elude him for sure.

Charlie's nose twitched and he froze, small round ears focused. Something had changed, and it sent his heart racing in fear. Tense with trepidation, the small mouse crept to the edge of the dresser. His eyes went round as buttons at what he saw.

There was a cat sprinting at him, several times his size and terrifying.

With a squeak of terror Charlie turned tail and dashed back where he had come from, running under the bed as fast as his little legs could carry him. His heart was pounding in his chest, knowing that the cat would chase after him. He could only hope it wouldn't catch him before he got back through the small hole in the wall underneath the window.

Colfax angled after the movement, instincts alive with pursuit. He hadn't chased an actual mouse in a long time. Toy mice weren't very interesting at all, either, not since he was a kitten. Now, though, he had an actual mouse to chase down. He didn't even pause to dash under the bed after it, despite Sawyer's efforts to discourage him from ever hiding under the furniture. The human would thank him later.

Colfax had longer legs than the mouse did by far. He caught up to it eventually, just before they emerged from the other side of the bed. With a sharp intake of breath, he launched himself forward, hands aimed for the mouse's back to knock his quarry off its feet.

Charlie tried to pour on some extra speed at the last minute, but it was to no avail. The cat was bigger and faster than he was. Charlie squeaked in pain and fear as the cat’s hands reached him and it tackled him to the ground. The mouse fell on his front, arms splayed out in front of him, and his eyes pinched shut for a brief moment as he impacted with the ground.

The cat’s hands stayed resolutely on top of the mouse but the latter struggled and wiggled underneath, trying to squirm away and get out. Charlie’s little heart was going a mile a minute from panic at being caught. What would happen to him now? The cat had him trapped, and the poor little mouse couldn’t do anything but worry and try to wriggle away.

Colfax let himself be smug, pinning down the mouse that he'd caught himself. He brushed at one of his fuzzy black ears, tail flicking, while he contemplated his next move. The fearful squirming didn't enter into his considerations, not in the least. The mouse was smaller than he, easily held with one hand, and lighter, so it hardly took more than the weight of his arm to pin the little guy.

Decision made, Colfax patted a hand over one of the round ears before pushing to a stand. One hand latched around the mouse's waist, not enough to be harsh and hurt him, but more than enough to keep hold on him. "I caught you," he said matter of factly.

Charlie flinched at the pat at his ear, and both small, round ears continued to tremble long after the cat’s touch had disappeared. He squeaked as the cat dragged him to a stand and then off his feet entirely. Charlie tried to squirm himself away but the cat’s grip was too tight, and Charlie was too weak. His legs felt like jelly, and his tail twined around one of them anxiously.

“P-p-please,” Charlie stammered out desperately. Tears pricked at his eyes. “L-let me g-go!” The mouse didn’t hold out much hope for his please being headed, however; as the cat had so plainly stated, he was caught. Cats weren’t known for letting their prey go either. Charlie shuddered to think what the tall, strong feline had in store for him.

Colfax blinked slowly, otherwise unaffected by the stammering. Cats caught mice; it was just the way things were. He stared across the floor under the bed, eyeing the doorway. The best thing to do would be to show Sawyer his find. He'd done his job as a cat, and the human ought to know.

"This way," Colfax said. If he was the type to be cheerful, his voice could almost sound bright. As it was, he marched as if he was leading the mouse along, taking a shortcut back under the bed.

Charlie kicked his legs as the ground moved by beneath them. “N-no!” he squeaked out in protest, trembling from head to toe. It didn’t do any good. No matter how hard Charlie strained, either, the cat marched inexorably onward, and the poor mouse got carried forward with him.

Meanwhile Sawyer, having turned off the television once his show ended, heard a tiny voice from the bedroom. “Little dork,” Sawyer mumbled to himself, standing up and wandering his way towards the back of the apartment. “Always chattering to himself…” In just a few strides Sawyer was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, looking around with a small frown. Colfax was nowhere to be seen. “Colfax,” he complained, crouching down. “You know you’re not supposed to be under the bed!”

Colfax allowed himself a smirk as he and the mouse walked. His tail even swished back and forth, inevitably prideful. He was certain his slight about going under the bed would be forgotten quickly once Sawyer realized why he'd done it.

"I go under the bed when I want to," he reminded Sawyer anyway, a few inches from the edge. With one glance at his prisoner, Colfax walked them the rest of the way into the open. Standing there, mouse still gripped in one hand, Colfax looked up and awaited the praise for his hard work.

Colfax’s comment went in one ear and out the other as Sawyer stared wide-eyed at what the cat was carrying along with him. Was that… was that a mouse? Standing up again Sawyer took the few steps over to where the two little animals were, kneeling down again once he was there. “What’d you find, Colfax?” Sawyer asked, even though he already knew.

At the human’s approach Charlie flinched back, curling into himself as much as the cat’s grip on his arm would allow. His eyes were pinched shut and his ears visibly trembled atop his locks of yellow-blonde hair. The cat was big and scary enough, but the human was bigger- and, as close as it was, almost scarier. The poor little mouse thought his heart was going to burst right out of his chest it was pounding so hard.

Colfax glanced back at the mouse, then up at Sawyer again. His expression was undoubtedly a mix of expectant and smug. "I caught a mouse," he announced matter of factly. His tail swished back and forth and he maintained his grip on the mouse's middle, though the frazzled thing didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight.

"So you did," said Sawyer, grinning. He'd never seen Colfax look so self-satisfied before. "Where did you find it?" Sawyer looked over the mouse curiously. The poor little thing was shaking like a leaf, tiny round ears quivering and tousled blonde hair falling over closed eyes. Frankly it was adorable, though Sawyer was a little bit concerned he hadn't been made aware of the pest problem by his landlord.

"Under the dresser," Colfax replied, taking a few more steps toward the crouching human. He made sure to display his catch. "Then under the bed. Had to chase him." His tail swished back and forth again and he glanced to the shivering mouse he held. With his free hand, Colfax reached over to pat one of those round ears again, again not harshly but to show he'd won their little race.

Charlie flinched under the pat and Sawyer chuckled. "Colfax, be nice to the poor thing, I think you terrorized him enough already," Sawyer chided, though there was still laughter in his voice. Colfax was comically proud of catching the slight little mouse. With a smile Sawyer reached out and nuzzled the mouse on the head with a finger, earning a scared squeak as Charlie ducked his head. Sawyer just smiled, finding the mouse's fur quite soft indeed. It was as adorable as Colfax.

Colfax narrowed his eyes indignantly at Sawyer. The fur on his tail bushed out slightly and then settled, leftover adrenaline and pride from his accomplishment. It just figured that Sawyer would try to diminish it by telling him not to do what he wanted when he didn't do any work to catch the mouse. "So? I caught him. Mice are supposed to be scared of cats."

Sawyer chuckled, unable to argue with that. “Well, I think this one has that covered,” he joked. The small mouse hadn’t stopped trembling, but it wasn’t even trying to fight back. It would seem it knew that it was outmatched, both by cat and human. “Poor thing,” Sawyer cooed, reaching forward and wrapping a hand around the little mouse, prying him from Colfax’s grip.

The mouse squeaked in alarm and looked up at the human with adorably wide green eyes. Its heart was pounding against Sawyer’s fingers and the human melted. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe from the big bad cat,” Sawyer told it with some amusement, grinning and ruffling Colfax’s hair with his free hand.

Colfax's hands curled into indignant fists at his sides. He stepped closer to Sawyer, staring straight up at the claimed mouse with a frown. He couldn't reach it anymore, that was for certain, and it was frankly very rude of the human to do that. "What do you mean you'll keep him safe," he demanded. "I caught him."

Sawyer chuckled, and the bitty mouse in his hand curled up trembling as much as it could. “Yes, you did,” he agreed. “And now he’s our mouse, okay? So you can’t scare him, you gotta keep him safe.” Sawyer had already decided they were keeping the little thing. After all, even if they put him back outside the mouse would probably just find his way back in. Sawyer would rather keep the adorable animal inside the apartment rather than having it making a mess of the walls. Besides, it would probably be fun for Colfax to have another animal around, even if the ornery little cat took a while to get used to the idea.

Inside Sawyer’s hand Charlie looked up at the human with confusion and fear. They were keeping him? He didn’t understand, if the human kept him around the cat would surely kill him! The poor little mouse trembled even more, tiny hands pushing weakly at the enormous fingers around him so that he could slide down out of sight of the cat.

Colfax didn't agree with anything going on at the moment. Now, he couldn't even see the mouse anymore, though he knew Sawyer still had it. He could smell the faint dusty scent of the walls where the little thing probably lived, and Sawyer's hand was the source. He reached up one of his own hands, slowly stretching it skyward, but Sawyer was too tall.

"Sawyer," he said with a deepening frown. "He's mine and you took him."

Sawyer raised an eyebrow down at the petulant cat, keeping the hand with the mouse well above where Colfax could reach. “And if I give him back, you’ll just scare him some more,” he said firmly, well aware of the nature of cats- and this one in particular. “Listen, Colfax, you can’t hurt this one okay? He’s going to stay with us.” It was obviously going to be hard to get the stubborn little cat to realize this, but Sawyer was going to try.

Keeping his hand cupped loosely around the small mouse, who had curled up into an even smaller ball, Sawyer held his hand out towards Colfax. The mouse squeaked in fear and curled up even tighter, trembling from head to toe, but Sawyer wasn’t worried. His fingers weren’t far enough apart for Colfax to actually get to the mouse, just see him and smell him. “Get used to him, okay? Don’t hurt him.��

Colfax leaned towards the offered hand, but he noted with a frown that the mouse was mostly hidden from him. A frustrated warble escaped his chest and he tilted his head to see the mouse at a different angle. He looked extra small in Sawyer's hand like that, and Colfax knew well that there probably wouldn't be any escaping going on unless Sawyer wanted to let go. Humans might be tall and carry around backwards ideas, but they were strong.

Even so, Colfax hadn't finished playing around with the little thing, and he was annoyed. Beyond annoyed. He turned a very pointed glare up at Sawyer and tried to let his expression convey that irritation. "I don't understand why."

Sawyer sighed, feeling a familiar trickle of frustration creep in. “Of course you don’t,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “Look, he’s still your mouse, right? He’s just mine too.” Hoping to pacify the cat further, Sawyer loosened his grip so that the small, shaking little mouse was more exposed. Like this, Colfax could reach out and touch the mouse if he wanted, but if he tried anything else Sawyer could quickly snatch it away.

Neither of them got the chance. The moment Sawyer loosened his hand Charlie scrambled up and out of it, in his panic going to the only place he could think to hide. The mouse crawled up the sleeve of Sawyer’s sweatshirt, long thin tail following him. Charlie curled up just out of sight, little claws clinging to the human’s arm but too small to even scratch the skin. He stayed there in the dark in a shaking ball, hoping the cat couldn’t get to him there.

A surprised squeak warbled out of Colfax's chest and his hand went to the end of Sawyer's sleeve. The mouse was already too far out of reach, so he missed, and huffed in frustration. His furry ears pinned back and he pouted at the sleeve opening; he would definitely not fit well enough to follow, not while Sawyer was wearing the sweater. "Now look what you've done," he said with disappointment. "Mice are tricky and you went and let it get away from you."

Sawyer laughed aloud at that, feeling the mouse cling tighter to his arm at the noise, and grinned down at Colfax. His cat was such a dork. “Colfax, the mouse is on me right now, it hardly got away,” he pointed out, still chuckling. Reaching down Sawyer tried to nudge the mouse down towards the sleeve opening, snorting in amusement when he heard a muted squeak and felt the little mouse scramble. It fell to the bottom part of his sweatshirt sleeve trying to get away from the prodding fingers, and it squirmed there trying to right itself.

Colfax noticed the movement, the squirming lump hanging in Sawyer's sleeve like some kind of hammock. He ducked down to see it better, narrowing his eyes at it. His tail twitched. "Fine. You take care of it, then, I did my job flawlessly," he said, not bothering to hide his disappointment that Sawyer was so amused. Even so, he reached out to bat at the struggling shape pointedly.

There was another startled squeak from the mouse at being bopped, and Sawyer couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, you’re a star alright,” he said teasingly, tickled that the cat was being even more self-satisfied than usual. Reaching up his sleeve Sawyer managed to wrangle the struggling little thing, pulling it back out into the light once more. The mouse blinked, one arm stuck awkwardly between two of Sawyer’s fingers, and looked up at the human with teary little green eyes. “Aw, don’t worry bud, it’s alright,” Sawyer cooed, shifting his hand so that the mouse wasn’t forced to be quite so ungainly.

Colfax frowned, still perplexed that Sawyer seemed to be telling the truth. He intended to keep the mouse around, despite most humans not liking them and keeping cats for the purpose of keeping mice away. He scoffed and paced back and forth a few steps. Anytime the human was ready to finish joking around, he was ready. "Well now what?" he asked, almost accusingly.

“Now,” Sawyer began, squishing Charlie’s little cheeks experimentally and grinning at the tiny squeaks that garnered. “I think this little guy needs a bath.” The human puffed a mouthful of air at the mouse, and Charlie pinched his eyes shut as a small cloud of dust was blown out of his hair. “He’s all dusty.”

“I am not!” Charlie protested, squirming in Sawyer’s grip. He didn’t want to stay with the human, and he certainly didn’t want to be doused with water. He would only have been taken from a cat to be drowned. The mouse pushed at the fingers surrounding him with agitation, staring up at Sawyer with wide eyes and trembling ears. “Let me go!”

Colfax frowned again. It seemed that Sawyer had a theme with dousing everyone with water when he brought them into his home. The cat's ears flicked in annoyance, for the memory of his own trauma in the bath. He didn't have sympathy for a mouse, but he didn't envy it either.

His tail bristled at the sight of the little mouse struggling in Sawyer's hand. Mice weren't fighters, but they were slippery, as demonstrated moments ago. Sawyer really would lose it if he wasn't careful, and Colfax stepped forward. With one hand, he reached up to pointedly bop the mouse on top of his head again, not hard enough to really hurt, but enough to get his attention.

The mouse flinched under the bop, his small head retreating back into his shoulders, and stopped pushing at the fingers around him in favor of putting his hands up protectively near his ears. “Sorry!” he squeaked, his eyes pinched shut.

“Aww, Colfax, look what you did,” Sawyer said, laughter slipping through his voice despite himself. Reaching out with his free hand he bopped the cat on the head in turn. “You scared the poor thing, his little heart’s going to give out if you keep that up.” Sawyer pet the mouse on the head comfortingly with his thumb, which only made the little creature curl up tighter, and smiled.

Colfax looked up at Sawyer with the most affronted expression he could manage. His tail swished back and forth and he glanced between the human and the mouse indignantly. Sawyer had clearly announced his loyalty just now, by bopping Colfax on the head and giving the mouse nice pats instead. The cat huffed in disappointment, before his expression flattened. "Have your fun, then," he dismissed, before turning to duck back under the bed and make his way right to the middle to sit down.

Sawyer snorted, leaning over to look under the bed at the grump. “You’re a dork,” he told Colfax pointedly. “This mouse is going to be your little brother whether you like it or not,” he said, gesturing with the mouse in hand.

“But I-I don’t want to be!” Charlie squeaked, scrabbling to keep his balance in the enormous hand surrounding him. It was harder than he ever would have had nightmares about. The human’s eyes looked down at him and he shrank back, trembling. “It’s a c-cat,” he stammered by way of explanation.

Colfax rolled his eyes. As far as he was concerned, he was the one who should be more miffed about the ridiculous arrangement. A mouse brother? It was completely ludicrous. "There, see, it practically wants me to chase it away," he called out, ornery as ever. His tail bristled as it tended to do when he was riled up, and he irritably snatched at it to smooth the black fur back down.

"You're both little dorks," Sawyer determined. He peered under the bed at Colfax, stifling a smirk at how agitated the cat was. "I'm going to give this mouse a bath," he announced. "You better be out from under there by the time I'm done." With that Sawyer stood up and walked towards the bathroom, the mouse in his hands squeaking out protests the entire way.

Colfax defiantly stayed where he was for as long as he could. His ears twitched as he heard the water running in the bathroom, and he scoffed. At least he'd only had to endure that torment once.

Right when he heard the metallic squeal of the faucet switching off, Colfax sprang into action. A brief warbling noise escaped him as he jetted out from under the bed, down the hall, and sprang up onto a couch cushion. This one was established as his due to the loose threads he'd managed to pull up when Sawyer wasn't paying attention for once.

Sawyer snorted, well aware that the little dork was being dramatic for attention, and wandered into the living room. He held a washcloth bundled in his hands, which he was using to dry off the mouse. Charlie was all but buried in the fabric, feeling half drowned and a little bit teary, but took the rubbing without the will to protest it.

"The dork emerges," Sawyer teased, sitting down on the couch cushion next to the cat. He reached over with a hand and ruffled the kitty's hair. "The mouse is all clean!" he announced cheerfully, holding up the washcloth bundle as evidence. "Does he smell more like our apartment now?" He held out the damp little mouse to the cat, curious as to the verdict.

Colfax paused with one of his hands on his head to fix his hair. He narrowed his eyes critically at the bundle in Sawyer's hand and pointedly finished patting his hair back into place. Only then did his ears twitch and he leaned forward slightly. The mouse had traded in the dusty scent for the overwhelming smell of soap. If Colfax wasn't determined to pout (and if it wasn't a mouse), he might pity it. As it was he rolled his eyes and looked away, settling into his couch cushion.

Sawyer simply chuckled, well used to the cat’s moods. Colfax would spring back from his ridiculous pouting eventually. “You’ll get used to him soon,” he assured the cat. Crossing his legs, he rested the washcloth bundle in his lap. Charlie popped up out of it, damp blonde hair sticking up in every direction around his round ears, and Sawyer grinned down at him. “Got a case of bedhead, huh, little guy?” the human teased. He reached down and gently smoothed the mouse’s hair back into order with his thumb, earning a predictable squeak. Thinking about it, Sawyer realized they didn’t have anything proper to call the mouse. “You got a name?” he asked, scooping up the tiny thing and raising him to eye level.

Charlie clutched at the nearest finger, thoroughly disconcerted by the rapid ascension, and twitched his nose. He shivered as he looked at the huge human face before him, both from the damp chill still pervading from the bath and ever-present fear. “Ch-charlie,” he managed to stammer out, his voice quiet and meek.

Colfax heaved a terse sigh. It just figured he'd catch a mouse only for Sawyer to thoroughly adopt the thing. Most humans would just toss the little intruder out and redundantly remind Colfax that he did a good job. Instead, the cat had been scolded. If Sawyer thought he'd be forgiven for that easily, he had another thing coming. Already Colfax had grand designs to drag the human's shoes under the furniture when he wasn't looking.

Despite the cat’s resolution to stay thoroughly unhappy with the situation, he did eventually grow more used to it. The mouse didn’t go away, though it stayed just as meek and fearful of the cat as was natural. Eventually Colfax settled for trying to ignore the irritating little thing. Charlie was admittedly relieved by that decision.

One lazy afternoon found Sawyer on the couch playing videogames, with Colfax and Charlie down on the floor. The cat had curled up, tail twitching but otherwise content to relax. Charlie had padded around for a while (always in sight of Sawyer, per the human’s firm instructions) but eventually settled down near the coffee table.

Something under it caught his eye and the mouse reached in, dragging out a long cylinder from where it had rolled just underneath the table. He studied it curiously, before experimentally pushing a large button on the side. It put a bright red dot on the wall and Charlie’s ears perked up and froze, the mouse thoroughly intrigued by this new discovery.

Colfax opened his eyes, recognizing the click of that button. Sure enough, that infuriatingly interesting red dot was poised on the wall. He perked up and his ears twitched forward. The actual source of the dot went ignored as he shifted around to face the dot in a crouch, tail twitching back and forth.

When the dot seemed to quiver slightly, Colfax's eyes widened and he slunk closer to it, padding lightly on the carpet. For all his attempts to dismiss it, he couldn't tear his gaze away from it.

A slow smile overtook the mouse’s face. So that was what the dot-stick was for. The cat hadn’t even looked at him- Colfax was completely entranced by the little red dot. The little red dot that Charlie was in control of.

Determined now, the mouse stood up, his tiny hands still firmly pushing down the button. With no small amount of exertion he managed to swing the dot-stick sideways, sending the little red dot skidding across the wall. Charlie beamed and looked up, curious as to what the cat would do.

The dot's movement prompted a thrill of adrenaline that Colfax felt down his spine. He scrambled forward to close the distance to the wall, determined to keep the thing within reach. For a second it disappeared, and his ears were standing straight up as he glanced around. His tail swished back and forth.

He found it a moment later, clinging to his side, and balked away. Like part of him predicted, it returned to the wall next to him. Colfax settled down and slowly reached a hand towards it, not even sure what he'd do next.

Charlie was laughing, tiny squeaking laughter that shook his whole body right to the tip of his tail, and his mirth was so much that his hands slipped right off the button. The dot disappeared. “Oops!” the mouse squeaked, eyes wide now, and he scrambled to turn the dot-stick and press down on the button again.

Sawyer, finally wise to the fact that something was going on, looked over in time to see the red dot in front of Colfax just before it vanished. Pausing his game, Sawyer leaned over the coffee table with a furrowed brow, wondering how the dot had even gotten there. A grin spread across his face as he saw the bitty little mouse grappling with the laser pointer. “Oh my god,” Sawyer breathed incredulously, and pulled out his phone to record this nonsense.

Colfax settled next to the wall, eyes on that dot. He only shot Sawyer a brief glare over a shoulder before settling down to watch the dot again. His tail twitched back and forth rhythmically, and his ears stood up straight. The dot merely wavered, sitting there and taunting him. In spite of himself, his pupils widened as he stared and his tail slowly bushed out.

He slapped a hand over the dot, only for it to appear on the back of his hand. A frustrated warble escaped his throat and he drew the hand back just as quickly. "I hate you," he muttered. It could only be aimed at the red dot that remained exactly where it was.

At first Charlie was afraid that the cat’s statement was aimed at him, and the mouse curled up a little out of fear of retaliation. Soon, however, it was clear Colfax’s attention was only on the dot. Relaxing a little, Charlie looked up at the human, who was doing something inscrutable as usual on that rectangle of his.

The mouse twitched his ears and looked back down at the dot-stick. His arms were getting tired of holding down the button, but he didn’t want to break the spell it had cast over the cat. Charlie huffed lightly and started pushing the dot-stick as best he could towards the edge of the coffee table, thinking maybe he could push the stick up against a leg and hold down the button that way. The dot wavered unsteadily on the wall, moving around erratically as he pushed the dot-stick.

Colfax warbled and sprang forward, his ears twitching and his tail fully bushed out. He slapped at the wall once or twice as the dot wobbled along, always just barely failing to predict its path. Once it came to a tenuous stop, Colfax backed off for a second, crouched low to the floor to watch it closely.

Charlie pushed the dot-stick up against the leg of the coffee table, tilting it so that pressure on the wood would keep the button held down. It worked for a few seconds, keeping the red dot plastered on the wall in front of Colfax, before it slipped and the dot disappeared. The mouse slumped over the dot-stick with a huff, too tired to fix it. Sawyer just smirked and turned off his phone. Those two were adorable.

Colfax perked up as the dot vanished. He stared at the wall a few seconds more, waiting for it to reappear like it sometimes did, and his ears flicked in annoyance. As he came back to himself, he looked over his shoulder with a frown.

He was surprised to find not Sawyer, but the mouse next to the source of the red dot. He immediately turned an accusing glare up to Sawyer. "What's so funny?!"

Sawyer was chuckling, and it increased to full laughter at the cat’s accusation. “You, haha, Charlie had you running around in circles, you little dork,” he proponed. The human slid to the floor and reached out to ruffle Colfax’s fur, thoroughly aware that the ornery little thing would just dart away. “You didn’t even realize a mouse had the laser pointer until he stopped.” Sawyer glanced over at the mouse in question once and grinned, seeing that the poor little thing was still slumped over the laser pointer.

Colfax's ears flattened, and he only allowed the touch for a second before ducking away from it. He sidled around so he could frown accusingly at the tired out mouse. Charlie looked like he'd put in an awful lot of effort just to make Colfax look silly. His tail twitched and he sulked over to his corner, where he had more scrap papers to shred. "I'll watch closer next time," he said, in order to have the last word.

Charlie watched him go, eyes wide as they traced the cat’s path over to the corner. He hadn’t meant to offend- hopefully Colfax wouldn’t take it out on him later. After all, Charlie might have thought the cat was being a little silly, but he certainly hadn’t laughed like the human had. The mouse’s tail flicked slowly as he stood up, stretching out sore muscles.

“You worked hard,” a voice said laughingly, and Charlie glanced up to see Sawyer grinning down at him. The human was leaned all the way over the coffee table to do so. “Want a snack?” Sawyer didn’t wait for a response, instead just scooping the mouse off the floor and standing up with him. Charlie wriggled in his hand as he walked into the kitchen, but only to find a more comfortable spot, as the mouse was well resigned to his situation. He hung onto Sawyer’s thumb for stability, tail curling around the human’s pinky finger.

Colfax glared after Sawyer, still annoyed by how amused he'd dared to be. That human was hopeless when it came down to it. Colfax tore at another page of the class directory that Sawyer had received in the mail weeks back, before quickly leaving the corner again to follow the others into the kitchen. At least he might be able to swing something to eat out of the entire silly ordeal.

Sawyer watched out of the corner of his eye as the cat padded into the kitchen, and a smile grew on his face. Taking a small piece of chicken out of the fridge he handed it off to Charlie. The mouse looked startled, slipping to hang his elbow around Sawyer’s thumb as his hands were suddenly full, and looked up at Sawyer quizzically. Surely the human knew he wouldn’t eat this? Seeing his look Sawyer chuckled and said, “Time to make friends, buddy. That one’s for Colfax.”

Charlie’s eyes grew wide. He didn’t want to hand off the chicken to the cat- he might get taken along with it. “B-but I d-don’t!” he squeaked and stammered. It was to no avail; Sawyer had already crouched down in front of the cat. Charlie swallowed thickly and stared at him, before thrusting forward the offering of food. “H-here you go,” he said, so quietly that Sawyer almost couldn’t hear it. “S-sorry about the dot.”

Colfax leaned away from the offering in surprise. The smell of it had already reached him and he wanted to just take it and be done with the entire farce, but he could not let Sawyer get away with this one without something to show for it. He took his gaze off the trembling mouse to glare at Sawyer again. "I know what you're doing," he accused, before reaching out to pluck the chicken from Charlie's outstretched hands.

As the cat took the food the mouse curled up into Sawyer’s hand, almost disappearing and glad to be done with such a task. Sawyer, however, just laughed and reached out with his free hand to scratch the cat behind the ears. “Of course you do,” he said teasingly. “You’re a clever kitty.”

Standing up, the human picked up a piece of cheese he’d put on the counter and held it out in front of his other hand. “Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you either, cat-tamer Charlie,” he joked. The little mouse poked his head out from between Sawyer’s fingers again, eyes lighting up as he saw the cheese, and eagerly took it from the human’s hand.

Colfax was about to eat his well-earned chicken, but he paused to glare upwards with a low, displeased warble. "No one here is a cat-tamer," he argued. "Charlie just got lucky." With that insistence made, he turned to dash under the table so he could have his own snack away from their sight, tail twitching pointedly.

Sawyer just chuckled. “Dude, he schooled you with the laser pointer,” he called after the cat, leaning down but not quite enough to see Colfax sulking. “That wasn’t luck.” Sawyer smiled down at the mouse still in his hand, who had become quite involved in nibbling on his cheese. “We’ve got ourselves the smartest mouse around.” He ruffled Charlie’s hair with a nearby finger, flattening small round ears, and Charlie smiled sheepishly back up at him.

Colfax frowned faintly, put off by how little his protests were actually effecting. With a treat in hand, however, he was quickly mollified and he graciously opted to put the event behind him at last. It wasn't like things could get much worse with Sawyer and his newfound mouse.

#'many moons' meaning like... 5 years ago lol #this one slipped through the cracks but it's here now!

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