#I tried to keep it cute dffdhhfd

[chaostheparrot]

To Be A Cat

For @kyeabove​

This thought wouldn’t leave my head for the past week, and I eventually decided to write it rather than draw it. It’s probably a bit OOC but I hope you like it ^^

Henry tested the drawers one at a time, hoping at least one might hold some clues as to what happened to the studio. He’d searched the rest of the department as thoroughly as he could, until finally only Sammy’s office was left. 

Some part of him felt wrong searching through an old friend’s belongings, but he could only put it off for so long until he found himself rummaging through shelves and stacks of old papers. Finally, only the desk was left. And with left, he struck gold: in the upper left drawer he found an audio log. A slip of paper taped over it read “Wally, Matt Cat” in Sammy’s handwriting. He hesitated for just a second before pressing play.

The tape crackled to life, and Wally’s static-y voice came through.

“Hey, Muffin, could you help me and Sammy with something? It won’t take long.”

The reply was too muffled to be make out, but Henry gathered from the pet name it was Matt. On the recording Wally dramatically cleared his throat and continued, taking on the accent of a radio announcer.

“So, all you folks at home wanna know the proper way to hold a cat? Been holdin’ him and carryin’ him around like a baby and now you wanna know if there’s other ways? Well the first thing you gotta know, is you gotta squish that cat! Hold him close to your body and give him a squish. I’ve got my cat with me, you wanna squish him in a hug, not hard enough to hurt him.” His voice dropped in volume for a moment as he and Matt exchanged a quick “I love you”.

“You can pick him up or use a towel, me? I’ve got this coat here, we’re gonna--!” Wally’s voice was cut off by a surprised yelp from Matt.

“--pick him up and squish! That! Cat!”

“You know, if you just wanted a hug you could have just asked--!”

“A’right we’re just gonna set you back down here,” Wally said, back in his normal voice, before switching back to radio announcer. “Another way to pick up your cat!”

“You’re keeping me trapped in your coat I take it?” Matt asked.

“Yes. Now another way is the football carry!”

“What?”

(At this point Henry could make out Sammy’s stifled snickering in the recording.)

“You just scoop up your cat--”

“Wally, wait--”

“--scoop him right up, tuck him nicely under your arm, hold him close to you so he feels safe--”

“Dad, were you in on this?”

At this point Sammy was openly laughing, with a few giggles on and off from Matt and Wally. Henry couldn’t help but laugh with them, picturing Matt wrapped up like a sausage in Wally’s coat and being carried that way through the studio.

“--hand under the butt so he feels supported--”

“Walter Franks!” Matt gasped, scandalized, though Henry could tell from the tone it was feigned.

“--now run away with him!”

“Wally! I’m gonna get you back for this! Both of you!”

The sounds of footsteps and intermingled laughter, presumably Wally running off with his fiance, faded out. Sammy, too, laughed for a few seconds more, and gave a light sigh before the recording clicked off, having reached its end.

Henry himself was coming down from a laughing fit, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he set the audio log back down. He found himself unable to walk away for several minutes after that, sitting down at the desk with a heavy sigh. Eventually, he picked the log back up and carried it with him as he left the Music Department, holding it as if he could hold the three of them right then and there.