Pepper and Her Boy (And Maybe Someone Else Too)

Pepper took her responsibility as Cat Of The House very seriously.

Her Boy, Conan, as they call him, is her best friend. Inseparable since the day they met actually! Long conversations about anything and everything, jumps of happiness, bitter-filled nights of crying, she’s been through it all with her Boy. 

Pepper remembers when she first came home with him. He was frantic, panicky, his whole body frozen as they stared at each other from opposite ends of the Couch. She couldn’t understand why at the time, but now she knows that her Boy just wanted her to like him. How could she not? With gentle eyes and even gentler hands like his, she could barely hold back just hopping straight into his lap!

In fact, she failed. 

Her Boy let out a sigh of relief as she curled up comfortably. “I have a feeling we’re going to be best friends.” Her Boy scratched under her chin, score! Pepper mewed in agreement and decided, this was now her Favorite Spot.

Pepper also remembers her Boys first Human Companion. She had long, dark brown hair that always tickled Pepper's nose, and always smelled like some flower Pepper could care less about. 

At the time, she seemed fine. Coming over a lot, spending time with her Boy, giving Pepper treats. She made her Boy happy, which ultimately made Pepper happy as well. But as she reminisces about old times with her, they make her spit with rage! 

She had hurt her Boy. She had yelled, and he had begged, which ended in a slammed door and stomps down the driveway. They still echo in her ears. Her Boy should never have to beg to anyone, the hierarchy deems it so! How dare she! Her Boys Human Companion never came back after that, and Pepper guesses she should stop calling her that. 

Her Boy had spent weeks crying through late nights, and Pepper had spent weeks doing the best she could to comfort him. Those were long weeks. 

Pepper can easily look back on when her Boy got a new Human Companion. Months after her Boy was all better, back to his caring, happy self, he came back with someone new. 

Pepper was very hesitant to accept him, still not forgetting about her Boy's old Human Companion, but her Boy seemed happier than ever before! So she decided to give it a try, for his sake. 

“And here is Pepper! Pepper, this is Nick!” Her Boy explained, holding her up to the Stranger's face. Huh, the Nick. Kind eyes and wavy hair. He gasped.

“Hi Pepper! Conan talks about you all the time!” A warm feeling settled in her stomach. Of course he did! They were best friends! As the Nick rubbed behind her ear, all hesitancy vanished. Oh yes, she liked the Nick. The Nick could stay, for now.

She lied. She didn’t like the Nick. The Nick was insufferable! He had taken her Favorite Spot! In her Boys lap! That was Peppers! He also mushed their faces together in a way which Pepper is sure is hurting her Boy, if the sounds he made were any sign, but her Boy had assured her it was okay. 

This was the opposite of Okay.

This was Not Okay. 

The Nick had caused the Not Okay-ness! By taking her Favorite Spot and hurting her Boy!

She hissed and spat then gave the Nick the Silent Treatment. 

The Nick was on thin ice. 

Never mind. Pepper supposes the Nick is on thicker ice for now. Her Boy had talked to her one morning, when the Nick had gone.

“Pepper, baby. I know new people can be scary, but Nick isn’t scary! Quite the opposite actually! He’s like a big fluffy teddy bear. He gives the warmest hugs, and loves to stay close, and he- nevermind.” Pepper scoffed, mentally of course.

“The point is, Pepper, could you try and warm up to him? Please? For me?” Her Boy frowned at her. 

Oh.

Oh no. 

That look? On her Boy's face? Because of her? This can’t be.

Pepper immediately gave a meow of apology and settled in her Favorite Spot. Her Favorite Spot, thank you very much, the Nick! 

No Pepper. You’re trying to like the Nick, get yourself together! 

She fell asleep to the rhythmic pets down her spine for the hundredth time. 

Pepper likes the Nick. Genuinely! Sure he takes her Favorite Spot sometimes, and his voice booms louder than she’s used to, and he mushes his and her Boys face together much too often, and he- okay maybe she only likes him a little bit. 

But the Nick has his pros too! He gives her treats, pets, and doesn’t take any of her other napping spots. He even feeds her when her Boy is busy or sleeping! Win win! 

She’s trying. She really is! And she supposes the Nick isn’t that bad. He gives her attention! Pepper loves attention. It’s high up on her Favorites List, actually. But she’s just not used to having someone else around so much! Even her Boys Not Human Companion Anymore didn’t visit so often.

It was always Pepper and her Boy, her Boy and Pepper. Until it wasn’t. 

It was a normal night at first, if she recalls correctly, Pepper curled up in her Favorite Spot, securely causing an inconvenience as her Boy tried to complete work on his laptop. Just the average night. 

A loud knocking sounded from the door, which came from the Nick, she learned as her Boy opened the door, go figure.

The two greeted each other and mushed faces again. Pepper cringed, then chastised herself. Mushing is normal! Mushing is routine. 

She was determined to start warming up to the Nick again, so Pepper weaved herself between his legs. Another scratch to her chin, yay! Pepper purred in satisfaction. 

They found themselves laying on her Boys bedroom floor, Pepper settled on her Boys back, and the Nick facing upwards to the ceiling. Her Boy played with the Nick’s hair just like he played with her tail. 

She supposed she liked this spot too. Inconvenient for her Boy, and comfortable for her? Perfection. 

Pepper was getting tired as she listened to their low conversation, as if speaking too loud would break the atmosphere, which she supposes it would. 

“My roommate’s moving out, I’m probably going to have to find a new place.” Place. Pepper knew her place, right here, with her Boy. 

“Then move in with me.” 

“...What?” The Nick giggled.

“Move in… with me?” 

“I'd love to.”

The two mushed faces again, more giggling than mushing if she said so herself. Pepper wasn’t sure what this ‘moving in’ meant, but she drifted to sleep before she could think about it any further. 

Before she knew it, the house was filled with New Things. And also always filled with the Nick, he didn’t leave anymore. 

Pepper even remembers their first fight. This memory was bittersweet. Just as she was starting to adjust to the Nick’s constant presence, it hit. She watched as they yelled at each other, and she watched as the Nick stormed off to their room. She watched as her Boy collapsed on the couch, and she watched as he started leaking Sadness Drops. 

It made her see red! The Nick had hurt her Boy! Just like his Not Human Companion Anymore! Her Boy didn’t deserve this! 

But… it also made Pepper sad. That's new. She liked the Nick (but you didn’t hear it from her)! The Nick was nice to her, the Nick was nice to her Boy! 

But if it was the Nick or her Boy, it was, without hesitation, her Boy. After minutes of pondering, Pepper prepared herself to be the best comforter she could be for him, lining up to jump into his lap, when the Nick came running down the stairs and into her Boys arms. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry I yelled, I’m- you don’t deserve that.” The Nick rambled, making those ugly sounds Humans make when they’re sad, slightly muffled. Pepper almost scratched him, almost, then her Boy started running his fingers through the Nick’s hair. Oh. 

“I’m stressed, and I know there’s no excuses, and- oh that sounds like I’m guilt tripping you! No! I don’t mean it like that, just forget I said any of that! I’m just- I’m sorry Conan. You have every right to be mad at me, just… please don’t make me leave.” A long couple of seconds passed, muffled sad noises and steady movements through hair. 

“I could never make you leave, honey. When I fell in love with you, I fell in love with all of you. I forgive you.” Her Boys words seemed to make the Nick sob harder, louder (stop that Pepper). More seconds passed by. 

“You’re so cheesy.”

And with the boys wet giggles, the atmosphere lifted, and Pepper hopped up next to the two of them. Pepper knew that they were going to be okay. They were all going to be okay. 

Pepper’s favorite memory is very special, very dear to her heart. It had been an outside party of some sort, Pepper just calls it the Get Together Day. White cloths and streamers adorned the rows of chairs and tables of food. Many people visited, Pepper made lots of friends! 

Her Boy had been so nervous before he went out, rambling to her about his insecurities. 

“Pepper! I don’t know if I can do this. How many people are out there? Oh, my hair looks like a deflated walnut, what?! What am I even- that doesn’t make sense, okay.” He took a deep breath, Pepper found it amusing. 

“Am I overthinking this, Pepper?” Pepper actually didn’t know the answer, but she knew her Boy did, so she let out a meow. Whenever she answered her Boys questions like this, he would decide on the answer he wanted, himself. 

“You’re right, thanks Pepper.” He gave a satisfying scratch to her chin, visibly relaxing. Works like a charm. A faint call sounded from someone at the doorway, and it was time. 

She had been the Flower Cat, visitors gawking in awe at her totally graceful walk down the aisle, flower crown sitting atop her ears. Yes humans, look at me, being all cute. Again, attention was high up on her Favorites List. 

The Nick had come out after her, all dressed up and very handsome! (You didn’t hear it from her). Pepper saw her Boys jaw drop open. If she could let out a sigh of exasperation, she would. Chop chop! There are treats to be had! 

After a couple minutes of tearful talking, air occasionally filled with laughter, the two were mushing faces. Pepper can proudly say that she didn’t cringe that time. Mushing is normal, mushing is routine.

Her ears perked up when she saw her Boy and the Nick hold each other close.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." How cute.

Needless to say, Pepper got a lot of pets, and a lot of treats that day. 

Pepper remembers a lot of things, it comes with being a cat. She supposes she could tell more, but Pepper likes to keep the middle bits to herself. Also, she forgot to say! Her Favorite Spot had changed, since her (other) Boy seemed to like it so much.

Now, it’s the warm spot between both her Boys when they sleep, nestled comfortably in the middle of whispered affections. She wasn’t mad that she had to give up her old Favorite Spot, this one was so much better anyway.