secret morning snuggles (open!)

elliot shuffled around the cafe, casually peaking around and crouching to look under furniture. his tea was sitting on a nearby table, forgotten in his search. it was unusual for the teen to be here so early; normally his shift was after school, when he would come in until the cafe closed to take care of the cats, making sure they had enough food and water, cleaning out litter boxes, taking care of other hygiene things and sometimes even playing with them. today, however, his school had a late start, which meant he could come in a little early to hang out before he had to head to class. his boss was happy to see him, and had asked if he could check in with a few cats before he left for classes. elliot had agreed, but he just couldn't find this one cat...

slipping towards the back of the cafe, elliot stepped out into the courtyard. this was probably one of his favorite places in the cafe; it was just so quiet and calm. scanning the area, elliot spotted the cat he was looking for, but tensed as he noticed and older girl sitting with him. heart rate increasing uncomfortably, the teen wanted to turn around and head back inside, avoiding confrontation. but the thought of having to tell his boss that he wasn't able to check in with all the cats... elliot fidgeted with his hands and took a deep breath. he could do this.

"e-excuse me?" he began, voice high and quiet from anxiety as he approached the woman. he immediately regretted this, but it was too late to back out now. "s-sorry, i, uh, just needed to check in with him i-if you don't mind," he stuttered, weakly gesturing towards the cat in her lap.

satyr

eyes widening in surprise by the older girl's reaction, elliot jumped slightly as the large fluffy cat was dropped into his arms. the cat in question made an annoyed grumbling sound, to which the teen smiled gently and adjusted his hold on him until the feline settled down, tail swishing back and forth in the air. glancing up at her, he hesitated awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands. he remembered what his therapist had told him, about how it would be good for him to interact with customers or co-workers at the cafe. building up the courage to start speaking, he decided to just go for it before he could overthink it and back out.

"y-y'know, i was kind of surprised to see this little guy sitting on your lap so happily," he began, looking down at the cat and giving him little scratches behind the ears. "n-normally he doesn't like being around anyone. i only recently got him to warm up to m-me enough to let me hold him." elliot laughed nervously, glancing up at the girl again, and hoping she didn't catch all of his stutters.

satyr