The morning light sneaked into Ava's apartment, warm and golden, brushing against the curtains like a shy visitor.
It was peaceful… until something heavy landed directly on her stomach.
"Ugh Noir!" she groaned, eyes half-open.
The black cat sat proudly on her chest, tail flicking with exaggerated annoyance.
"You're late," he declared.
"For what? My funeral?" Ava muttered, trying to shove him off.
"For breakfast," he said flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.
"Your inability to wake up on time is a direct threat to my survival."
Ava squinted at him. "You have kibbles in your bowl, drama queen."
Noir gave her a look so offended, it could have been from a royal court.
"I told you, those… crunchy atrocities are beneath me. I demand tuna."
Ava sat up, hair a tangled mess. "You demand rent too? Because I'm starting to think you believe this place belongs to you."
Noir smirked yes, actually smirked. "I let you live here out of pity."
Ava's laughter filled the small apartment, light and unguarded. For a moment, the world outside her deadlines, her loneliness, the endless noise of the city faded away.
She poured coffee, still chuckling, while Noir jumped onto the counter, watching her with the steady gaze of someone far too intelligent to be just a cat.
"Hey, you're staring again," she said.
He didn't look away.
"You remind me of someone," he murmured, voice unusually soft.
Ava froze slightly. "Someone like… another cat?"
Noir's eyes flickered. "Something like that."
There was silence for a heartbeat, the kind that stretches just long enough to feel mysterious.
Then
"Anyway!" Noir suddenly leapt toward the bread bag. "What is this monstrosity?"
"That's… toast?"
He sniffed it like a scientist studying a toxic substance. "Humans really do eat the saddest things."
Ava crossed her arms. "Hey, don't insult my breakfast traditions. You're the one who eats literal sand-textured pellets."
"Touché," Noir said simply, tail curling smugly as he sat beside her mug of coffee, soaking in the rising steam like an old philosopher.
Later that morning, Ava left for work black coffee in hand, her head still full of Noir's absurd comments.
At the office, Mina noticed her smile instantly.
"You look suspiciously happy," she said, squinting. "Did you… get a boyfriend or something?"
Ava nearly choked on her coffee. "What? No! Absolutely not."
Mina gasped theatrically. "Then it's the cat, isn't it? You've fallen in love with your feline overlord."
"Please stop," Ava said, facepalming. "You're ridiculous."
"Oh, come on," Mina teased. "You talk about that cat like he's a person!"
Ava's lips twitched. If only you knew, she thought.
By noon, between emails and meetings, Ava found herself doodling tiny cat sketches in the corner of her notebook each one with an exaggerated frown and crossed arms.
Daniel passed by and raised an eyebrow.
"Uh… artistic crisis?"
"Just… stress relief," she said quickly, closing the notebook.
Daniel smiled kindly. "Maybe take a day off soon. You've been pushing too hard."
She nodded, though her thoughts drifted back to the black cat waiting at home the one who complained, argued, and somehow made her laugh more than any human had in years.
That night, when she returned, Noir greeted her at the door with a huff.
"You're late," he said again, as if he'd been counting the minutes.
Ava bent down and scratched his head gently.
"I brought tuna," she said with a grin.
He froze, eyes wide.
"…You did?"
"Yep."
For the first time since they'd met, Noir looked… genuinely surprised. His usual sarcasm vanished for a heartbeat, replaced by something quiet.
Then he turned away dramatically. "Well. It's about time you recognized greatness."
Ava laughed again, softer this time.
In the warmth of her small apartment, the sound of her laughter mingled with Noir's faint purring a strange, almost comforting harmony between a lonely woman and a cursed creature who complained too much.
The soft hum of rain returned that evening, tapping gently on the window as Ava prepared dinner.
Noir sat near the window, watching the droplets slide down the glass like tiny comets. His tail flicked lazily, but his eyes were somewhere far away.
"You look thoughtful," Ava said, stirring her noodles. "Planning world domination again?"
Noir's ears twitched. "If I were, I'd start by replacing every human boss with a competent cat."
"Then my manager would probably be you," she replied.
"I'd run that company better," he said without hesitation. "Meetings would start on time, naps would be mandatory, and tuna would be a universal currency."
Ava laughed, nearly spilling the sauce. "You're unbearable."
"Correction," Noir said. "I'm misunderstood."
Dinner was simple, warm, and comforting. Noir kept stealing pieces of chicken when he thought she wasn't looking. She caught him every time.
"I can see you, you know."
"No, you can't," he said, chewing with fake innocence.
Ava rolled her eyes. "You're impossible."
"And yet, you still feed me," Noir said smugly. "That's devotion."
She sighed, but a small smile curved her lips. "More like poor judgment."
He glanced at her, amused. "You'd miss me if I left."
The words slipped out casually, but they hung in the air for a moment too long. Ava looked down at her plate, pretending not to hear the faint tremor of emotion beneath his teasing tone.
"Maybe," she said softly.
Later, after the dishes were done, Ava curled up on the couch with a blanket. Noir jumped up beside her, settling himself neatly against her legs like it was his personal throne.
She opened a book, but her eyes drifted toward him.
He was still staring out the window. The rain had stopped, leaving behind a quiet, silvery glow from the streetlights.
"Noir?" she whispered.
He didn't answer right away. His eyes reflected the lights outside, almost golden now instead of green. It gave him an otherworldly look.
"Do you ever… miss something?" she asked, not really knowing why. "Something you can't remember, but you feel it?"
Noir's ears twitched. "Yes."
The simplicity of his answer made her heart tighten.
She waited, but he said nothing more. Just sat there, silent, as if the question had stirred something buried deep within him.
When he finally looked at her, there was a softness she hadn't seen before.
"Don't chase memories," he said quietly. "They bite."
Ava tilted her head. "That sounds like experience talking."
He smirked faintly. "Maybe it is."
They stayed like that for a while. Ava's book slipped from her hands as her eyelids grew heavy.
Noir shifted closer, watching her face relax in sleep.
He whispered something then, too soft for her to hear.
It wasn't in English, nor any language she would know. It sounded old, almost ancient, like a name carried by the wind.
His eyes dimmed, and for a moment he looked less like a cat and more like something else someone else caught in a body that didn't belong to him.
Then he lay down beside her, curling his tail neatly over his paws.
"Sleep well, Ava," he murmured. "Maybe this time, you'll dream of the right life."
The next morning began with chaos.
Ava woke up to find Noir sitting right on her face.
"Mmph Noir! Get off!" she shouted, flailing.
He jumped down gracefully, completely unbothered. "You didn't respond to my polite meows."
"There's nothing polite about suffocation," she said, glaring.
"You wouldn't die," he replied calmly. "I weighed the risks."
Ava sighed and sat up, rubbing her eyes. "You're a menace."
"Correction," Noir said again, stretching with dramatic flair. "I'm your life coach."
"My what?"
"You oversleep, you skip breakfast, and you never chase pigeons. I'm here to fix your habits."
"Yeah, well, you can start by fixing your manners," Ava muttered, heading to the kitchen.
As she prepared toast, Noir leapt onto the counter, tail flicking rhythmically.
"You know," he said, "you humans waste so much potential. You could be rulers, hunters, conquerors... yet you spend your days typing on glowing rectangles."
"It's called earning a living," Ava replied, buttering the bread.
"It's called wasting one," he said.
Ava rolled her eyes. "Says the cat who naps 20 hours a day."
"Napping," he said with dignity, "is meditation in its purest form."
Ava couldn't help laughing. "Sure, master philosopher."
At work, things were no less chaotic. Mina was waiting at Ava's desk with a grin far too mischievous for Monday morning.
"So," Mina began, "did your roommate keep you up again?"
Ava blinked. "What?"
"The cat, obviously. I swear, every time I call you, I hear him meowing in the background like he's scolding you."
Ava tried to stay casual. "He's just… talkative."
"Talkative cats," Mina said, shaking her head. "Next thing you know, he'll start texting."
Daniel walked by, overhearing. "If he does, I'd like to see the grammar."
Ava groaned. "You two are impossible."
Mina leaned closer, whispering, "You're too attached, Ava. It's weirdly cute but also mildly concerning."
Ava smiled faintly. "He's… different."
Mina raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
Ava hesitated. The word different didn't even begin to cover it. But before she could answer, her boss, Mr. Han, called for her in his usual strict tone, saving her from explaining.
That night, exhaustion hit hard. Ava collapsed on the couch, half-asleep. Noir jumped up beside her, watching quietly.
"You look like you fought a dragon," he said.
"More like a stack of reports," she mumbled.
"Equally dangerous."
Ava opened one eye. "You're lucky you're cute."
He tilted his head, pretending not to understand. "Lucky? I am cute. That's a fact."
She chuckled softly. "Yeah, yeah…"
Silence followed, comfortable this time. Noir's tail brushed her arm rhythmically, like a heartbeat. The soft hum of the city outside blended with the faint purring beside her.
Then sleep pulled her under.
The dream came again.
She stood in a dimly lit hall made of stone, torches flickering against cold walls. A storm raged outside.
At the far end of the hall was a figure tall, cloaked, eyes like molten gold.
He looked at her as if he knew her name before she even spoke.
"Elias…" she whispered, though she didn't know why.
The figure smiled sadly. "You always remember too late."
A crash of thunder echoed, and the scene shattered like glass.
Ava woke up gasping, her hand clutching her chest. Noir was sitting beside her, eyes glowing faintly in the dark.
"You were dreaming again," he said softly.
She stared at him, heart pounding. "You… know?"
His expression didn't change, but his tail twitched once. "Dreams have power, Ava. They're not just memories. Sometimes, they're warnings."
Her voice trembled. "Who's Elias?"
Noir looked away. "You should sleep."
"I'm not tired."
He glanced at her, eyes unreadable. "You will be."
Then he turned, leapt from the couch, and disappeared into the shadows of the hallway, his faint pawsteps fading like echoes from another time.
Ava sat there for a long time, staring into the dark, wondering why the name still burned in her chest.