The creaking sound of the door and the loud thud as it slammed shut were the only sounds heard when their owners, Mori and Fukuzawa, left the house to go to work. The silence that followed felt strange and heavy, as if it didn’t belong there. After all, the house was never this quiet, not when the two demi-humans who lived there were always arguing and bickering with each other like they were getting paid for it; they fought like cats and dogs, literally.

But this was a special situation. Chuuya stood there, swishing his bushy tail behind him in annoyance, staring at the cat, who was crouched in front of a hole in the wall, peering through the small crack with an intensity that wasn't typical of him. His tail moved slowly behind him and his pupils were dilated, in that way Chuuya recognized perfectly: when a cat was in 'hunter mode,' as Mori called it after another cat attacked him in his work.

Chuuya clicked his tongue and crossed his arms over his chest, leaning forward slightly to try to see what Dazai was looking at. He couldn't deny that he was curious to see him like this; quiet and focused, neither responding nor teasing him as he usually did. It was strange, a little unsettling even, he hadn't seen him like that since he stopped being Mori's pet. Still, he was somewhat grateful for it; Dazai was usually too annoying. However, that didn't change the fact that he wanted to know what the hell had his attention so completely. Dazai didn't usually take an interest in anything other than suicide and annoying any female cat for a double suicide.

Dazai made a sudden movement with his paw, sticking his claw into the hole, like trying to reach something, which made Chuuya take a step back immediately, to get alert, frowning when he saw that the cat had indeed grabbed something, but couldn't pull it out, as if it were too big to fit through the hole in the wall.

"Mackerel, what the hell is that?" he said in an irritated tone, narrowing his eyes. "What do you have in there?"

Dazai didn't answer right away; he remained silent, focused on pulling whatever he'd caught, tightening his grip, refusing to release it.

"Mackerel, is it something alive? Is it a lizard or something?" Chuuya asked again, leaning in a little closer to get a better look. "Fukuzawa told you to leave those things alone. They eat the bugs."

Dazai narrowed his eyes, without taking his gaze off the hole. "No, it's a rodent."

"A rodent? Like, a rat?" Chuuya repeated, with a tone of disgust in his voice. "Are you serious? Drop it, you freak"

Of course, Dazai didn't let it go. Instead, his grip tightened, his claws hooked more firmly as whatever was inside the wall struggled. "I almost have it." he murmured, his voice sounded low and distracted.

"You almost have rabies," Chuuya grimaced and his ears twitching back with his nose wrinkled. "Let it go before it bites you, idiot."

Dazai was still crouched down his body low and tight. One of his shoulders was pushed against the wall. His paw was stuck in the hole with his claws caught on something he wouldn't let go of. Chuuya looked at him for a bit longer feeling both annoyed and curious. He walked closer, trying not to make any noise with his boots that might scare the animal that was inside the hole. Then he crouched down next to Dazai, staying enough away to quickly move back if he needed to. His own tail started to wag behind him, interested.

Chuuya's ears flicked at the noise of something moving inside, his tail swaying more now. "You're going to rip the damn wall open," but he didn't move away. His eyes stayed fixed on Dazai's paw.

Dazai let out a quiet huff, almost annoyed, shifting his weight slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position, which had been uncomfortable from the start. "It's bigger than I thought" his tone carried a hint of irritation.

Chuuya frowned the moment Dazai spoke. "Yeah, no kidding" he scoffed, leaning in a little closer, narrowing his eyes. "At this rate, it's gonna start charging us rent.

Dazai slowly lifted his gaze, turning his head just slightly to look at Chuuya. For a second, his expression went blank before easing into an amused, almost insulting smirk. "Wow. That's the first time you've said something even remotely funny."

There was a brief silence, and then you could practically see a vein starting to pop on Chuuya's forehead, throbbing with concerning intensity. "I am funny!" he snapped, offended.

Dazai smiled, mocking. "Sure, buddy. If that's what makes you sleep at night"

Chuuya was just about to protest, with the complaint about being called 'buddy' already on the tip of his tongue, when a thin rodent tail slipped out of the hole. Dazai went still instantly. His pupils dilated so much that the brown of his eyes was reduced to a barely visible ring around the black, that tail had completely captured his attention in an instant.

"Don't. Even think about it" Chuuya said immediately, recognizing that 'hunting cat' expression again.

Dazai grabbed the tail without much hesitation and tugged lightly, like trying to make the rodent come out. "Don't be shy now, little mouse…"

Chuuya let out a long sigh, rubbing his face. "You're unbelievable AND corny. I bet that thing is terrified, they won't come out just like that, dumbass"