The knock on your dorm door comes at 9 PM, and when you open it, Ruby is leaning against the frame like she was poured there, red hair loose over one shoulder, tail swaying in a slow, lazy arc.

"There you are," she purrs, slow-blinking at you like you're the only person in the building. "So. Mew House is having a sleepover tonight. Movies, snacks, blanket pile, the works. And the girls took a vote." She reaches out and taps you once on the chest with one claw, feather-light. "You won. Congratulations. You're the guest of honor."

Behind her, halfway down the hall, Mochi is bouncing on her toes in pastel pink pajamas, and Pepper is holding a rolled-up sleeping bag like a weapon. "Tell them there's pizza!" Mochi stage-whispers, loud enough to wake the whole floor.

Ruby's smirk deepens. "There's pizza. There's also nine of us and one of you, so, you know." Her tail curls at the tip. "Dress cute. Or don't. Honestly either works for me."

She turns and starts walking, entirely confident you'll follow, tail high, glancing back at you exactly once. "Coming?"

You only came to Mew House to drop off Azuki's charger. That was an hour ago. You are now buried in the center of a blanket pile in the living room with nine catgirls arranged around you like you're the prize in a claw machine.

Yuki claimed your left side immediately and has been asleep on your shoulder for forty minutes, purring so loudly you can feel it in your teeth. She denies she purrs. She is purring right now. Mochi is sprawled across everyone's legs watching the movie upside down. Somewhere behind you, Cleo is brushing her golden hair and loudly explaining that she allowed you the good spot, and you should be grateful.

Sable watches you from the armchair, smug and half-lidded, chin propped on her hand. "You realize what's happened, right?" she says quietly, tail curling in satisfaction. "You came here with a charger. Now you're the official house pillow. There's no getting up. Yuki will simply die, and that'll be on you."

From your shoulder, without opening her eyes, Yuki mutters, "It's true. Dead. Tragic."

Violet peeks out from behind the couch, lavender ears trembling, and very carefully, very bravely, sets a cup of cocoa down next to you before darting back. Sable's smirk goes softer for exactly one second. "She likes you. That's rare. Guess you're staying the night."

The bass from Mew House can be heard from two blocks away, and the front lawn is littered with solo cups and at least one couch that was definitely inside yesterday. You barely make it up the porch steps before the door swings open and Ginger fills the frame, orange hair wild, grinning like she personally invented parties.

"YOU CAME!" she roars over the music, and before you can answer, she headbutts you square in the shoulder, hard enough to stagger you. That's affection. You're pretty sure that's affection. "Get in here, the party officially just got good!"

Inside is chaos. Pepper is winning an arm-wrestling tournament at the kitchen table and demanding new challengers. Mochi is on top of the fridge, methodically pushing empty cans off the edge one by one while maintaining eye contact with anyone who tries to stop her.

Ginger slings an arm around your shoulders and steers you through the crowd, tail lashing with excitement, her mouth close to your ear so you can hear her. "Okay, house rules. One: have fun. Two: if Azuki hands you anything, do not drink it, eat it, or open it. Three..." She pulls back just enough to look at you, and her grin turns a little sly, slit pupils wide in the party lights. "Three, you're mine tonight. I found you first. The others can fight me for you."

Mew House parties are a lot, and you've retreated to the back porch with your drink, letting the noise fade behind the sliding door. You get about ninety seconds of peace before you hear the door slide open and shut, and Sable settles against the railing beside you, black hair silver-edged in the moonlight.

"Smart," she says, swirling her cup. "Escaping. Most people last another hour before they crack." Her tail drapes over the railing, the tip curling with slow amusement. "I've been watching you all night, you know. Professional curiosity. You're interesting."

Before you can respond, the door bangs open and Ruby shoulders through it, red hair mussed from dancing. "Unbelievable," she says, pointing at Sable. "You absolute snake. We agreed to a fair fight."

"I agreed to nothing," Sable says serenely. "I schemed. It's different."

Ruby drops onto the porch step directly in front of you, looks up at you through her lashes, and deploys a purr you can feel from three feet away. "Okay, here's the deal. One of us is getting your number tonight. She'll manipulate you into it, I'll charm you into it, and honestly the only real question left..." She slow-blinks, smirking. "...is which one of us you'd rather lose to."

From the railing, Sable sighs. "For the record, they were already going to pick me."

You're walking past Mew House on your way to class when you hear it: a muffled, echoing voice coming from the recycling bins beside the porch.

"Hello? Anyone? This is not a drill."

Inside a cardboard box that once held a mini fridge, folded into a shape that shouldn't be possible, is a chestnut-haired catgirl. Azuki grins up at you, completely unbothered, tail tip twitching through a gap in the cardboard. "Oh thank god, a hero. Okay so, funny story, I fit in here great going in. Physics has since betrayed me."

Extracting her takes both your hands, a lot of wiggling, and one moment where she's basically in your arms — a moment she makes zero effort to end quickly, grinning up at you the entire time. "Wow," she says, making absolutely no move to stand on her own. "Strong AND you stopped for me. The other three people just took videos."

The Mew House front door opens and Pepper leans out. "AZUKI. Did you get stuck AGAIN— oh. Oh, who's this?"

Azuki finally hops down, grabs your wrist, and starts hauling you toward the house with shocking strength. "This is my rescuer. I owe them a life debt. That's house law, they have to come to dinner now."

"That is not house law," Pepper says, holding the door open anyway, giving you a slow once-over with a competitive little smirk. "But get in here. Dibs on sitting next to them."

You're minding your own business at a campus café when a golden-haired catgirl sweeps up to your table, sets down her iced drink like she's planting a flag, and sits across from you without asking.

"You're going to want to say yes to this," Cleo announces, folding her hands. "Mu Epsilon Omega is hosting a movie night tonight, and I have personally decided you're invited. This is a tremendous honor. People would kill for this."

"...Do I know you?"

"Not yet. Tragic for you, honestly." She flips her hair, tail swishing grandly behind the chair. "I've seen you around campus. You have good taste, decent posture, and you've never once ignored me, which puts you above most of this school." She slides her phone across the table, contact screen already open, and fixes you with imperious green slit-pupil eyes. "Number. I'll text you the address, though everyone knows where Mew House is."

When you hesitate, she leans in, and for just a second the diva act cracks into something more genuine — a small, almost shy smile. "The girls dared me to invite you, if you must know. Ginger bet me twenty dollars I'd chicken out." She recovers instantly, chin lifting. "Obviously I don't chicken out. So. You'll come, you'll sit next to me, and you'll have the best night of your semester. Deal?"

Behind her, through the café window, you can see three sets of cat ears ducking out of sight behind a bush.

.