Chapter 13 Angel Nip
Angel Nip
Drew pursed his lips as he looked around his tiny apartment, doing the math in his head. Zach was lounging on the bed, scrolling through a news article on Drew’s phone, and he cocked his head to one side when he noticed the frown. “What’s up?” he asked.
“I’m trying to figure out where there’ll be enough space for Dom and me to study,” he mused.
After the incident with Edward last week, Drew hadn’t been comfortable attending the group study sessions any longer, and Dom had offered to study with him at a different time.
Drew had jumped at the chance and had offered to have Dom over to his place, but as he looked around now, he worried there wouldn’t be enough room.
“The kitchen?” Zach suggested.
“Hmmm, I guess.” His little table did seat two people, but the chances of them fitting their laptops and textbooks on it were slim. “I suppose we can give it a go. If it doesn’t work, I suppose we can move to the bed.”
Zach was up and off the bed in a blink, crowding into Drew’s personal space and literally growling. “No one gets to be on your bed with you but me.”
Drew’s lips quirked as he looked up into Zach’s fierce eyes. “Are most angels this possessive? Doesn’t really feel like it’s an angelic trait,” he teased.
Zach wrapped his arms around Drew and nuzzled against his throat. “You’re forgetting I spent centuries in Hell, sweetness. Some of their bad habits were bound to rub off on me.”
Drew rubbed soothing circles on Zach’s back. “And I get that, but I’m not a possession, Zach. Let me ask you this . . . Do you trust me?”
He nodded, his hair brushing the underside of Drew’s chin tickling. “Of course I do.”
“Then you know I’m not going to do anything with anyone other than you. Besides, you like Dom. He’s a good guy.”
“I know,” Zach said, and it sounded suspiciously like a whine. “I just don’t want him on your bed is all.”
“Fine, I respect that,” Drew assured him. “We’ll keep it in the kitchen and if we need more room, I’ll move to the floor.”
“You can always sit on my lap,” Zach offered.
He shook his head. “Other than not exactly solving the space problem, I won’t be able to because you will be in your cat form.”
Zach pulled back and looked incredulously at him. “I beg your pardon?”
“Ah, there are those angelic manners!” he teased. Zach reached around and smacked Drew’s bottom, making him yelp. “Hey!”
“No sassing me, mister,” Zach told him
“You like me sassing you.”
“Fine, I can’t deny that, but that’s totally not the point here. Now, what the hell do you mean?”
Drew rolled his eyes and waved his hands in front of Zach.
“This, all of this, just now! That’s why you’ll be in your cat form!
You can be as possessive as you like as Noodle.
Lay all over me, mark me as yours, glare at Dom all you like—that’s acceptable as a cat but not as my boyfriend. Ergo, you will be a cat.”
Zach pouted, which was both adorable and slightly ridiculous on a grown man, but he didn’t argue. “Fine, but I expect belly rubs.”
Drew leaned up on his tiptoes and pressed a kiss to the tip of Zach’s nose. “You can have all the belly rubs.”
The buzzer was soon ringing, indicating Dom had arrived, and Drew let him in, giving directions to his apartment.
Zach pulled Drew in for one last kiss and then fluidly melted into Noodle.
He leaped up into Drew’s arms and twisted around onto his back, exposing his furry tummy.
“You are so spoiled,” Drew murmured as he stroked Zach softly.
There was a knock on the door and Drew went over and opened it for Dom.
“Hi,” he said, standing aside to let him in.
“Hey,” Dom said, and his eyes went soft when they landed on Zach. “And hello to you, Mr Noodle,” he cooed and joined in with the belly rubs.
Drew could tell Zach was fighting it, but his cat instinct soon took over and he began to purr loudly, making Drew chuckle. You’re such a softie, he said.
Less talking, more petting, Zach instructed.
Drew led Dom across the tiny main room and into the even smaller kitchen, suddenly feeling embarrassed. “Um, sorry. It’s not as nice as your place,” he apologised.
Dom gave him a funny look. “It’s fine, Drew. There’s no need to apologise.” His look then turned serious. “How are you doing?”
Drew shrugged. “I’m okay, really. I appreciate you coming round here so I didn’t have to see him.”
Dom shook his head. “I can’t believe he was such a dick!
” He grimaced. “Actually, no, I can totally see him being such a dick, but still. Hitting on someone who’s in a relationship is low.
If it wasn’t for the fact that Gwen and I have been grouped with him for Professor Coultard’s assignment, I’d have booted him from the study group altogether. ”
“It’s okay. I don’t expect everyone else to stop being friends with him because of what he did.”
Dom scowled. “Decent people would. As soon as this assignment is done and dusted, I don’t want anything else to do with him.”
“Has he, uh, said anything about it to you guys?” Drew asked, pretty sure Edward wouldn’t say anything to anyone else about the conclusion he’d drawn, but needing to be sure.
Dom shook his head. “Nah, he’s hardly said boo.
He’s acting really weird, though . . . jumpy at everything.
Like, the other day we were heading to the coffee shop after the session and a woman was walking her dog across campus.
He actually shrieked when he saw it and then made some excuse to leave.
” Dom shrugged. “I think he’s been struggling in class for a while now .
. . finally figured out he can’t just breeze through everything like he did in high school, so maybe he’s finally cracked. ”
“Yeah, maybe,” Drew said, hoping his voice didn’t crack.
“But you’re really okay?” Dom asked again, his voice full of concern. “I can just imagine how forceful he was.” He shuddered.
Drew smiled at him, warm and genuine, lucky to have such a good friend.“Yeah, I am, I swear. Thanks, though. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Or a soda?”
“Coffee would be great, thanks.”
Drew went over and switched on the electric kettle, still cradling Zach in his arms, and then paused. “Crap, it’s only instant. Sorry, is that okay?”
Dom rolled his eyes. “Drew, it’s fine. I drink instant at home as well, okay. Sure, I live in my parents’ apartment, and they give me an allowance, but it’s not massive. The odd coffee from the Starbucks on campus or the Timmy’s on Fifth is the fanciest I get, okay?”
Drew blushed. “Okay, sorry.”
Dom laughed. “If you don’t stop this needless apologising, I’m going to smack you upside the head. Now stop it.”
I knew there was a reason I liked him, Zach said, and he jumped out of Drew’s arms and trotted over to Dom, meowing up at him.
“Oh, you want up?” Dom asked, and then leaned back in the chair to give Zach space to jump onto his lap. “Oh, that reminds me, I bought something for you.”
“For me?” Drew asked, shocked.
Dom laughed again. “No, sorry, no gifts for you. I bought something for Noodle.”
“Awww, that’s so sweet of you,” Drew exclaimed.
I do enjoy gifts, Zach agreed.
Dom searched in his bag and rummaged around until he pulled out a small colourful toy wrapped in plastic. “Do you have scissors?” he asked and took them when Drew handed over a pair.
If he expects me to play with a toy, he is sadly mistaken, Zach said haughtily.
I thought you liked gifts? Drew teased.
I thought it would be food!
Well, aren’t you a fussy boots!
Dom finally got the plastic off, and Zach’s head snapped up. What is that smell? he demanded. It’s divine, and that’s coming from an angel!
“What is it?” Drew asked as Dom held the toy out in front of Zach’s face.
“It’s a catnip toy,” Dom explained. “Cats love them.”
Zach’s whole body was shaking and Drew could tell it was taking every inch of his willpower not to pounce on the toy. Go on, give in, you know you want to.
I. Am. Not. An. Animal. Zach gritted out, shaking so badly now his fluffy bottom was swinging from side to side.
I hate to break it to you, but at this very moment, you are, Drew told him.
I am above these base instincts! Zach continued to protest.
Dom frowned. “What’s the matter, Noodle? You don’t want it?” He shook the toy gently in front of Zach’s face and it must have sent another whiff of the nip over to him.
Fuck, it smells so good! He all but wailed in Drew’s mind, and then he pounced on the toy, batting it out of Dom’s hand and then chasing it across the kitchen.
Drew and Dom got absolutely no studying done as they spent the following fifteen minutes watching a manic brown and white furball dart around the kitchen after the catnip.
Zach no longer spoke in Drew’s mind, either too embarrassed about being ruled by his feline form or too enthralled with the nip.
He appeared to be having fun, though, so Drew didn’t worry too much.
Finally, he began to slow, and Dom stood up and crossed to him, picking him up and depositing him in Drew’s arms. “Looks like it’s finally wearing off.
He’ll just chill now, so we can get some work done. ”
They started studying, but Drew found he was too distracted to concentrate. Zach was flopped over in his lap, staring up at Drew and idly batting Drew’s hoodie with his paw. Out loud he was making quiet, content meows and purrs, but in the silence of Drew’s head, he was rambling on.
Have you ever, like, looked up at the stars and just marvelled at how shiny they are?
Like, they’re little balls of flame in the sky, but if you got close, they wouldn’t be so little anymore, they’d be huge and they’d burn you up, burn you up to a crisp, but don’t you worry, Drew, my Drew, my sweetness, my love, the nasty star isn’t going to burn you up because I’d fight it and I’d win, hands down, a stupid star has got nothing on me, because I love you so much and I’d protect you, keep you safe, because I love you.
Did I mention that? I love you like so much, more than you’ll ever know, more than you love those peppermint mochas.
Who do you think came up with those? Who came up with mocha in the first place?
Why would someone take coffee and decide to ruin it by adding chocolate to it?
I think they were cowards, they clearly didn’t like coffee because coffee was too badass for them so they took the coward’s way out by adding chocolate and then some other maniac decided to go and add peppermint to it.
Like, who does that? I mean, I would, but only because you like them and I love you.
Did I mention that? You’re like, the most perfect person to have ever personed and I’m so lucky that you suck at making chicken noodle soup, otherwise I’d never have met you. Fuck, I love you.
Drew giggled and tried to cover it by coughing so Dom wouldn’t think he was a complete moron for laughing at nothing.
He sank the fingers of one hand into the soft fur of Zach’s tummy and whispered silently in his mind, I love you too.
With happiness overwhelming him, he pulled his textbook toward him and tried to concentrate.