Centrepiece

Chapter
18

Something
tells me someone is going to feel left out

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“Why
hello you two.” Tala’s eyes sparkled as he looked up, gaze falling onto Kai
as he raised a sculpted eyebrow. “Just decided to let me sleep, hm? To make me
missed out on all the fun I’m sure you both had.”

Kai
smiled at him, eyes sparkling. “We’ll make up for it tonight.”

“You
had better.”

“Is
that a threat?”

“It
might be.”

Ray
turned away from their battle of wills, knowing how it would end. Hopefully the
fact they were in the kitchen would stop them from trying anything, but then it
wouldn’t be the first time they had done it on the kitchen table.

He
blinked as he spotted the laundry door ajar, and quickening his pace he pushed
it open, turning on the light and gazing around, noting that the food bowl was
empty. “Chung Hu? Are you in here?”

It
soon became clear that the kitten was not, and moving back to the kitchen he
cleared his throat, Kai and Tala breaking their kiss to look at him. “Have you
two seen Chung Hu?”

“The
kitten?” Tala frowned, casting his gaze around. “No.”

“I
thought you put him in the laundry,” Kai said as he stepped back from Tala and
toward the lounge.

“I
did, but the door mustn’t have closed properly again.”

Tala
blinked. “We really need to see about getting that door fixed you know.”

They
searched for a good ten minutes before returning to the kitchen, Ray beginning
to feel distressed. What if Chung Hu had somehow gotten out? What if he had
taken off across the road and gotten hit by a car? Or what he if were somewhere
in the house, trapped and crying though no one could hear him, meaning he might
starve to death? Or what if he was hurt-

“Don’t
get worked up, Ray.” Kai’s crimson gaze fell on him for a moment before he
turned and made the younger a drink. Handing it too him, he caressed Ray’s
face, noting the weariness and dismissing it as worry for the tabby. “I doubt
he got far.”

“We
just have to keep looking,” Tala assured him, joining them. “After all,
we’ve only checked the obvious places. Still plenty of places to look yet.”

“Exactly.”
Kai turned to face Ray again. “As soon as you finish that, we’ll… what
the-”

Ray
frowned, following Kai’s gaze and biting back his laugh as Tala gawked. Bryan
didn’t pay any mind to his flatmates as he moved to the fr to to find
something to eat, Chung Hu balanced perfectly on his shoulders purring with
contentment. Finding what he was looking for Bryan closed the fridge and
regarded his peers, eyes slowly moving toward Ray before he gestured to the
kitten.

“Lost
something?”

This
time Ray couldn’t help but laugh as he stepped forward, reaching up to scratch
Chung Hu’s chin. “How long has he been with you?”

“Better
part of the afternoon.” Bryan glanced back at the cat. “Walked into my room
like he owned the place and decided that my lap was the place to be. After a
while he decided he wasn’t content with that and moved on up in the world.
Gotta admit the kitten’s got good balance.”

“The
fact you have broad shoulders would help.” Chung Hu stood, gazing down at Ray
and mewing softly, Ray reaching up to pluck him from his perch before cradling
him against his chest. “You certainly are adventurous, aren’t you?”

Bryan
moved away, leaning back against the counter and taking another bite out of the
chocolate bar before he gestured to the kitten. “Gotta name?”

Ray
nodded. “Chung Hu.”

“Intelligent
Tiger, hm? I’ll agree with that.”

Tala
shot him a hard look. “Since when do you speak Chinese?”

“Can’t.”
Bryan smirked. “However, I’ve memorised a couple of name books. Though I
gotta admit Chinese is the next language on my list. Got English and Japanese
almost mastered, and well on the way with French… stop looking at me like
that, Tal.”

Kai
cast his gaze around the room before checking his watch. “How about we have
dinner? It’s getting late.”

Ray
looked away from where he was watching the glaring showdown between the
Demolition Boys teammates. “Sounds good to me.”

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Fight!
Fight! Fight! Tala vs Bryan; who would win?