This is a story that predominantly features the relationship between a man and a catboy. However, given that it's thematically mostly about a gay relationship, it felt more reasonable to put it in the Gay Men category. If you want your stories to be entirely in this world, and entirely about humans, this story aint that.
However, the sci-fi/fantasy elements aren't really a huge driver of the story. There is also violence, as is so often the case in my stories. (You think that's a statement on us?)
All characters are over 18.
An Unexpected Arrival
Jack Valynce didn't really mind quarantining, but he just wished that the government's reasoning made some kind of sense. Had strange creatures from another dimension arrived? Sure.
Could they be carrying weird diseases? Apparently not - not a single one of them had any recognizable illness. So, the reason for quarantining the general population seemed suspect, but of all the things that the government was doing, that was the one Jack wasn't going to complain about.
No, forcing the strange creatures not just to live
amongst
the general population but indeed, in their very homes - that was the thing he would complain about.
If he complained. Which he didn't, because it didn't do anything.
The television talking head yammered on about how the leaders of the "Fae Folk of Dimension 2714-B" had completed formation of their council. Which was great, because now it meant there were multiple governments to screw Jack over.
His screen flashed, and a blue window popped up over the news broadcast. A Mandatory Message had arrived. It started with a typo and got worse from there.
Congratulation citizen! You have been selected as a Cultural Envoy of the Democratic People's Republic of America! You are now, officially, an honored representative of our government, our citizenry, and our way of life.
You have been assigned a Personal Liaison of the Fae Council, the representatives of the citizenry of Dimension 2714-B. This comes with an honorarium, and a substantial boost to your Social Credit!
Remember, your Personal Liaison is new to our world, and as a Cultural Envoy, you represent all of us!
If you feel you've been negatively affected by General Dispersal Order 2, please contact your Social Counsellor!
Have a great day!
Jack really wanted to throw a brick through the screen, but he'd spent a lot of time assembling a monitor that didn't monitor
him
, and also didn't actually read the Mandatory Messages out loud in that ingratiating voice.
He rubbed his face and shook his head. "No man, no fucking way."
This shouldn't have been possible for a lot of reasons, and the fact that it had happened disturbed the hell out of him. He could try to raise an alarm, or he could just leave. Nobody would notice him breaking quarantine with his bag, they'd assume he was delivering something. He headed to his kitchen and pulled open his knife drawer, when he heard a knock on the door.
Well, there went all of those plans, he thought as he slammed the drawer shut.
"Not possible," he muttered and pulled out his phone. Maybe he forgot about a package headed his way.
The image on his door cam was kind of insane. First, it looked like a guy wearing cat ears. Second, he was dressed in hospital scrubs and looked like he'd just escaped an asylum. Not that Jack was dressed much better - quarantine meant soft pants and t-shirts.
Maybe all this fairy nonsense was literally that, and these were metal defectives who couldn't distinguish between the regular world and the inside of a madhouse. Although given the state of the regular world, even Jack found it confusing.
The small guy looked at the door cam more directly. He had large eyes, shaggy brown hair that fell down below his jaw, and brown ears on the top of his head. His features were so delicate that Jack wondered if he was only
assuming
that the government wouldn't send a woman to live with him.
The creature bit his lip and knocked again, while a sense of desperation spread across his features.
Jack sighed and trudged to the door, then opened it.
"Wrong apartment, probably," Jack said.
The fae kin in front of him was just an inch or so over five foot, and Jack was high enough above six foot that the cat ears came to just above his chin. The fae creature's face flushed red.
"I'm sorry sir, this is, this is apartment 617. It is where they told me to go."
The fae spoke in a soft, rather high-pitched voice. It could've been a girl, but Jack really doubted that the system would've screwed up that much. He was a little surprised the fae spoke English, but also didn't care enough to ask about it.
"This is a bad idea," he told the cat guy.
The cat guy looked down, bit his lip, and then looked around the hall.
"Where's your stuff?" Jack asked, noticing the empty hall.
The fae looked down at himself and then shrugged.
Jack sighed and nodded. Of course he's destitute. Well, can't leave him out there like that. "Well, fuck." He stepped aside and gestured to him. "C'mon in."
The catboy quickly darted into the apartment, and ran over to the kitchen table, as he looked around wide-eyed.
Jack furrowed his brow and approached him with a hand to shake. "Jack. Jack Valynce."
The fae turned around and took his hand and licked it, before he hissed.
Jack yanked his hand back and shouted, "What the
fuck
!"
His new roommate recoiled, his already large blue eyes wide with fear. "I am sorry, sir! I was greeting you!"
"Oh," Jack nodded and wiped his hand on his pant leg with a sigh. "I... didn't catch your name, at all."
Hisses, a snap, and more hisses. Jack sighed again. "Okay, out of all that I got, 'Skye' - how's that? You like Skye?"
Skye thought for a moment and nodded with a grin, which showed off his enlarged canines.
"So, let's try this again Skye," Jack said and held out his hand. "You grip my hand."
Skye took the proffered hand.
"And you move up, then down a couple quick times," Jack said before he demonstrated. "That's called a handshake."
Skye nodded and then shimmied and looked uncomfortable. "Thank you, sir." He shook his hips.
"Something the matter there, Skye?"
"My tail is trapped."
