Cloud had never been particularly fond of cats.

Which was fine, because they didn't seem to like him back. His presence may singlehandedly be one of the most effective cat deterrents in the history of the planet. No matter how many cans of fancy cat food or toys he provided, they would all hiss and run away from him.

Except for this one. Though, they weren't really a cat. So, that hardly counted for anything.

Recently, a name began to pop up. He'd heard it in whispers in alleyways topside and openly in the underplate. Black Cat, an apparently untouchable thief. A cat burglar, if you will. Zack had come up with that one and laughed for a solid minute before Cloud's unamused glare got him to shut up.

So what, Cloud had thought to himself. They were just a petty thief, and that was none of his concern. He had been a little too quick to judge on that front, though. He had spotted them robbing a quaint little jewelry store down in the Sector 5 slums. And, well. It was against Avalanche's moral code to steal from residents of the underplate. So, like any responsible hero of the people, he gave chase. That should have been where it ended.

He was supposed to web them to a wall like any other crook and call it a day. What he got instead was the most humbling experience of his vigilante career. Every single one of his webs missed their target by a mile. He almost web-swung right into a wall, twice. He could barely keep up, his physical and mental faculties feeling disjointed in a way that was unnatural. It was like he had been cursed with bad luck.

Maybe it had decided to follow him, because ever since that day, it seemed like they would go out of their way to taunt him. If he was topside, there was a store nearby that they would rob from, purposefully setting off the alarm if he didn't notice them quick enough. If he was busy handling some grunts from Shinra or a couple of outlaws? Well, they were there and watching from the dark. He could feel their eyes on him wherever he went, and it was starting to grate on his nerves.

So, when the first moment an opportunity presented itself, he took it. He hadn't been expecting to see his arch-headache lounging without a care on a rooftop topside. From here, they could see Mako Reactor 3. It was almost a pretty sight, if not for the knowledge of the cost of those very reactors. Cloud wasn't thinking about that now, though.

He wasn't thinking at all. His body moved on its own, shooting out two webs. He was expecting them to miss, as they usually did, but he managed to stick their hand on the HVAC unit they were leaning against. The other web went completely off course, sticking itself to the ground a small distance from their feet. That didn't matter, though. He had them caught, for the first time in how long? He almost didn't believe that he had managed it at all.

The surprised, slightly panicked expression on their face brought him a feeling of smug satisfaction, and he almost wanted to gloat. Almost. He wasn't a prideful type, and it had taken him far too long to catch them for him to have anything to revel in. He'd settle for the usual.

"You're usually faster than that, Kitty." Cloud winced inwardly at his own wording. Kitty, really? Maybe Wedge was rubbing off on him. He'd been spending too much time around that man and his cats, which still hated him. But that was beside the point. He finally had this irritating little thief trapped.