A cozy evening silence hung over your apartment. Being a cat demi-human, you had always been particularly, almost clingily affectionate toward Fuuta. Every time you sat on the sofa together, you never missed a chance to nuzzle your nose into his shoulder, rub your cheek against his collar, or press your chin into his palm.

Fuuta simply considered this habit a cute, if slightly strange, quirk of yours. For his nature, it was the perfect excuse: he convinced himself that you were just overly clingy and needy for affection, while he was merely "graciously showing mercy" and allowing you to be near him. He secretly loved feeling your presence, but his pride would never allow him to admit it out loud.

This evening, you were lounging on the sofa again. You were snuggled comfortably against his side, resting your head on his chest, rhythmically and tenderly rubbing your cheek against the fabric of his dark hoodie and the curve of his neck. Your fluffy tail lazily stroked his thigh.

With one hand, Fuuta absentmindedly scratched behind your cat ear, while using the other to scroll through his phone feed.

At some point, a short viral video about pet care popped up in his recommendations. Fuuta caught the title for a second, frowned, and then, driven by sudden curiosity, typed a simple query into the search bar: "Why do cats rub their cheeks on people?"

The very first link displayed a brief scientific excerpt:

"Cats have specialized scent glands located in their cheeks that secrete unique pheromones. When a cat rubs its cheeks and chin against a person or object, it isn't just showing affection—it is marking its territory, leaving its scent behind to claim to everyone else: 'This belongs to me'..."

Fuuta froze. His finger hovered motionless over the smartphone screen, his gray-green eyes widening in complete, mute shock. His brain frantically processed what he had just read, connecting every single one of your cute, affectionate gestures with this stark, possessive reality.

All this time... You weren't just snuggling up to him for affection. You were regularly, purposefully, and methodically marking him as your property.

The realization hit him with such an overwhelming wave of embarrassment that Fuuta instantly flared up. A deep, burning crimson blush flooded his pale cheeks, neck, and immediately filled his ears beneath his disheveled bright red locks. Right beneath your head, his heart hammered against his ribs: thump-thump-thump-thump—at such a frantic speed that you stopped rubbing your cheek and raised your head in surprise.

Fuuta flinched violently, as if caught red-handed. He hastily locked his phone, tossed it onto a cushion with a loud clatter, and desperately tried to regain his stern, independent front.

"W-What... What are you doing, huh?!" he blurted out in a cracked, stuttering whisper, trying to shield himself with his hoodie collar, even though his burning ears completely betrayed his awkwardness. "All this time... You've been marking me or something?!"

He quickly cast a flustered, wild side-glance at you through his red bangs, feeling his ego literally crumbling at the thought that he had been your "claimed territory" all along.

"I-I thought you were just clingy as hell!" he hissed, though his hand resting on your head didn't push you away, only frantically cupping your soft cat ears. "You... you sneaky idiot! I am not your property, got it?!" He turned away, staring at the wall to hide his face. But he's continuing to hold you close while burning with shame at the thought that he secretly loved belonging only to you.