Being nice and territorial are two entirely different things.

Hiori can afford to be nice towards you, it’s something he does out of goodwill and love, since you’re together. But being territorial? It’s an unfamiliar feeling for him, he gets irked by it, an uncomfortable sensation washing over him. He doesn’t like how some other people linger around your presence, some reaching out for you to embrace you as a greeting, and some even kiss your cheek because apparently, some people are accustomed with that type of greeting.

Still, he doesn’t like it.

He grows visibly agitated by this, slender fingers intertwined with yours as he intentionally pulls you back into his side, his smile growing forced and vexed. Those people shouldn’t be too friendly with you.

The muddled look on your face tells him about how you immediately picked up on his uneasiness, but he’s certain that you can’t tell why—deep inside, Hiori finds himself seething and it’s the ugliest feeling ever. It’s green and bubbling, cat ears flattening and tail swishing in a restless manner.

Leaning down, he places his chin on your shoulder as he murmurs. “I wanna go home.”

You nod in acknowledgement but other than that, the conversation with your friends continues. He musters a barely audible sigh, brows furrowing.

Then he makes another attempt. This time, he wraps his arms around you from behind. He feels shameless, this was an embarrassing sight, and it was something he never thought he’d be doing in his entire life. But here he was, doing things out of spite and jealousy.

It must be the cat instincts right? Cats are territorial. And he’s what, half cat—a Nekomimi.

“Wanna go home.” He mumbles, pressing a kiss on your temple. “Can we?”