Neko Shorts - 4. Prompt #364: Slip of the Tongue

Prompt #364: First Line: "That's the last time I'm telling you anything."

A Slip of the Tongue

"That's the last time I'm telling you anything," Harrison snapped as he plopped down on the couch in his brother's study.

His brother, the esteemed Duke of Whitmore, was barely able to breathe as he was laughing so hard. Tears were actually starting to stream down the man's face. Harrison glared at the top of his brother's black-haired scalp as he bent over laughing into his hands.

"I--I--" Damien gasped for breath, "I can't--can't believe you said that. In front of her father, no less!"

"It's not funny," Harrison growled, still flushed with the embarrassment of his mortifying slip of the tongue in front of his future father-in-law.

The young neko at his brother's feet tilted his head, feline ears cocked in curiosity as he looked up at his master. Kayden was frowning at his master's abrupt collapse into hysterics, apparently not understanding what was so funny. Harrison knew Damien was not prone to fits of hilarity, although he had noticed that the man often looked like he was about to break when Kayden was caught playing with something he probably shouldn't be.

Damien was finally beginning to catch his breath again. His hand threaded through the long silky locks of his young lover sitting at his feet. Kayden still seemed to do that--sit on the floor in the presence of others, no matter how often Damien insisted that he didn't need to do that, especially not now. Harrison was beginning to think that the boy liked sitting there where he could perch himself under Damien's hand and encourage the bigger man to pet him. Kayden really did seem to enjoy Damien's firm, gentling touches.

"Geez, Harrison, what did he say?" Damien finally asked, reaching for his glass of bourbon from the table.

"He couldn't say anything! He was laughing like you, you idiot!"

Harrison saw the neko's tail twitch as he eyed his master curiously. Then the boy pierced Harrison with those vivid green eyes, wide with wonder.

"Yes, Kayden?" Harrison narrowed his eyes. "You have something to say?"

In the past, the feline hybrid would have been intimidated by Harrison's tone. But over the past few months, Kayden had come to realize that even if he was a little gruff sometimes, Harrison, nor anyone else in the house, would never hurt him.

Kayden shifted, his gaze briefly dropping toward Harrison's pants before lifting back to his face, tilting his head curiously.

"But..." Kayden glanced down again, frowning. "What is a cock shell?" the neko asked innocently. "It doesn't seem like something you should give Miss Penelope."

Damien choked on his drink as Harrison flushed angrily.

"Cockelshell! The necklace was made from a cockelshell!" Harrison sputtered, causing the poor innocent neko to flinch. "Fuck, leave out one little syllable..."