Her aggravation was palpable.

She sat snuggled in my arms, her soft golden fur ticking my bare skin each time she shifted to shake a fist at the screen. Her cursing summoned from the kitchen four minutes ago, to view utter bullshit, as she delicately put it. Given seconds to see her scowl, she pushed me into the aging armchair. The leather creaked as she climbed into my lap and leaned into me.

It wasn't designed as a two-person chair, but that had been its selling point.

She liked intimacy, and I didn't mind her weight in my lap.

Her long tail rapidly thumped into my leg twice. It was a sign she wanted attention, and I glanced down to gauge her mood. That was when I noticed the low neckline of her shirt.

Another two thumps brought me back to reality. She never told me how she knew, but she always sensed my gaze. She didn't even have to face me, leaned against me as she was, with her short blond hair tickling my chin.

I waited until the TV caught her full attention once more. Then I kissed the top of her head, right between her two flattened ears.

She squirmed and hissed lightly. I blinked in surprise. If kisses weren't the attention she craved, this must be serious.

I changed my tactics and squeezed her tighter instead, my arms encircling her small waist. This received a loud meow, her way to let me know I was on the right track. With a glance towards the screen, I tried to spot what had annoyed her.

It didn't take long.

The TV was running a let's play of a retro video game that had surged in popularity. In the corner was a red furred wolvian, in a backwards cap and shades, whose character had fallen to his death. Spittle flew from his muzzle as he ranted about how unfair the hitboxes were.

I wasn't sure why; he had fallen into a hole, not died to an enemy. Another shift in my arms, and a soft growl emanated.

This explained the anger. She always hated people making repeated mistakes. This I could deal with.

"What's up, my dearest Cathy?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

She shifted in my lap again and growled as she gave a small wiggle.

"He's being dumb," Cathy lifted a furred hand to point at the TV. "I mean, really, look at him. How do you fail that?"

As instructed, I did. I refocused my gaze on the TV. The human avatar jumped from wall to wall before it plunged to its death into the same pit.

The wolvian went ballistic.

Did that make it his fifth or sixth time dying in that spot? It didn't matter. His reactions made for great TV.

"And him being terrible makes you angry?" I tried not to sound patronizing. I grunted in pain at the elbow I received in my ribs, signaling my failure.

"Yes. Idiot." She huffed, and her tail flicked against me once again.

Another head kiss, this one longer, but it did the trick. Her ears flicked in delight. It was a specific feature of the Catalysia race, that had always intrigued me, from an aesthetic standpoint. However, their sensitivity made swearing under my breath without getting caught far more difficult.

My brain drifted back to our previous conversation, and I continued.

"We have the game. Hell. You've beaten the game. Just... go play it instead? Stream it yourself and show this idiot how to not suck." I twisted enough to dodge the blow. This time, I attacked back. I rolled up the pink T-shirt she wore enough to get my fingers on her stomach. She squirmed, giggling as she playfully thrashed around in my fast, loosening grip.

We lost track of the stream as we continued our play fight. Her cute giggles filled the apartment until our miniature war concluded. She faced me, having turned around during our brief exchange. Nose to nose, she grinned, showing off pointed teeth.

Her feline features were alien but exotically beautiful. Thick whiskers protruded from her face, and without a second thought, I blew on them.

Cathay squinted at me before she buried her head in my shoulder. I forced myself not to laugh as I stroked her hair.

"No answer?" I raised an eyebrow as she purred. The vibrations of it sent ripples through my entire body. Better than a massage, and nowhere near as expensive. Another reason to date a Catalysian.

She mumbled her response as I caressed the back of her neck. "Don't wanna."

"Stream or Play?"

"Both." Her tail poked my cheek. It was soft, and I couldn't help but nuzzle it. Hell, I'd meow at stuff soon at the rate I was picking up on her habits.

"And why's that?"

The answer took a while to come. For a moment I wondered if she had fallen asleep, but no. A moment later, her voice sounded in my ear.

"Comfy." She wriggled, moving enough to make sure I felt it.

"I bet you are, you butt."

I gave a firm pat to the named attraction. It jiggled. Not much, but enough to show she wasn't skin and bone.

"You love my butt. I can tell." She sounded smug, and I couldn't blame her. It was true. I knew how hard she worked to stay in shape.

I sighed as she buried her face back into my neck. Not missing a beat, I returned to running my hand through her hair as I enjoyed the warmth of her breath.

"Calmer?" I could sense her grin, smugness radiating off her in waves.

We stayed there for a while longer. Though eventually, chores forced my hand, and I had to turf her off me. As I wandered into the kitchen, I heard the familiar sound of a fresh stream starting.

The intro hadn't finished when the cursing started.

A soft sigh escaped my lips as the question entered my mind.

Will I finish this time?