It was a very cold, very snowy, very boring end to the week, as far as Nouv was concerned.
They’d been stuck inside for most of the day, it seemed – from work, to the bus ride home, to the hours spent at their computer trying to find a way to fill the day… and the cat was growing tired of it.
With a sigh, they flopped completely onto their bed, the few scattered belongings and plushies that covered it going flying – but they didn’t care.
Bwuh!
They were just starting to consider a nap a good use of their time when their phone dinged. The familiar face of Kye stared back, little horns and stuck-out tongue framed by the notification’s icon circle.
“Hey! Just letting you know I’m starting on your comm, by the way? I think you said you wanted a rubber mouse, right?”
O-Oh. Right. The… story, right?
“Yeah!” Nouv sent back, paws a blur.
There was no reply – but they did get a thumbs-up in response. Clearly, the savhara was already writing – and…
Nouv flopped back on their tummy, mind awash in thoughts about mice and rubber. Maybe even a cute little dress? A barcode? Dizzy eyes?
…It was, of course, at that instant that they noticed their shirt was fitting weirdly. Normally, it laid flush – but something beneath it was starting to force it up and outwards, as if they’d put on something underneath?
Curious, the cat sat up, lifting their shirt – and turned as red as a tomato. Sprouting from them was the familiar black and white ruffles of… a maid dress? A rubber maid dress?!
“HUH?”
They jumped to their feet in alarm, trying to tug on it – and only turning more red as it sqrrrked and squished beneath their attempts to remove it, spreading up under their more normal clothing as they stared in shock.
Already, their height had begun to dwindle – fur beginning to mat down here and there into splotches of growing rubber as the cat fumbled for the phone. This had to be related – it had to!
“Kye!!!” Nouv sent, panicked – but it stayed unread. Clearly the critter was too busy! The phone fell from their shaking grasp, and Nouv hopped up, hoping to try and stop this before it was too late.
Their tail, fluffy, ringed, began to stretch before their very eyes – fur falling away as the tail underneath grew more mousey, getting a brand new bright pink bow tied around the very tip as they tried to do anything about it!
Their legs, shortening, rubberizing, began to repaint themselves – gaining the patterns and rough chunky shapes of a pair of heels and long, maid stockings, completely seamless and as much a part of them as their fur was.
“H-Help!”
Already, the distance back up to the bed where their phone was laying was growing – even as they tried to climb, they found that their arms were beginning to lose the strength they had before, but whether that was simply from the whole turning to rubber business or simply because Nouv was stressed out about the aforementioned rubber business wasn’t completely clear. Maybe they’d be able to ask someone else in the house for help?
No. No way. I’m not going out like this!!
Nouv turned even more red as their rubber dress-self finally tore right through their shirt, tattered fabric falling to the floor as the only clothes they’d ever wear again practically pwoofed outwards, gaining a fake “puffy” look as they seemed to inflate into permanent prim and proper position.
Their handpaws, thickening up into chunky rubbermouse paws, began to whiten – and, before their very eyes, their forearms reformed and reshaped themselves into cute little mousey maid gloves. Nouv whined, hoping the rest of the changes would at least go quickly enough as they dwindled past three feet tall, long tail swishing back and forth with a cacophony of tiny squeaks. Surely they were dreaming. This couldn’t be real, could it?
Their phone, high on the bed, dinged.
Nouv’s snout began to change – gaining a new rubber mousey bucktooth, and slightly pinker as Nouv shut their eyes as tight as they could, willing it to stop… and then, all at once, the changes stopped.
Nouv, slowly, opened their eyes one at a time.
The shrinking had stopped. Their face hadn’t changed any further.
Even the little rubber mousey maid headdress was still the same, half-formed and incomplete.
Nouv started to breathe a sigh of relief, until they realized this meant they… were functionally a rubbermouse with a cat’s head.
Grabbing for the sheets, Nouv managed to clamber their way back up to the top of the bed, blushing furiously at each squish and squeak their new body made, until, finally, they reached their enormous phone, unlocking it with great difficulty.
Kye’s message sat there, their face staring back.
“Ugh, I’m sorry, I’ll have to finish this another day. Something came up! Hope you like what I’ve written so far, though!”
Nouv clenched their fists, cheeks burning. “ANOTHER DAY?”