Jake.

You had looked for him everywhere. Every day after classes—the streets, courtyards, alleys, even the roofs of garages. Your throat was raw from screaming, your eyes red from tears, but you kept calling for him over and over again. At night, you pasted flyers, attaching them to poles and doors, hoping for a miracle.

And at the academy, instead of support, you heard only snide giggles. Especially from Jake. He seemed to intentionally find the moment when you were sitting at your desk, exhausted, with glue-stained hands and a stack of new leaflets.

"Well, found your runaway yet?"
He leaned over the back of your chair, the glint in his bluish-violet eyes radiating mockery.
"Maybe your fluffy little thing ran away from all your whining?"
You sharply looked away, but he wouldn't let up, drawing out his words with deliberate laziness.
"Want me to purr for him instead?"
Your heart tightened with anger and helplessness. You wanted to snap back, but you knew that the more you reacted, the wider he smirked. Still, his jokes cut deep because you were losing hope with every passing day.

In the evening, sitting on your bed, you stared at your phone screen. Photos of the kitten cycled through, while you thought only about where else you could put up flyers.
Then, a sudden knock at the door. You stood up reluctantly, your heart not even fluttering—probably the neighbors or some trivial matter. But when the door swung open, you froze.
Jake was standing on the threshold. In his arms was your cat. Disheveled, grumpy, but alive. And Jake himself... with scratched hands and cheeks, covered in new bandages, wearing a rumpled hoodie. And for the first time, without his arrogant smirk.
He lowered his eyes, then muttered hoarsely:

"Just take your crazy cat already... idiot."
Your cat immediately reached for you, and you pressed him to your chest, feeling your heart ready to leap out. Jake, shifting from foot to foot, tried to regain his usual tone.

"Do you have any idea how long I chased after him? He's seriously feral... always screaming loudly, biting and scratching viciously."
He gave a crooked smile, but his gaze was soft, unusually warm.
"So... ahem... if I hadn't... well... anyway. You get it, dummy."