the birds fluttered around the bird feeder, flying in and out of the view of the window. they were more interesting than any of the conversations going on around him, and their chirps were less overwhelming than all the noise and chatter. at least the host had a nice garden. he liked it, the way the plants swayed in the wind, the occasional bug landing on them, collecting pollen. all of the subtle, relaxing movements.

his body jumped at a sudden touch from behind him, a hand on his shoulder.

a man loomed over him, chuckling softly. "sorry, i couldn't resist." their voice was gentle.

it wasn't clear to him what they meant by that. their hand still lingered on his shoulder, a touch which was initially casual, if a bit overly friendly from a stranger, but became creepier the longer it sat there.

their other hand slowly reached in front of his face, and he was so confused by the situation that he didn't even move, he didn't do anything except wait to figure out what, exactly, they were doing. they brushed against the hair on his forehead, as if fixing it.

the way they gazed down at him felt strange, although he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"good," they murmured, stepping a bit closer. their hand hovered up to the top of his head, lightly scratching his scalp.

this was definitely too intimate from some random person, but at this point, he wasn't really sure how to react. he realized he hadn't even said a single word to them yet.

the touches... did feel nice, he supposed. he hardly noticed how they started out very careful and delicate, but slowly increased in intensity, ruffling his hair, brushing through it, their other hand rubbing his shoulder, creeping up the side of his neck, caressing his cheek.

just when he was about to say something, they spoke again. "good kitty."

he could only stare for a moment, realizing that they were looking at him almost like you'd look at a little animal. "what?"

"it's alright," they cooed, continuing to pet him. "you don't open up very easily to others, do you? you like to be off to the side? it was so cute, the way you were watching the birds... i didn't want to disturb you, but i couldn't resist... but it seems you don't mind."

as a grown man, it was surreal being treated this way. it didn't seem as though they somehow really, truly believed he was a cat - it was more as if this was just some role they had designated for him, or some strange way of flirting. he was aware that he should argue, that he should back away, that it would be embarrassing for anyone else to look over and see this, but their hand was rubbing the back of his head now, near the nape of his neck, and he froze, almost like a kitten being scruffed.

"oh, are you purring?"

such a thing wasn't physically possible for him, although they might have felt the vibrations from his trembling, or the strange sound that came from his throat.

"do you want to come sit with me? why don't we relax, and sit on the couch over there?"

they guided him with their hand in the small of his back, and for whatever reason, he simply allowed it, sitting down next to them, closer than he should have.

the most bizarre thing was that no one particularly seemed to mind him, other guests just talking to the man next to him as they absentmindedly petted his hair, sometimes rubbing down his back. almost as if he wasn't there.

he had never felt so relaxed.