Monster (Cartoon Cat x Reader)

Polar Opposites

For the first time since he couldn't remember when, Cartoon Cat was surprised. Sure, he'd felt a shallow interest when someone had done something abnormal while playing his games before, but he'd never been surprised. And yet, as he started at the human girl standing in the corner of her cell, positioned to either run or fight if he got closer, her wide eyes staring defiantly into his own... that's what he felt. Surprised. It was an interesting experience, one he'd essentially forgotten. And it was such a delightful feeling. Suddenly, there was something new at play here.

He was no longer going up against a particularly interesting prey now. No... not prey anymore. A sentient being, rather. Most humans, he'd noticed, were like animals. For all their supposed intelligence, in the face of real danger, they turned only to instinct. Some went insane. They were advanced predators, but they were more like animals than beings to him nonetheless. But not this one. She was different in some vital way. He just didn't know how.

She was still watching him, watching him with the guarded eyes of a hunted animal. But there was again that peculiarly surprising defiance, an independence he didn't fully understand. Many humans were defiant in nature, yes. But in situations where there is nothing one can do to improve their situation, they tended to become compliant. Resentfully compliant at the start. Despairingly compliant after he'd had his fun with them. But she had been deceptively compliant from the beginning. He had watched her when she first came here. He had seen her examine the room, testing the boundaries she'd found herself in. Upon discovering that there was no easy form of escape, she'd accepted his game without complaint. And now...

Cartoon Cat found himself chuckling, then laughing. From his peripheral vision, he could see the girl startle, taken off guard. Had she expected rage at her resistance? Most likely. "You really are more unpredictable than you appear, aren'tcha?" He took a step closer, watching her tense up in amusement. "For a moment, I actually thought you would give up the fight. It seems, that in a once-in-a-blue-moon moment, I misjudged." He laughed again. "I can see that the next few years of your life are going to be very fun for me indeed~"

Her eyes narrowed, her body tensing up more. "That's assuming I'm here for the next few years..." His eyes flashed, his grin widening further.

"You hope to have escaped in that time." Though he kept his tone matter-of-fact, the thought of her being able to escape at all was laughable. With him having total control of this environment, it would take a miracle for her to make it out of here.

"You don't think I can?"

"Of course not." He chuckled. "You won't be getting any reasons why from me, though. I know better than to give away information."

She went quiet, staring at him thoughtfully. "You're being awfully personable for a sadistic monster that doesn't seem to care what happens as long as it amuses you."

Cartoon Cat's grin somehow managed to stretch wider. He was practically looming over the poor thing at the moment, too. "Well, I can't have you dying or getting depressed right away. It's such a shame to break a new toy right after getting it~" he chuckled, watching the girl shudder.

"So, is there a name I can call you?" He paused, watching her for a moment before purring out a simple "Darlin'~?"

You would consider yourself a patient person. On a normal day, talking to normal and even some abnormal people, you were fairly mild-mannered. Quiet, cheerful. Patient. But, as you had learned in your admittedly short time here, stress changes people. Under stress, as you found out, you became decidedly less tolerant of other people's bullcrap. The growing migraine didn't help you feel any kinder towards the grinning creature in front of you. Still... you had to keep your head. Blowing up at him over something as simple as a nickname might just be what got you killed. Or worse... It would get you tortured more.

".......... (y/n)...." You chose to say, not without some hesitation. What reason was there for you to lie? He would find out your name one way or another, and you got the feeling lying to his face would only make him angry. Besides, that little piece of information wouldn't help him much once you got out of here. All you had to do was get past the fence and you were free, while he was still here. It's not like he could leave the house and it's not like he'd pursue you if you did. Right?

"Hmm... (y/n)..." Cartoon Cat hummed. And suddenly, you regretted everything even more than you already did. That twisted quality his voice had was disturbing enough anyway, but at least you were used to hearing it just talking in general. But when he said your name... a fresh wave of fear hit you like a brick wall, forcing the air out of your lungs. What rash courage you'd managed to scrape up this particular evening flew right out the window. Because, in spite of all your injuries and the cold reality you knew you lived in, somehow, you'd been hoping that this was all just a really bad dream. A lucid nightmare you'd wake up from, talk about, maybe even laugh about, before moving on with your life. Hearing your own name spoken by the demon that plagued you, your personal tormentor... things were suddenly a lot more real.

What on Earth had you gotten yourself into?