Abracadabra pspsps

      A pleasant smell of herbs greets Andrew when he enters Renee’s shop. A quiet chim signals his arrival, startling a black cat lying on the countertop in a patch of sunlight. If looks could kill, Andrew would be dead now, for sure. With each step towards the counter, Andrew sees the cat’s ears flattening more, so he raises his hands in a placating gesture, but it doesn’t help much.       Fortunately, the situation’s saved by Renee’s appearance. She walks in from behind the curtain in her usual flowy dress and her rainbow hair neatly tied back. Her eyes quickly take in the surroundings before she goes to the cat.       “It’s okay, honey,” she soothes. “It’s just Andrew. Remember him?” The cat’s fur flattens under Renee’s petting, though the glare’s still there. Renee’s attention shifts to Andrew. “I’m sorry. He’s still on edge.”       Andrew waves away her apology, and Renee smiles at the action. “It’s good to see you,” says Renee, and something in Andrew’s chest settles. Maybe there’s some magic in the shop itself because every time he comes here, he feels like in a different dimension, where all his worries disappear, leaving only contentment behind.       Something starts wiggling in Andrew’s hoodie, and he hears a quiet meow. It almost brings a smile to his face. He tugs down the material, and a cat’s head pokes out. The cat blinks slowly at him, still sleepy from his nap on the way to the shop. Its orange fur is everywhere inside of the black hoodie, but Andrew had made peace with having cat hair on his clothes a while ago.       The cat looks around and visibly perks up. He wiggles some more and jumps from the hoodie’s inner pocket (yes, Andrew made a cat pocket inside – so what?). The cat lands gracefully on the counter and stretches himself.       “Hi, Neil,” says Renee, waving. She doesn’t reach towards him, having in mind that Neil doesn’t like to be touched (but Andrew’s an exception, which he definitely doesn’t feel smug about).       Neil flicks his tail in acknowledgment, but his eyes are already on the black cat, who hisses at him. It doesn’t deter Neil, and he rubs his head under the other’s cat chin, which the cat allows reluctantly. They both hop off the counter and go on the windowsill, where they curl up together.       Still looking at the cats, Andrew asks, “How’s Jean doing?”       Renee’s smile dimms a little. “He’s still adjusting,” she says. Her eyes glint when she sees Jean playfully biting Neil’s ear and then licking it gently. “But he’s doing better,” she adds, at which Andrew nods. “He helps me around the shop.”       Andrew raises his eyebrows. “Yeah, because his customer service is always exceptional.”       His words make Renee chuckle. “Actually, he’s quite popular with the customers.” There’s a hint of amusement in her tone.       “They must be masochists then,” Andrew comments, this time getting a full laugh from Renee. Something warm settles in his chest at that.       A comfortable silence fills the air between them, born from years of steady companionship. If Andrew strained his ears, he’d hear the cats purring and enjoying the afternoon sunlight. Andrew refuses to acknowledge that seeing them so comfortable warms his heart.       His gaze wanders around the small shop. The walls are cracked in some places, but they mostly are hidden behind rows of shelves anyway. They go from floor to ceiling, and the amount of different jars on them makes the shop feel more narrow than it really is. The jars contain herbs, salves, syrups and even soap – anything you might need to help you recover. Renee is an exceptional herbalist, who supplies medical clinics as well as regular people.       There are only a few people who Andrew trusts, and Renee’s one of them, beside his brother and Neil (but he’d rather die than say it to their faces).       Said brother works just next door, leading a successful clinic, which offers medical help for anyone in need, humans and animals alike. Aaron’s a regular customer at Renee’s shop, buying supplies necessary for aiding him in his work. They both make quite a good team, respecting their fields of expertise and sharing their knowledge with each other.       Renee’s voice brings Andrew back from his thoughts, “What can I get you today?”       “The usual,” he answers.       Renee starts mixing the herbs for his ‘sleepy tea’ (as Nicky called it), her bracelets jingling with her hands’ every move. Andrew doesn’t really know what’s in the mixture besides camomile and some dried fruits for better flavor. The most important thing for him is that the tea’s working, allowing him to sleep through the night undisturbed.       “How’s Neil?” Renee asks suddenly while packing his tea.       “Making my life a living hell,” Andrew says, making Renee chuckle.       “So good, then.” She puts the packet on the counter and busies herself with looking for healing salves Andrew likes. “Do you need some more for Neil?” She gestures towards burn salve Andrew’s been buying for the past weeks.       Unwanted memories rise in his mind – an orange cat, soaked by the rain, with his body marked by nasty burns, looking like it lost a fight with a demon. Then the panic as Andrew rushed to Aaron’s clinic, where the healers fought to keep the cat alive. Later – the overwhelming worry as Andrew was nursing it back to health, and the discovery that the cat was actually a stupidly attractive man with adorable cat ears. And a familiar at that, as if Andrew needed more problems in his life.       Andrew dismisses the thoughts. Neil’s okay now, and that’s what matters. He answers Renee, “We’re good.”       “Can we get mint tea?” A voice behind him asks, and Andrew nearly jumps out of his skin. Fuck, he’s just lost a few years of his life, for sure.       Clutching over his still-racing heart, he says, “Fucking hell.” He glares at the perpetrator. “One day I’ll tie a bell around your neck.”       Neil, the smug bastard, only grins at the threat, which infuriates Andrew further. Maybe he lost his touch because people are supposed to be intimidated by him, dammit.       Andrew sighs, exasperated, and says to Renee , “And mint for this junkie.”       Neil purrs and rubs his head against Andrew’s neck in gratitude. Disgusting.       “Of course.” Andrew sees that Renee really holds herself back from saying anything more, and he’s really thankful for this. The aroma of mint fills the air as she starts weighing the herbs.       “You’ll get addicted.” Another voice joins in, and this time Andrew doesn’t startle, though it’s a near thing. Damn cats.       “Ugh, you sound like Kevin,” says Neil, and Andrew barely contains a snort.       Jean scrunches up his nose, which some people would call adorable, but in Andrew’s opinion it looks ridiculous. “Never compare me to him.” Jean’s black tail swishes from side to side.       Neil sticks out his tongue, and Andrew rolls his eyes. His familiar is really mature, it seems.       Renee starts putting their purchases into a bag, and while Andrew’s counting the coins, she asks, “Any plans for today?”       “A check-up in the clinic.” His hand shoots out and grips Neil’s arm. “Stay,” he says to the familiar.       “But I’m fine.” Great, now Neil is whining.       “I’ll put you in a carrier.” The threat shuts Neil up, though he doesn’t need to know that Andrew wouldn’t actually do it.       When all’s paid for, and Neil’s back inside Andrew’s hoodie, Renee wishes them goodbye. Andrew salutes both her and her familiar and wents out.       The bell above the door chimes as he steps outside and breathes in the fresh air. He braces himself for the next errand. Maybe this time Aaron will be smart enough to get some gloves to protect himself from Neil’s claws.