The phone rang. 

No one picked it up.

So the feline decided to take matter into his own paws.

" Hello?" The person said on the other line. " Is that you, Mia?"

Blackie cleared his throat and used his squeakiest voice ever. " Who is this?"

" Mia, it's me. Tommy. We chatted the other day." The person on the other line said.

An evil idea came into Blackie's mind. 

" Hey, Tommy!" He said in his squeaky voice. " I have to go take the cake out of the oven. So my parrot will keep you company."

Blackie cleared his throat and used his most parrot voice ever. " Naughty boy, naughty boy."

And with that, he smashed the red button.

The phone clattered onto the counter as Blackie sat smugly on the kitchen table, his tail flicking with satisfaction. "Humans are so gullible," he muttered, licking a paw.

Just then, Mia walked into the room with a confused look on her face. "Blackie, why is the phone off the hook?" She picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. "Tommy? He called?"

Blackie gave her an innocent look, his emerald eyes wide as he stretched out lazily. "Meow?"

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Don't you 'meow' me. What did you do?"

Blackie let out a dramatic sigh and rolled onto his side. "If you must know," he said, his voice dripping with faux innocence, "I merely kept him entertained."

Mia froze. "You talked to him?"

"Of course," Blackie said, grooming his tail. "I even introduced him to your parrot."

Mia blinked, completely lost. "Parrot? I don't have a—oh no." Her eyes widened in realization. "Blackie, what did you say?!"

The smug cat hopped off the table, flicking his tail behind him. "Oh, just a little something about him being a naughty boy. No big deal."

Mia groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Blackie, Tommy isn't my boyfriend!"

Blackie blinked at her. " Oh good. I didn't want him to steal you from Nelson."

Mia grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at him. Blackie dodged effortlessly, landing gracefully on the windowsill. "You're impossible!"

"I'm entertaining," Blackie corrected. "You should thank me. The boy sounded boring."

Mia's phone buzzed in her hand. It was a text from Tommy: Hey, Mia... Just wanted to say your parrot is... uh... something else. Call me back?

Mia groaned again, glaring at her cat. "You're lucky you're cute."

Blackie gave her a Cheshire grin. "And don't you forget it."

Then, Nelson strolled into the room, a carefree grin on his face. He plopped onto the couch with his usual energy, oblivious to the chaos that had just unfolded. "Hiya, Wojira and Blackie. What's up?"

Mia groaned, flopping down next to him. "First off, don't call me Wojira. Second, your favorite cat just impersonated me on the phone with my agent, Tommy."

Nelson blinked, clearly struggling to process the words. "Wait... Tommy? The guy who books your stuff? What did Blackie say?"

Blackie leapt gracefully from the windowsill onto the coffee table, sitting with regal composure. "I merely mentioned that Tommy was a naughty boy. And I might've pretended to be a parrot for dramatic flair."

Nelson's mouth fell open, then he burst out laughing, clutching his sides. "Wait, wait, wait—you pretended to be a parrot? I can't breathe!"

Mia glared at him. "It's not funny! Tommy probably thinks I've lost it! Or worse, that I actually own a parrot."

Nelson wiped a tear from his eye, grinning at Blackie. "You're something else, buddy. I've gotta admit, though, I kinda respect it."

"See?" Blackie said smugly. "Someone here appreciates my artistry."

Mia shook her head. "Nelson, this isn't helping. I need to call Tommy back and explain. Do you have any idea how hard it is to keep things professional when your cat is sabotaging your career?"

Nelson shrugged. "Hey, at least he's looking out for me. He doesn't want me getting replaced."

Mia raised an eyebrow. "Replaced? Nelson, Tommy's my agent, not a romantic interest!"

Nelson feigned relief. "Oh good, because I was ready to take him down if he tried anything."

Blackie snorted—a strange, oddly cat-like chuckle. "Don't worry, Nelson. I already handled it. He'll think twice before calling this house again."

Mia groaned, her head in her hands. "You two are impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Nelson grinned and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Come on, Mia. Life's more fun when it's a little chaotic."

Blackie purred in agreement. "And when you have a clever feline on your side."

Mia sighed, picking up her phone. "Well, here goes nothing. Time to convince Tommy I'm not completely insane..."

As she dialed, Nelson and Blackie exchanged conspiratorial grins. Life with these two was never dull, for better or worse.

As soon as Tommy picked up the phone, Nelson leaned in, his face serious and businesslike—a rare sight for him.

"Tommy," Nelson began, snatching the phone from Mia's hand before she could react. "Let's cut to the chase. If you're going to be working with Mia, there are going to be rules. Non-negotiable ones."

Mia's jaw dropped. "Nelson, give that back!"

But Nelson ignored her, pacing the room like a seasoned lawyer. "First off, no late-night calls. My girl here needs her beauty sleep. Second, no weird requests, like juggling auditions or anything involving... parrots. We don't do birds around here." He shot a pointed look at Blackie, who flicked his tail in amusement.

"Nelson!" Mia hissed, reaching for the phone, but Nelson smoothly turned his back to her, continuing his tirade.

"Third, and most importantly," he said, holding up three fingers even though Tommy couldn't see him, "if you so much as hint at replacing me as Mia's number one guy, we're going to have problems. You got that, buddy?"

On the other end of the line, Tommy's bewildered voice finally cut through. "Uh... Nelson, was it? Is Mia even there?"

"She's here," Nelson said nonchalantly, waving off the question like it wasn't important. "But listen, Tommy. These rules aren't just for me. They're for her. I'm looking out for her best interests."

Mia snatched the phone out of his hand, glaring at him. "Tommy, I'm so sorry. Nelson has... boundary issues."

"Hey!" Nelson protested, crossing his arms.

Tommy sounded amused, though still confused. "Uh, no problem, Mia. So... no parrots and no juggling auditions, got it. Anything else I should know?"

Mia shot a death glare at Nelson, who was smirking like he'd just won an award. "No, Tommy. That's all. I'll call you later to clear this up."

As she ended the call, she turned to Nelson, fuming. "What was that? Rules? Really?"

Nelson shrugged, grinning. "Hey, someone's gotta keep an eye out for you. Plus, I'm great at this stuff."

Mia threw her hands in the air. "You're impossible!"

Blackie chimed in from his perch on the windowsill. "I thought he was rather persuasive. Maybe you should hire him as your manager."

Mia stared at the two of them, exasperated. "You're both ridiculous."

Nelson flashed a cheeky grin. "Ridiculous? Or brilliant?"

Mia groaned. "Brilliantly annoying."