Chapter Text
It was midafternoon on David’s day off. He had just woken up and lazed in the cloudy afternoon light coming through the west window of their shared studio apartment. Dwight was working and would be until after the dinner rush, so David had the small apartment to himself. The peace was nice. Work last night had been a nightmare. He was a bouncer for a club in the West Village. There had been three fights in the first two hours of his shift, and the last one resulted in him sporting a shiner over his left eye. It looked uglier than it was just because of how close the blood vessels were to the surface of his face, but it still marked the beginning of a bad evening. Not getting to wake up to his partner made it worse.
He stretched his body as far as he could and yawned before willing himself to sit upright. The cloudy weather still felt like a novelty. The campfire in the Realms was always dreary and foggy, even though the sun was perpetually out. They never had rain or any kind of inclement weather. Now, David could feel the humidity clinging to his skin. He felt clammy, damp, and uncomfortable, and he loved it more than he could express. Living in a world post-Entity was strange. David wasn’t sure he would ever get used to it.
The house was immaculately clean. There wasn’t a dish in the sink or a single article of clothing out of place. This was the only thing that occupied Dwight’s time at home. Dwight didn’t have any hobbies and hadn’t made any new friends since they’d, somehow, exited the Realms. He spent his time eating, working, cleaning, or sleeping and very little else. David had to do something before Dwight withered away into nothing. He had several ideas of how to cheer his lover up, but only one stuck out as a long-term solution that would make an impact. To pull it off, he would need to be out of the house before Dwight got home from his job delivering pizza. That left him with a couple of hours. Easy.
David started by making coffee. There was a fifty-fifty chance it would keep him up late, but that wouldn’t be a problem today. Even if it kept him up, he had two days off. He could think of a few wonderful ways to burn off his caffeine high. Heat rose to his cheeks just thinking about it. He drank half of the cup before rising himself off. He brought the coffee with him right into shower, too. Kill two birds with one stone, as the saying went. After that, he dressed, grabbed a banana out of their fruit bowl, and left the apartment.
David hurried out of the neighborhood as quickly as he could. He didn’t need to travel far for his errand, but he also had time to kill and didn’t want Dwight to spot him roaming around. He wasted a good amount of time window shopping before stopping in front of a pet store window. Puppies played in the hay of a pen set up in the window display. They yapped and chased each other; pointy puppy teeth displayed in wide, playful mouths. Each one was adorable enough to make David’s heart melt. He counted seven of them, all different breeds, and wished he could take every one of them home. He and Dwight didn’t have the time or space for a dog though.
He went inside the pet store, taking time to say hello to every animal for sale. There was an enormous African Grey Parrot hanging out by the register that cocked its head at David and squawked “hello stranger” repeatedly. David smiled, approached it, and said hello back. The bird bobbed its head up and down and said “thank you, boss!” twice. David laughed again.
“Hello,” said a store worker as she walked behind the counter. She had a smile warm enough to melt the ice caps, and her eyes were shaped like Marilyn Monroe’s half-lidded, droopy eyes. “Glad to see Harry gave you a warm welcome.” She nodded to the parrot. Harry. Funny name for a bird. David leveled the parrot a look, and Harry turned his head to stare at him with one beady eye. He squawked again. “Can I perhaps help you instead, or are you just saying hello to our friends?”
David couldn’t help but return her smile. It was infectious. The clerk’s eyes darted away from David’s for a brief moment, and she subtly worried the inside of her cheek between her teeth. Being in the Realms left David aware of everything around him, even the most minute movements. He noticed the chemistry, and it made him smile more. It didn’t matter that he was in love and deeply invested in it; being flirted with always felt good so long as it stayed harmless.
“Actually,” David said, “you can. I’m looking to adopt a kitten for my boyfriend. It’s time for the next step, you know?”
“Ahhh,” the clerk hummed. Disappointment flashed on her face for half a second and then it was gone. Her smile was just as warm though, and she didn’t skip a beat. “Well, we have quite a lot. They’re over here.” She gestured for David to follow and led him to a playpen with a baker’s dozen of kittens in it. She explained that they’d come from two different litters, so most of them were siblings. They were all up to date with their shots and the perfect age to go home to a loving family. She also recommended that kittens be adopted in pairs and pointed out the pairs that were bonded and required to go home together.
David watched the kittens for a long while, trying to understand each one’s personality. His eyes kept coming back to the tiniest of the kittens. She was a tiny tortie who had trouble getting around and often bumped into the other cats. Her body was at least half the size of all the other cats. When she wasn’t trying to explore, she was huddled up against a lazy calico. David felt a pang of kinship with the baby.
“What about this one?” he asked and pointed to the tortie.
“She is the only one who we rescued. She’s not part of the other litters. We found her in the alley around the corner with a double eye infection and fleas. Because of the infection, the vet said she’s basically blind in both eyes. And this one,” the clerk pointed to the calico, “is her best friend in the world. They need to be adopted together. I’d hate to see them separated.”
“Done,” David said, moved by the tortie’s story. He had no problem taking the calico too. One kitten for him, one for Dwight. It would be the start of a lovely little family.
The clerk chuckled and went to the back room to get a cardboard carrier. Both the kittens were scooped into it and brought to the register, where David happily paid with his credit card. He was also sold some toys, a cat bed, and a small bag of dried cat food. He would have to run out later for the rest of the cat supplies. It was impossible to carry it all in one trip.
With a thank you and a wink, David left the pet shop. He hoped he spent enough time loitering that Dwight would be home as he leisurely strolled back to their shared apartment. The sun was just beginning to set, leaving the world looking beautifully warm and peaceful. It put David in an even better mood than he was in when he spotted the tortie. He cooed at the kittens whenever they mewled inside their cardboard carrier. He couldn’t wait to show them their new home.
When David stepped into the apartment, Dwight was indeed home. His shoes were kicked off in the doorway and his body was curled up in the queen bed, back to the room. He didn’t move when David closed the door. It was one of those days. Dwight dipped in and out of moments so low he didn’t do anything but lay in bed. David hummed softly and kicked his shoes off too.
“Hello, love,” he purred. Dwight didn’t answer, but he did shift his weight on the bed. “How was work?”
“It was work,” Dwight mumbled softly. His voice was quiet but not dismissive or uninterested. Dwight poured every ounce of his energy into responding. David’s heart broke a little bit.
“That’s not a bad thing,” he said and approached the bed. He sat on the edge and patted a hand on Dwight’s hip. “Brought you a surprise. Take a look.”
Dwight groaned gently as he rolled over to look at David. There were dark circles under his eyes and a genuine but sad smile on his otherwise perfect lips. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”
“I know.” David set the carrier on the mattress and gestured for Dwight to open it. The smaller man tilted his head and sat up. One of the kittens chirped and Dwight’s eyes opened all the way. Surprise replaced his fatigue. He furrowed his brow and glanced up at David one more time before opening the top of the carrier. Two kittens, wide eyed, stared up at him.
“David!” Dwight shouted. Surprise, joy, shock, and elation all rolled across his face. He reached into the box and pulled out the tortie, who squirmed in his fingers. She was so tiny that she fit into one hand, but Dwight cradled her lovingly in two.
“You like?” David asked. He reached in and picked up the calico, who pressed herself against David’s skin.
“I, just, I, David!”
The tortie was a lot spunkier than the calico. She squirmed in Dwight’s hands and even harmlessly bit one of his fingers. She purred like a motorboat the entire time. Tears welled up in Dwight’s eyes and unabashedly rolled down his cheeks. This was the first time David had seen Dwight cry since they arrived in this city. Finally, some emotional release.
It took Dwight a moment to collect himself. They both put the kittens on the bed to explore the new smells and sights. The tortie tailed the calico everywhere they went, close enough to press against her the entire time. Dwight couldn’t take his eyes off of the kittens, but soon he found his words.
“Jesus, David, kittens?”
“Yeah,” David said with a shrug and smug smile. “Figured it was time to have children.”
“Couples don’t have kids without talking first! Pets aren’t gifts. They’re a commitment. They’re living things, not toys.”
David wrinkled his nose, scolded. He’d never thought of that. His parents had gotten him expensive pets as gifts when he was a kid, so he’d never thought about it. He shrugged his shoulders and asked again, “So, do you like them?”
“Are you kidding?” Dwight said indignantly. “You stupid man. I love them.”
“Good. They still need names.”
Dwight crossed his arms over his chest as he watched the tortie attack the calico’s tail. She growled small but fiercely. The calico patiently sat there and flicked her tail in response, causing the tortie to lose her mind and chase it more.
“This one is tiny,” Dwight stated the obvious.
“She’s a little nub,” David agreed. Dwight’s eyes lit up.
“Nubbin.”
David barked a laugh. “And the other one?”
Dwight thoughtfully tapped his finger to his lips. “She’s a baby, but she’s got an old soul. She’s more like a mom than a baby.”
“She’s a little wee mum alright.”
“That’s it!”
“What’s it?”
“Wee Mum.”
David made a face at Dwight, who only beamed back at him. This is what he got for letting Dwight name the cats. He should have known better. He should have claimed naming one of them for himself, although he wasn’t sure Dwight would have let him name a cat “Killer” or “Bloodbath.”
“I can’t believe you’ve done this,” David said in disbelief. This only made Dwight smile wider.
“Says the man who buys live animals as surprise gifts without talking about it first,” Dwight retorted.
“Touché.”
Dwight leaned in and pressed a kiss to David’s lips. Then he stretched out, belly first, on the bed to wiggle his fingers for the kittens. Nubbin was more eager to attack the digits, but Wee Mum was eventually tempted into join in. David watched; his heart was full. He hadn’t seen Dwight so happy in weeks. Despite being unprepared to raise kittens, this decision was the best one he’d made yet. This was the start of something wonderful, he could feel it.