30 Days of Drabbles

19: Multiple

Prompt: Multiple
Warnings/TWs: none
Tags: Fluff, Alternate Universe - College, Cats  

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"We're college students, Scott, we literally can't afford five cats," Mitch warns as they head through the shelter hallways to the cat side of the place. "One cat. That's all we're getting."

Scott grins. "Okay."

"I'm serious, Scott, one cat only."

There are rows and rows of little metal cages on both sides, three high and at least seven down the row. Mitch watches as Scott bounds down the row with all the enthusiasm of the dog they'd decided against, since they really don't have time for a dog. Scott's peering inside to each cat, sticking his fingers through the grates and letting them bat at him, jerking back in one instance when he apparently gets a nibble.

"Scott," Mitch says. "One."

Scott looks at him. "But look here, Mitchy, c'mere."

Mitch joins him in front of the cage. It's holding two cats, unlike all the other cats by themselves. These two are curled tightly around each other, one grey and sleek and small and the other a massive ball of white fluff. The card clipped to their door reads "Hi! We're Saz and Min! We're not from the same litter but we've been together since we were ten weeks old and we can't be separated, we're a package deal!"

"It's us," Mitch comments, and Scott turns to him, beaming.

"Exactly! It's even S and M like us and they look like us and they met at ten weeks, Mitchy, we have to get them."

Mitch sighs, although the idea is growing on him. "Let's get someone to let us hold them and we'll go from there."

Tyler, the enthusiastic blonde they find at the front desk, gives them the cats' backstory. "See, these two are my favorite. They've been back so many times it's kind of sad. When they came, we tried to adopt them out separately a few times, but they weren't eating and were just really sad, so they came back and reunited and I cried, and I would never let them get separated. They're soulmates. You're not going to do that, right? You'll keep them together?"

Scott nods eagerly as Tyler unlocks the cage. Saz and Min stir sleepily, their eyes blinking open. To Mitch's surprise, Saz has clear blue irises, and they're oddly reminiscent of Scott's eye color. Min has brown eyes. Mitch glances over at Scott, who looks giddy.

"Mitch, they have our eyes, too," Scott whispers as Tyler reaches in and picks up Min, handing her to Scott. She's a tiny little thing, climbing up onto Scott's shoulders and balancing there, rubbing her face through the hairs at the nape of his neck.

Tyler hands Saz to Mitch. He's heavier than Mitch expects, all white fur and loud purrs. Mitch is in love.

After a few minutes, Mitch swaps cats with Scott, and once he holds Min, he knows it's a done deal. They're walking out of here with two cats, not one.

It takes them a few minutes to settle the paperwork, but once that's done, they're each walking out of the shelter with one carrier in hand.

The cats settle into their apartment fast, and Mitch comes to find it's not unusual to come home to them curled together on his and Scott's bed, as much as they try to stop that.

It's okay, because Mitch can't find it in his heart to kick them off, Scott even less so.

Mitch finds himself hoping this lasts forever, their odd little family of four that feels more like two and two, Scott and Mitch and Saz and Min.

-fin.