What if… a 216 kitten drabble
By Rebel

As he passed the alley, Brian couldn’t believe he’d almost bought those lesbian roses. Then he saw a kitten, her back arched, hissing at a big cat near a dumpster.

“Hey!” The cat bolted, but the kitten, who’d been hungry and cold ever since her mother died, simply curled up right where she was and prepared to be killed by the monster looming over her.

Brian picked her up and felt her trembling. He’d told Justin he couldn’t have a cat in the loft. Fuck knew what she’d do to his Italian leather sofa.

Brian kept walking towards the Jeep.


Warm
By Rebel

Brian drove home, one hand on the kitten to keep her from shaking. When he opened the door to the loft, he wondered what fucking influence the lesbians had on Justin that he was listening to classical music.

Justin stared, a strange expression on his face. Brian just stood there, the kitten against his chest, cradled in his hand.

Justin came over. “What….”

Brian shrugged. “It’s a kitten.”

Justin stroked her, and with his hand resting over her, and Brian’s beneath her, for the first time in a very, very long time, she felt warm. And safe.

So she purred.


Welcome
By Rebel

Justin sat on the sofa, the kitten asleep on his lap. Brian was at the computer, probably Googling “kittens.”

Daphne’s family had a cat, so he’d phoned her for advice. She’d made an emergency delivery of food, litter, and a decidedly non-designer litterbox. Brian regarded it with horror, but the kitten had used it with relief. And then ate the entire can of food.

Justin stroked her dirty fur, wondering what had made Brian bring her home.

After a while he fell asleep, his arms curled protectively around the kitten.

Brian put a blanket over him, and went to bed.


Jingle Balls
By Rebel

Justin was cross-legged on the floor, watching the kitten bat a jingling ball around. Daphne was next to him, a bag of cat toys in her lap.

“I can’t believe Brian got you a kitten.”

Justin shrugged. “He didn’t get her for me. You make her sound like… a dozen roses or a box of candy or something. He just saw her getting beaten up in an alley and he saved her.”

Daphne sighed. “I know. It’s so romantic.”

Justin snorted. “You wouldn’t say that if you’d heard him swearing when he found cat hair on his suit this morning.”

Romance
By Rebel

Exhausted by hours of play, the kitten was sleeping on the back of the sofa. Daphne and Justin were standing at the open refrigerator door, arguing over the relative merits of ordering a pizza or cooking something using only beer, Evian, and cold cereal.

“We had the best maple pancakes at this place in Vermont,” Daphne said, sighing.

“You and what’s his name?”

Daphne jabbed her elbow into his side. “Shut up. Just because you don’t like him. But it was very romantic. They had a fireplace and Jacuzzi in every room.”

Justin didn’t respond, just closed the refrigerator door and said, decisively, “Pizza.”

Meow
By Rebel

After the pizza came, Daphne went back to her recent trip. “You and Brian should go.”

Justin rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I can see him on a romantic weekend in the mountains.”

“You could ask him.”

Just then the kitten woke up, and looked around, worried to find herself alone. She gave a heartrending “meeeewwww.”

Justin ran over and picked her up, petting her. “Shhhh, it’s okay.”

The kitten blinked, and jumped down to use the litterbox.

Justin laughed. “Unless that place takes cats, I think it’ll be a while before I try to get Brian to take me there.”


It’s Business
By Rebel

Justin watched Brian pack. “Where are you going?”

Brian shrugged. “Business.”

“What business?”

Brian zipped his bag shut. “My business.”

Justin didn’t answer. He was tired of trying to figure Brian out, tired of one word answers and the loft door closing. He just went out to the living room.

The kitten jumped up on the back of the sofa, and crawled onto his shoulder. Justin jumped, and then laughed as he pulled her down into his lap.

Brian paused at the door, watching Justin smile at the kitten. He realized he hadn’t seen that smile in a long time.


What’s Your Name?
By Rebel

Brian walked over to the sofa. Justin looked up. “What?”

Brian folded his lips in, stuck his tongue in his cheek, and put one hand behind his back. “When I get back…”

Justin waited.

Brian tried again. “I’m going to Chicago to try to meet with Leo Brown from Brown Athletics.” He stopped.

Justin nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll be back tonight.” Brian hesitated. “Maybe when I get back we can try to figure out some kind of name for her.”

Justin looked up at him, and Brian thought, not for the first time, that his smile really was just like sunshine.


Dark Eyes
By Rebel

Daphne and Justin were walking down the street. She had a class, and he had to stop and pick up some cat food on his way home.

They heard violin music at the same time. “I know that guy, he goes to my school. I heard him play once.”

Daphne listened for minute. “He’s good. Intense eyes.”

Justin looked at him. He thought about his birthday, and Brian, and how sometimes it felt like he lived in a mine field instead of a home. “Yeah, they are.”

Daphne went off to her class, and Justin stood, listening to the music.


Garbage
By Rebel

Justin smiled when the violinist… Ethan … remembered him. It felt good to just flirt and laugh with someone his own age, who apparently didn’t have a “special handling required” sticker placed on him at birth.

And when Ethan asked him to help him bring a sofa about to be tossed in a garbage truck up to his apartment, he was glad to help.

Even if the sofa was disgusting. “God, are you really going to sit on this thing?” Justin asked, laughing, when they set it down.

Ethan shrugged. “One man’s garbage is another man’s living room.”


Wolfram
By Rebel

Justin heard a cat meow, and went over to pet him. “I have a kitten.” He looked up at the dark-eyed man. “My boyfriend gave her to me. He found her in an alley and brought her home.”

Ethan nodded. “All my best stuff, I found in the street. Including Wolfram.”

Justin stood up. “Yeah. That’s where I found my boyfriend, actually.”

“Can I get you anything? A beer?”

Justin shook his head. “I have to go.”

Ethan looked at him. “Your boyfriend waiting?”

Justin laughed. “No. My kitten.”

He waved over his shoulder as he ran down the stairs.


Purring
By Rebel

When Justin got home, Brian was staring at his computer, the kitten sleeping on his shoulder.

“That doesn’t look very comfortable.”

Brian slid his eyes sideways. “She looks completely comfortable.”

Justin bent down and kissed him. “I meant for you.”

Brian stood carefully, sliding her down against his chest. She didn’t wake up.

“We have to name this cat, you know. We can’t keep calling her ‘the kitten.’”

“This morning you called her ‘the twat,’ is that what you had in mind?”

Brian frowned. “Justin, she was asleep in my new Prada shoe.”

Justin kissed him again. The kitten purred.


Pain Management
By Rebel

Justin was at the computer, reading about cats. When Brian walked in, he didn’t look up. “Did you know that it’s easy to cook for cats?”

Brian went into the bedroom. “That would be interesting if either of us ever cooked for ourselves.”

Justin went to the door and watched him change. “I like to cook. Sometimes.”

Brian snorted. “You like to make a mess in the kitchen and then order Thai food.”

“I can cook tonight.” Justin grinned. “For us, and the kitten.”

Brian walked over and kissed him, hard. Justin was startled, and let Brian pull him closer.


Pain Management 2
By Rebel

Brian pressed his forehead to Justin’s. “Not tonight, I have to get the fuck out of here.”

Justin bit his lip. “Can’t we just stay home tonight? Just the two of us?”

Brian smiled. “You mean the three of us?”

“Three of us.”

Brian just pulled on his sexiest black t-shirt, and didn’t answer. Justin sighed.

He was sitting on the sofa, the kitten in his lap, when Brian suddenly slid over the back and sat next to them. Justin let him pull him close, and kissed him back when Brian crushed his mouth against his.

The kitten watched, worried.


Pain Management 3
By Rebel

The kitten decided enough was enough. Sometimes her humans did these incomprehensible noisy things, but not tonight. Tonight she wanted her dinner, and a name, and someone to get that jingly ball out from behind the bookshelf.

“Meow!” She swatted Justin’s arm.

Nothing.

“Meeewwww!” She flicked her claw over Brian’s cheek.

“Hey! Watch the face!” Brian pulled away from Justin, who was trying not to laugh. “I’ve had a for shit day, cat. I don’t need more shit at home.”

“What happened?”

Brian shook his head, and didn’t answer.

Justin slid closer, and the kitten sat down on Brian’s leg.


Hospital
By Rebel

The kitten nudged Brian’s hand with her head. He started petting her without realizing it.

“Michael called….”

Justin kissed his jaw. “Yeah?”

“Ben’s in the hospital.”

Justin blinked. “Is he okay?”

Brian shrugged. “I think he will be.”

“What happened?”

“Bad reaction to his meds. It’s serious.” Brian was still petting the kitten, and Justin was still next to him. He felt the kitten purring under his hand, and Justin’s breath against his face.

Brian turned his head for a second. “I hate that hospital.”

Justin put his head on Brian’s shoulder, and they just sat there for a while.


Bowling
By Rebel

Justin watched as Ben bowled one and then two perfect strikes. Brian was acting like he didn’t care, but he was watching out of the edges of his eyes. Justin could always tell.

Brian let out a huff when one pin didn’t fall on Ben’s third try. Justin shook his head. “Fuck.”

Brian nodded. “Cops top queers. It’s a disgrace.”

Justin laughed. They all went to Woody’s afterward, and Justin stood next to Brian.

Brian was staring at Ben and then at Michael, his face blank, his eyes thoughtful. Ben looked good, not even tired, his arm over Michael’s shoulders.


Three Cheers
By Rebel

Brian tipped his beer bottle and took a long swallow, his eyes following a guy in black jeans as he crossed the bar. Justin glanced at him and laughed. Sort of.

Brian didn’t seem to notice, and he didn’t say anything.

Later that night, they went back to the loft. Justin checked the kitten’s water bowl. She was asleep on their bed.

He heard Brian cross to the refrigerator, but didn’t look at him. “Why didn’t you fuck that guy?”

Brian came over, and stood looking down at Justin. “What guy?”

Justin snorted. “The one you were cruising all night.”

“The long-suffering wife routine doesn’t suit you, you know.” Brian went into the bedroom.

Justin sighed. He hated it when he got like this. He didn’t care if Brian fucked every guy at Woody’s. What the fuck was wrong with him?


Later
By Rebel

Justin stood in the bedroom doorway. Either the kitten had woken up, moved to Brian’s chest, and fallen back asleep, or Brian had scooped her there without waking her.

Justin sighed and climbed into bed next to them. “We really need to give her a name.”

Brian nodded, then turned his head and kissed him. “Later.”

Justin kissed him back. “Later,” he agreed, laughing.

It was dark, and quiet, and later, when Justin felt Brian give a deep sigh.

“What?”

Brian didn’t answer for a while, and Justin thought maybe he’d fallen asleep.

“So, we really can’t call her ‘Twat’?”


Words
By Rebel

“We really can’t call her ‘Twat’. Mel and Lindz would kill us.”

“Hmmm. Although imagining Gus yelling ‘Twat, Twat,’ as he runs around the loft is sort of amusing.”

“To you,” Justin pointed out. “Why can’t we think of anything? I don’t usually have trouble with names.”

“Maybe you’re trying too hard.”

Justin was almost asleep when he heard Brian’s voice again. “Maybe it doesn’t matter what we call her. It’s just a word.”

Justin opened his eyes. The kitten was curled on the pillow near Brian’s head. He nodded and put his head on Brian’s chest. “Maybe it doesn’t.”


The Morning
By Rebel

The kitten woke up. Her people were asleep, legs tangled, crusted drool on the corners of their mouths. She cleaned herself carefully, then jumped up to use her litterbox. She tried to get her jingly ball out from behind the bookshelf, but it wouldn’t budge. She flounced to the bedroom, and stood glaring at Brian and Justin.

The power of her rage didn’t wake them, so she used a technique that had proven effective in the past: Jumping on Justin’s face.

He woke up, arms flailing. “What the fuck…. You TWAT!”

Brian laughed, and pulled the pillow over his head.

The end...