Henry Townshend is a ghost magnet (room_302) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2016-11-06 19:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, chloe saunders, henry townshend |
Who: Team Monster Movie
What: Adopting a Kitten
When: Oct. 31st
Where: Local animal shelter
Rating/Warnings Low and none, unless you count adorable kitten overload
Status: Complete!
The local animal shelter certainly had no shortage of adorable abandoned kitties who were all in need of a Forever Home. The shelter had an entire room dedicated just to kittens. Henry and Chloe were in the middle of that room, surrounded by tiny fluffy balls of cute. Some of them were meowing tiny little mews and rubbing up against them. Others were playing, pouncing on imaginary creatures, or each other, and rolling about the floor. Others were perched up in one of the several cat trees around the room, peering down at the two humans with curiosity.
Surrounded by all the adorable, Henry couldn’t help but grin. They were doing this. They were actually getting a kitten! One of the shelter volunteers had let them into the room and was standing nearby in order to keep an eye on the two prospective adopters, but out of the way so the pair could get to know the kittens and decide which one was for them.
Kittens! This was actually happening. She and Henry were about to become parents to a tiny ball of adorable fluff. It was a big step in their relationship because they were going to have to work out some kind of custody agreement. That would probably be thrown to the wind when they realized it was more work than it needed to be and they would probably figure they should just move in together. Not that Chloe was thinking that far ahead….no, not at all… Chloe shook her head to get those thoughts out of it and instead focus on the cuteness in front of her.
They were so tiny! And they seemed so helpless as Chloe moved to sit down on the floor so that the kittens could crawl all over her if they wanted to. Her face turned up to her boyfriend as one kitten began to climb up her leg, “How in the world are we going to pick just one? They’re all so cute. I am this close to just scooping as many as I can in my arms and running out of here.” After speaking she leaned back onto her elbows so that the kitten could get a better angle to climb up her shirt.
So the scene in front of Henry right at that moment was just too adorable for words and being such, he dug his phone out of his pocket. His camera bag - complete with haunted doll stuffed into one of the pouches, never leave home without it - was in the trunk of their car, so his phone would have to suffice to take a picture. Once he’d taken a quick snapshot to preserve the memory, Henry knelt down on the floor next to Chloe. Almost instantly two or three kittens were crawling over each other to find a place in his lap. Henry laughed and looked over at Chloe, “I have no idea how we’re going to decide?” He picked up one of the kittens and held it. “It’s tempting to just take them all...wish we had the space.”
We. What a wonderful thought! There had been more than one occasion Henry had thought about asking Chloe to move in with him. He wondered if it was too soon...he wondered if she’d want to. She was supportive of him, of his Dreams and all the weird stuff that happened in both of their lives. However, it was one thing to be supportive, and another to live with it. The hole was going to follow him wherever he went. And the doll…
Henry pushed those thoughts aside for the moment. They had a very tough decision to make. He held out the little kitten he was currently holding, a black kitten with a spot of white under its chin and on it’s back. “What do you think of this little guy?” The kitten pawed at Chloe and mewed.
The moment his phone came out Chloe made sure to make a couple faces as he snapped photos. She was so used to him taking photos of her now that she had become quite a ham for the camera. They had gathered quite a collection of adorable photos and she liked to print the best ones and display them around her room. She couldn’t help but pull her own phone out to snap photos of him once the kittens surrounded him and they were just completely covered in fuzzy cuteness, “I have no idea. It’s going to be very tough to pick one of them out of the whole dang group.” She would feel awful for leaving all the others behind.
She would probably want to move in with him, but the Hole was the only major hang up she had about the whole idea. She didn’t want to deal with that, but it was part of him and she was dealing with the ghosts herself, so it wasn’t as if they would be completely surprised by what was going on with it. It would require some thought and consideration if he did ask her. It was bound to happen though especially since there was a kitten involved.
“Oh gosh,” Chloe absolutely melted the moment that kitten opened his tiny mouth and mewed. A hand reached forward to stroke him and she looked up at Henry, “He is so cute. Wait, is he a he? Whatever, he’s adorable and a black kitty for Halloween, which is pretty perfect. I know black dogs have a hard time being adopted, wonder if cats go through the same thing.”
“We’re a little cautious about adopting out black cats this time of year,” the volunteer stated from where she had parked herself out of the way to observe. “There have been stories about people adopting black cats on Halloween and killing them out of superstition or for ‘rituals’ or other terrible reasons. We screen all our potential adopters, of course, but this time of year, we pay extra attention.”
Which explained to Henry why the volunteer had been watching them a little closer than Henry had remembered the volunteers had at the pet shelter he’d done some mandatory high school community hours at. He glanced towards the woman, brows furrowed together. “People actually do that?” He asked horrified.
“It does happen,” the woman nodded her head sadly.
Henry looked back at the kitten in his hands. He was playfully batting at Chloe’s hand as she petted his tiny fuzzy head and he was purring like crazy. Henry had seen some pretty fucked up things in his Dreams, but there were times in which the real world still seemed much more fucked up.
He looked up at Chloe. He kind of really wanted to take this little guy home with him. Not only would a black cat be the perfect addition to their strange lives, but they could rescue this little guy from some kind of unknown fate. “What do you think, Chloe?” He asked.
The information about how people treated black cats during the Halloween season made her frown and she felt so badly for the tiny kitten that they were eyeing. They would never do anything like that to a kitten, but at least they were taking precautions to prevent things like that. She reached over to pet the kitten’s head and her heart melted, “Aww, sweet tiny baby. No one is going to do that to you, I promise.”
“I feel like maybe we should. I don’t want anything like that to happen to him and I don’t think black cats are bad luck,” Chloe did feel bad for not wanting to look at any of the other cats, but they could only take one right now. This one was probably the one for them especially since Henry had picked him out so quickly. She took him gently out of Henry’s hands and pressed him close to her face so she could give him a tiny kiss on his head, “Black cat for the two of us is very fitting.”
Henry’s face light up as soon as Chloe stated that they should take the little black fuzzball he was holding. He wasn’t sure how it was possible with all the other little kittens around them, but he just may have fallen in love with this one. Technically this was a kitten for Chloe, but she had been adamant how it would be theirs and Henry was really very excited for that. He wanted something the two of them could share. Something they could take care of together. They may not have yet been ready to take that next step in the relationship and move in together. They still had a lot going on in their Dream Lives they had to work through, but getting this tiny little kitten was a step towards that. Maybe someday they really could move in together and they could get this little guy a playmate. It was a dream, such a nice dream to have.
“I think so too,” Henry agreed and laughed when the kitten mewed after Chloe had given it a tender kiss on its head. A black cat was really just perfect for them. And this little guy seemed as happy with them as they were with him. Henry looked over his shoulder at the volunteer. “I think we’ve made our choice.”
And with that tiny mew his fate was sealed. Chloe wasn’t going to leave this place without him in her life. She and Henry would have to figure out how to handle raising this kitten together, but it was going to work out for the two of them. It would help progress things in their relationship further than they were already, which worked for them. They knew they were working well together and they weren’t trying to fight it. It might be a dream for the moment, but Chloe thought it would eventually become a reality.
When Henry informed the volunteer they made a choice she nodded and gently removed the kittens that were still crawling all over her and stood up. “Let’s get the paperwork and the interview going,” she declared with a smile as she reached over to gently pet the tiny kitten and looked up at Henry, “We’re going to have to come up with a name now.”
The volunteer nodded her head, a smile playing on her face. The animal shelter may had strict rules when it came to adopting out black cats this close to Halloween, but it seemed as though it was clear to her already that they had nothing to fear with Henry and Chloe. Especially with the way Henry’s eyes had lit up and the tender way Chloe had kissed the top of the kitten’s head, as if he really were a little baby they were taking home.
Once both prospective adoptees had gotten to their feet, she lead them from the kitten room and into a smaller office space where the interview would take place. There was an application that needed to be filled out, paperwork regarding having the kitten chipped and neutered (there was even a list of vet offices and clinics that offered a discount for people who adopted from the animal shelter. Bonus) was also included in the packet. The process was involved and very thorough.
“We’re really doing this,” Henry beamed happily at Chloe. “We’re really getting a kitten! Oh...names...uh…” Henry was shit at naming things. The shabby doll in his trunk was just Doll. Henry’s brows knitted together, “I don’t know. What do you think?” All Henry could think of was Blackie and that was a terrible name for a cat! Maybe something movie related? “Uhm...Spielberg?” No, that was dumb and Henry shook his head. “Craven?” No, that was worse.
Henry had never looked so attractive as he did with that kitten in his arms. It was utterly adorable and now she understood why some of the girls in the office had that Hot Guys and Baby Animals monthly calendar. There was just something about a guy and a tiny animal that made you realize that he would be good parent material down the line. The paperwork and the interview was surprisingly easy and didn’t take a ton of time. They were both given the seal of approval and they were being moved to the front desk to pay for the adoption and get a box to take their kitten home with.
“We are,” Chloe nodded with a smile look of joy upon her face. She couldn’t help but reach over to continue to pet their little bundle of joy. The naming part was seriously the most complicated thing and she couldn’t help but giggle when Henry started naming off movie directors as a potential name, “Craven isn’t a bad one. It’s Halloween related and he was pretty genius. I think that’s a good one. I’m impressed.” Chloe leaned up to give Henry a kiss on his cheek before giggling as they approached the desk. They were being insanely affectionate at this animal shelter and she was sure they were laughing at them.
The two of them were rather sickeningly adorable with how happy and excited they were. They stole quick kisses from one another and nuzzled the little kitten between them, but Henry honestly didn’t care of the volunteers were laughing at them or not. The woman behind the front desk actually beamed at them, seemingly just has happy as they were. It was always a happy thing when one of their animals found his or her Forever Home, especially a home that was clearly a happy and loving one.
Once the paperwork and fees were taken care of, Henry and Chloe were on their way with the kitten. “You like Craven?” Henry asked a little surprised. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad name after all. “It does fit with the Halloween Monster Movie theme we have going on,” he grinned and put his arm around her affectionately as they made their way to the car. “Should we go to the pet store and get the essentials, or take the little guy home and let him get to know the apartment...which apartment should we take him to? Yours or mine?”
“I do actually,” the surprise on Henry’s face was amusing to her as she reached over to scratch behind little Craven’s ear. The cat would fit into the name and he needed to be prepared for a weird life that was sure to follow him around with Chloe and Henry as his parents, “It really fits in. He’ll be the only one of us to actually survive in a horror movie most likely.” Chloe never did like the horror movies were animals had to die. It was the one thing she couldn’t stand when it came to movies.
“Yeah, we need to get him some stuff. So, we either go now and grab it or one of us stays with him and the other goes. The pet store should allow us to bring him in, so maybe we can get it done now?” And then came the apartment question and she wasn’t quite sure. She pursed her lips in thought for a moment before regarding Henry carefully, “Don’t be offended, but I’m a little nervous about putting him in your apartment at the moment because of the hauntings. I want to make sure things are stable before he goes down there.”
Despite apparently living a horror movie, they really weren’t Henry’s favorite form of entertainment. And he agreed the ones in which animals became victims were his absolutely least favorite. It was one thing for humans to make terrible horror movie related decisions and suffer the consequences (god knows he’d made enough himself), but it was an entirely different matter for an innocent animal to suffer those same consequences.
So, no, Henry was not at all offended that Chloe would prefer for Craven to not be in Henry’s apartment for the time being. “Totally ok with that,” he assured her. “Maybe after my Dreams have stopped, or they at least give me something to control what happens in my apartment instead of just mitigating them.” None of the hauntings in Henry’s apartment had become threatening to date, but Henry himself didn’t trust that that wouldn’t change sometime in the future. That of course put a huge monkey wrench in the whole Maybe-Move-In-Together portion of his and Chloe’s relationship. He hoped that maybe once the hauntings had stopped, or he was able to control them, he could bring up the subject with Chloe.
“Until then, I think he’ll be happier at your place,” he said. “So...pet store, right? We’ll get a food bowl, a water bowl, kitten food, a litter box, and toys.” He looked at the box Chloe was carrying “and probably something other than a box to carry the little guy around in too.”
A small sigh of relief escaped her lips when Henry actually agreed to her about what to do with Craven. The hauntings were so spontaneous and the cat had probably been through enough things in its tiny life that it didn’t need something like that to deal with. Especially if the haunting could turn violent and she wanted no harm to come to their new cat. “I’m glad you agree. I was afraid that you wouldn’t like that. I think once things calm down then we can discuss the possibility of moving into your place,” she purposefully left the subject of the moving out of it because she would like to move in with him as long as Craven was going to be there, “I’m hoping your Dreams allow you to actually get to a point where things won’t be happening like this.”
“That sounds like the shopping list we need. Let’s get him to the car and make our way there,” she picked up the cardboard carrier and peered through one of the holes on the side at their tiny kitten who was currently meowing to be let out, “It’s okay, buddy. We’re taking you home soon. You’re going to be so happy with us.” She turned her head towards Henry and sent a happy smile his way before leaning against him as they made their way to the car.
Henry’s heart skipped a beat in that kind of giddy happy way when Chloe said they could possibly discuss the possibility of moving into his place. Of course she probably met moving Craven in at some point, she hadn’t been specific. He was going to have to become even more proactive about his Dreams and what they meant to him, since it wasn’t just him they were going to be affecting anymore. Henry wasn’t sure what it was he was going to have to do, but he’d crawl through a million Holes and go to a million different horrifying and surreal places and worlds if it meant at the end he and Chloe could build a happy life together.
Henry put his hand around Chloe’s shoulders and held her close as they made their way to the car with their newest family member.