Page 11

Kai was going to lean in, he was going to close the distance between them. Capture those soft lips with his own and say fuck it to the consequences.

A squeak sounded, just outside the bedroom window.

They turned their heads at the same time, and the moment shattered.

Another squeak, slightly louder, a little more recognizable.

Kai looked back at Atticus, who had shifted back, putting space between them.

As though he too realized what they’d been about to do, realized that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.

Another sound from outside the window.

Mrrrow.

Atticus finally turned back to face Kai.

“Is that a cat?”

The kitten sat on the kitchen counter, staring at Atticus for a long moment before going back to licking her paw. He bumped Kai’s shoulder.

“Her eyes look just like yours,” he said. He watched Kai squint, his expression thoughtful. He only hummed at the observation.

Her eyes did look like Kai’s though, wide and amber, almost flecked with gold when the lighting hit just right, something behind them that was potentially life-threatening.

She was probably really pretty, too. Underneath all of the dirt.

Hints of stark black markings, tabby coloring, peeked through.

Atticus winced a little as she flopped onto her side, stretching languidly next to her empty food plate and spreading mud across his previously clean countertop.

Sammie would murder him if she found out that a filthy animal was readying herself to take a nap in the same place Atticus typically prepared food.

“Should we give her a bath?”

Kai hadn’t said much as they’d gone outside to investigate the meows that had interrupted whatever it was they’d been about to do. His question now was the first full sentence he’d spoken, in fact.

Atticus shifted, painfully aware of how close they were standing, how all he had to do was lean the slightest bit and their arms would be pressed together.

“Yeah, a bath is probably a good idea.” The words came out automatically, his mind distracted by the knowledge that he’d almost kissed Kai just fifteen minutes earlier.

The knowledge that Kai had almost kissed him .

Well, maybe Kai had almost kissed him. Hard to say.

There was clearly an attraction between the two of them, that much had been obvious from the first time they’d met.

But ever since that first night, they’d never acted on it again.

Kai had very clearly not wanted to act on it again.

But Atticus knew he wasn’t crazy. He’d recognized the look in the other man’s eyes, the heat and desire held there as they’d stood so close.

Would it have been a mistake? Probably. Still, Atticus couldn’t help but mentally curse the kitten on his counter for interrupting them.

They’d found her outside, squawking as though she were hungry, a little skittish until Kai had knelt down next to her. Atticus had watched in awe as Kai’s calm voice and gentle presence had lured her in, had watched as he’d scooped her up into his arms and she had melted against him.

“What?” Kai had asked, tilting his head as Atticus stared, a little amazed at the turn of events. He finally shrugged.

“Like calls to like, I guess,” he had said teasingly, motioning from Kai to the cat. Kai had only scowled at him, moving past to take their new friend inside.

She was skinny, and was clearly hungry, so Atticus had pulled out some pre-cooked, frozen chicken he’d prepped a few days ago, thawing it quickly.

The kitten had devoured it, begging for more before finally giving up and lazily sprawling across the counter.

Atticus watched her cleaning a paw, saw the claws there.

“You ever give a cat a bath before?”

Kai shook his head. Atticus smirked. “Wear long sleeves.”

An hour later, they had both managed to avoid those razor-sharp claws, but Atticus was pretty sure his ears were still ringing from the yowls the kitten had let out as they’d worked together to wash the dirt from her.

Luckily, no fleas or other pests had been found in her fur.

One of her ears was dirtier though, and it looked red and irritated inside.

Atticus placed her on his bed, still wrapped in the towel he’d been drying her off with.

“Sammie knows a local vet, I’m gonna see if I can get her in tomorrow.

” He sat down on the bed as the kitten scrambled her way out of the towel, whirling around with her paws spread as though she could ward off another trip to the bath.

“You’re going to keep her?” Kai asked, hesitating before he also sat down on the bed, pulling his legs up and wrapping his arms around his knees.

His shirt was soaked from the water that had been splashed all over the bathroom, the ends of his hair wet as well, turning them a darker shade of pink.

Atticus fought the urge to reach over, to push the hair away from his face again.

Just like he’d done earlier in the guest room.

He felt as though he was constantly fighting the urge to touch Kai, in even the smallest of ways.

“Don’t know yet,” Atticus said. “Have to see if she’s chipped, she might already have a home.” He paused, watching as the small animal flailed around on his bed, damp spots appearing on his blanket wherever she rolled around. “She’s kinda funny though, isn’t she?”

Kai gave him a small smile, those brilliant eyes lighting up and making Atticus' heart feel like it might beat out of his chest. “She is.”

Atticus needed a distraction, or else he might leap across the bed and pin the other man beneath him.

That small smile, directed at him? Atticus could feel his entire body heating up at the sight, just the way it always did whenever Kai looked at him like that.

He pulled his gaze away, reaching over to his nightstand to grab the remote there.

He turned on the small tv that hung on the wall across from his bed, flicking through the options until he got to what he was looking for.

“This isn’t the one you were watching earlier,” Kai said, a hint of question in his voice. Atticus tossed the remote aside.

“I just like having something on in the background,” he responded. “Doesn’t matter what. I just click whatever pops up first. ‘Sides, I’ve seen this one before.”

He watched as Kai’s eyes stayed focused on the anime for a few more moments. The light from the single window in the room was growing dim, the glow of the tv becoming their only source of illumination. Kai finally turned back to him.

“What are you going to name her?” Kai asked, reaching out to scratch his nails on the blanket.

The kitten lost her mind at the motion, throwing herself toward him frantically, biting softly on the pad of his thumb.

Kai’s small smile turned into a bigger one, eyes scrunching, a soft laugh escaping him.

Atticus felt as though he would lose his mind as well.

He looked at the characters on the screen to distract himself.

“What about Kyo?”

Kai snorted. “Kyo’s a boy.”

“So what?” Atticus said, grinning. “Pet names transcend gender.”

Kai laughed. “I guess,” he said, and Atticus watched as he continued to play with the kitten. She was in his lap now, batting at the still damp ends of his hair that fell around his face. “Doesn’t really suit her, though.”

“Well,” Atticus said, “we can keep trying then.”

Kai looked up at that, and Atticus realized what he’d said.

The implication that they’d be naming this cat together, that this was something they were taking on together .

He felt his cheeks heat. He needed another distraction, anything to get out from under the serious gaze Kai was pinning him with.

“You hungry?” he asked. Kai blinked.

“A little.”

Atticus rose from the bed. “You keep her company, I’m going to shower real quick and then I’ll make us a pizza.” He hurried from the room, decidedly not thinking about the fact that he and Kai may have just become pet parents together.

He hurried to get the frozen pizza in the oven- his grandma probably rolled in her grave as he did- before hopping into the shower, letting the cold water soak into him, soothing the burn in his muscles from practice, as well as the flush on his skin that had built a little more every time Kai looked at him.

It wasn’t long before he returned to his bedroom carrying two plates, pausing in the doorway.

“She fell asleep,” Kai said softly. The kitten was curled up in his lap, a tiny ball of fur. He looked up, wide-eyed. “I can’t move.”

Atticus laughed softly, moving to sit cross-legged on the bed next to the other man, passing him a plate. They ate the pizza in silence, watching an anime they’d both seen before. Atticus felt like he wasn’t actually taking any of it in, his mind wholly focused on what was happening next to him.

This was what he wanted. It wasn’t about the sex, the incredible, life-altering, one-time only sex. It was this. The quiet, the existing next to one another so comfortably. The eating in bed while they watched tv. The closeness, the unspoken solace they found in one another’s presence.

Atticus wanted this. He wanted it with Kai more than almost anything.

It made his heart ache a little, knowing he was alone in that desire.

Knowing that he was the only one sitting there wishing the moment could last a lifetime.

Knowing that Kai was right there, right next to him, but still so far out of reach.

But maybe he could have a week of this. A week of everything he wished for, everything he’d spent the last year desperately aching for.

Atticus took their empty plates to the kitchen, taking his time to wash and dry them, putting them away as if in slow motion. Soaking up the domesticity of it all.