Work Text:
Louis was, emphatically, not a cat person.
He had never had a cat growing up, but the neighbours had. It was a mean one that would hiss at Louis if he got too close retrieving his football from their garden. The neighbours on the other side had a dog, and it was always more than happy to play when Louis’ football went that way instead. It seemed clear to Louis: dogs were awesome and cats were jerks.
The Tomlinson household was too full of people to make room for pets, but Louis always imagined the day he could move out on his own and get a dog. He’d like a big dog, he thought, something like a Labrador or a Saint Bernard, but a small dog might be okay too. If it was something like a corgi, anyway—he couldn’t imagine himself taking care of something too fluffy and yappy.
Years passed, and Louis got his own flat, but it still wasn’t the right time for a dog. Money was tight, and he was working long hours to try and save up, and it wasn’t going to be fair to bring a dog into the picture if he didn’t have time for it. Instead he bought succulents and arranged them on his windowsill and tried not to feel too disheartened when he managed to kill a plant that thrives on neglect.
Eventually, though, life settled down. Louis got a job at a bank that meant more money and regular hours. He had savings and managed to make his rent payment and buy groceries in the same week. It was like he had finally become an adult, and that meant doing the one thing he had always wanted to do.
There was an animal rescue not too far from his flat that stayed open late enough on weeknights that Louis had time to stop in after work. He had looked at their website every night for a week, clicking through the pictures of the various dogs available for adoption and pre-filling our all the necessary paperwork. He was going to get a dog tonight, and the excitement put a bounce in his step as he walked up to the squat building. There was a pen outside full of dogs of all ages, some playing and others lounging about, and Louis could hardly wait to meet them.
It was noisy inside, and the air smelt of animals and cleaning supplies, but the lobby was warm and inviting. Directly inside the doors was a large black desk, and perched on the top was a dark-coloured cat with splotches of orange and white.
Louis eyed the cat warily as he stepped up to the counter. It glared back at him with almond-shaped orange eyes, as if daring him to come any closer. “I’m bigger than you,” Louis told the cat, as if it could understand him.
“What was that?”
The deep voice made Louis jump. He had been so focused on the cat that he didn’t even notice the man sitting behind the desk. He was smiling up at Louis expectantly. His nametag said Harry.
“Was talking to the cat,” Louis explained, feeling like an idiot. “Sorry. I’m Louis Tomlinson, I came to see about adopting a dog?”
Harry’s face brightened. He nodded enthusiastically, allowing a few more curls to escape from his already messy ponytail. “Right, you filled out the application online,” Harry said, grabbing a folder that presumably held Louis’ paperwork. “Did you have a specific dog in mind, or would you just like to look around?”
The cat had stood up and stretched, then daintily licked its paw. All the while it was still glaring at Louis. He kept an eye on it, half expecting it to attack at any moment. “Erm, just need to meet a few I think,” Louis said “See if there’s a connection.”
Harry nodded, looking curiously between Louis and the cat. “This is Hope,” he said, reaching up to stroke the cat. “She’s friendly, if you’d like to pet her.”
“No thanks,” Louis answered quickly, earning a strange look from Harry. “Not a big fan of cats,” he explained.
“Oh,” Harry replied almost sadly, giving Hope a scratch behind the ears. “Okay, well, let’s go see the dogs then.”
Harry led the way into the back, Hope jumping off the counter to follow them. There were rows and rows of pens, some with one dog and others with several puppies. A few of the pens were empty, and Louis assumed those were the ones outside. They walked down all the aisles, Harry introducing each dog and telling Louis a little about them.
“This is Charlie. He’s allergic to grass. Tippy is blind in one eye. The black one is Roxie. She was rescued from a puppy mill.” Each one came up to sniff curiously at Louis’ hand and wag their tail, but there wasn’t a spark like Louis had imagined. He thought he would see a dog and just know it was the right one for him.
Hope didn’t seem to mind the dogs in the slightest. She wound herself around Louis’ legs, nearly tripping him as he walked, and rubbed right against the wire of the cages. Some of the dogs growled at her while others just wanted a sniff, but each one received the same unimpressed glare she’d given Louis.
“Hope likes you,” Harry said with a smile, nodding down at the little cat. “Sure you won’t consider a cat?”
“Can we see the ones outside?” Louis said, ignoring the question. He came for a dog, and that is what he was getting. Cats were aloof and independent; he wanted a pet that actually seemed to enjoy his company. Which, granted, Hope was sticking fairly close to Louis, but she could just be trying to trip him.
Harry frowned but took Louis to the outside pen, where they were immediately surrounded by dogs. Hope stayed inside and for good reason, Louis thought, as a giant brown dog jumped up on him.
“Tiny, down!” Harry commanded firmly, pushing the dog off of Louis. “He doesn’t realise how big he is,” he explained apologetically.
“Maybe because you named him Tiny,” Louis teased, giving the big dog a pet on the head.
It was fun to interact with the dogs and puppies, but there still wasn’t the connection Louis had hoped for. A few seemed interested in him, but most were content to come over and sniff him before going about their business.
“Is there anybody you’d like to spend some one on one time with?” Harry asked, bending down to scratch the belly of a fluffy white dog.
Louis sighed, disappointed. “I don’t think so.” After being so certain he was finally getting a dog today, it was disheartening not to find the perfect dog for him.
Harry smiled sympathetically and led the way back inside, promising the outside dogs he’d let them in soon before closing the door between them. Hope was right where they left her, just inside the door, and she let out a tiny squeak of a meow as if she was chastising them for leaving her behind.
“Sorry, love,” Harry said, bending to scoop her up. “She doesn’t like to be left alone, does she?” Harry cooed, cuddling the cat close.
Louis raised his eyebrows. He had never seen a cat that liked being held, but Hope was purring so loud that Louis could hear her over the noise of all the dogs. She seemed perfectly content to let Harry carry her back into the lobby.
“Now, we do have some dogs out in foster homes at the moment,” Harry said. “If you’d like I can get the file for you to look through.”
“Yeah, great,” Louis agreed, perking up at the thought that he might still find a dog today.
“I’ll grab it, just a second,” Harry said, dumping the cat into Louis’ arms before stepping over to the desk.
Louis was so surprised he nearly dropped Hope, and she was clearly caught off guard herself. They stared at each other as Louis adjusted his arms, holding her close like Harry had. Once she decided he wasn’t about to drop her, Hope resumed purring. The sound was even louder in the stillness of the lobby.
It was sort of nice, holding her. She was soft and warm, her compact frame a solid weight in Louis’ arms. She butted her forehead into his chin, and he smiled despite himself.
“You two seem to be getting along okay,” Harry mused, returning with a file in his hand. “I thought you hated cats.”
“I do.” Louis insisted. “I’m just surprised she likes attention so much.” He gently set the cat down on the desk. “What’s her story, anyway?”
Harry gestured over to a few chairs against the wall, and Louis took a seat. Hope padded along behind them, immediately hopping into Louis’ lap the second he was seated.
“She’s been here over a year now,” Harry explained. “Someone dumped her out front when she was just a kitten. She was so sick we didn’t think she’d pull through.” He reached over to pet her. “Once she was fit for adoption, she was nearly full grown. People always go for kittens, you know. So she just stays here.”
Louis frowned. He couldn’t imagine just dumping an animal, especially one as sweet as the cat on his lap. She turned in a circle and laid down, using Louis’ arm as a pillow. “None of the staff can take her?”
“I wanted to,” Harry said. “But I have four of my own. Any more and the landlord is going to throw a fit.” He frowned at Hope. “Sweet girl like her needs a home. I hate leaving her here alone every night.”
“I’ll take her.” The words came out without Louis’ permission, and he blinked in surprise.
“Really?” Harry asked, sounding just as startled. “You don’t want to look at the other dogs?”
Louis shook his head. “No,” he decided, more certain now. “She needs a home and she’s clearly taken a shine to me. I want to take her.”
The smile on Harry’s face could have lit an entire city. He practically leapt out of the chair and ran to the desk, excitedly drawing up the adoption papers and printing them for Louis to sign. Louis crossed to the desk, Hope still nestled in his arms.
“How much is the fee?” Louis asked as he signed the papers. He figured it would be cheaper for a cat but didn’t know for sure.
Harry flapped a hand. “Her adoption fee has been sponsored,” Harry said. He ducked his head. “Actually, I paid it myself. I really wanted to see her find a home.” He reached over to stroke beneath her chin. “I have to admit, I am going to miss her.”
“Maybe you can come visit her,” Louis suggested, his mouth working on its own for the second time in an hour. He felt his cheeks go red. “I mean, I don’t know anything about cats, and I could use the help.”
Harry beamed. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He scrawled something on a piece of paper and added it to the pile of Louis’ copies of the paperwork. “My number,” he explained. “So you can ask if you have a question.” It might have been Louis’ imagination, but Harry was blushing a bit himself.
They said their goodbyes, Harry giving Hope a kiss on the head with tears in his eyes, and Louis tucked her into a carrier to take her home. He had a list of things he needed to buy for her, and she yowled pitifully in the carrier, but Louis wasn’t annoyed like he would have been before. Instead he just spoke to her gently, told her about his flat and that they would be there soon. She darted out of the carrier the second he set it down, skittering over the tile in the kitchen, and Louis couldn’t help but giggle.
That night, once Hope had come out of hiding and explored the entire flat, she sought out Louis. Just as she had at the animal centre, she hopped into his lap and curled into a ball. It was nice to have the company, Louis thought, and he only minded a little when she stretched and her claws dug through the fabric of his pyjamas.
When Louis went to bed that night, Hope curled up on the spare pillow and went right to sleep. It was strange, but Louis wasn’t at all disappointed about having a dog. It had only been a few hours but the little cat had filled a hole in his heart he didn’t even know was there. He took a picture of her with his phone, making sure to text it to the number Harry had given him with the caption ‘settling in nicely.’
Harry immediately texted back a slew of emojis. ‘Miss her already!’
Louis grinned at his phone. ‘Come see her anytime,’ he replied.
‘Can’t wait. xx’
That made Louis smile anymore. Not only did he find a companion, but he made a new friend as well. A cute new friend at that. Louis rolled on his side so he could pet Hope, gently so as to not disturb her, and let his eyes drift closed. Perhaps cats weren’t so bad after all, Louis decided. Especially not if they came with cute guys to ask for advice. He had a feeling that he and Hope would be seeing Harry again very, very soon.