Work Text:
Green eyed the door warily. “This isn’t just another one of those chip tests, is it? You’re really gonna try to help me get better?”
Sa Eno carefully plucked the hypo from the tray. “The chip is a priority, yes,” she said, “but if your body will not withstand the trials then all our efforts will be set back by the need to find a replacement. And your mental health is also something to consider. I have read that this is an effective form of stress relief among humans. This will be a two-fold experiment. Now, if you please.”
She held up the hypo, and Green tilted his head expectantly. He flinched slightly when the hypo made contact with his neck, but otherwise remained still. When she was finished, Sa Eno replaced the device on the tray and gestured toward the door.
“The medicine should take effect immediately. After one hour, I will bring you back to the workstation to check its effects. Now go through the door please. Echo and Diode Squad are already waiting for you.”
Green took a breath and approached the door, which slid smoothly open with a soft whooosh. The room beyond was softly lit, pale turquoise coloring the walls. It still looked like part of a doctor’s office, but far more welcoming than the sterile white halls of Tipoca. Echo and Diode huddled in the far corner of the room, hunched over something on the ground. As Green approached, 7723 turned to look at him. His eyes were sparkling in a way that Green had never seen before.
“They’re so soft!” 7723 said, his voice carrying a tinge of awe.
Green took a step closer, but froze at an unexpected sound . A soft, high-pitched mew! came from the corner. Diode shifted suddenly, 7721 and 7722 trying to grasp at something that scampered between their legs. Somehow whatever it was managed to evade them. Then Green saw it clearly. A small gray-striped kitten, no bigger than his hand, came bounding toward him. It fell against his leg, staring up at him with bright blue eyes. Green stared back in wonder.
“You may pet it,” came Echo’s voice from across the room. “It will not hurt you.”
Green slowly knelt down and held out his hand. The kitten smushed its head into Green’s palm. Mew! its little voice said. Mew! Mew! Green ran his fingers lightly over the kitten’s back. “It’s…so soft?”
“I told you,” said 7723.
Green let the kitten rub itself on his hand. It had stopped mewing, and was now purring happily. Its little body thrummed beneath Green’s fingers. Carefully, he scooped it into his hand and picked it up, cradling it against his chest.
Or trying to cradle it anyway. The kitten squirmed out of Green’s grasp and hooked its little claws into the material of his shirt, climbing up and over his shoulder. Green tried to reach for it.
“Ack! What’s it doing? Where did it go?”
As if on cue, the kitten reemerged on Green’s other shoulder. Mew! Mew! it called out.
“If you lose that one,” Echo said, something in his voice resembling warmth and amusement, “there are more.”
Diode Squad parted synchronously, revealing a nest of blankets. No longer held at bay by Diode, the kittens spilled over the edge, tottering and bounding toward their sibling as it called for them atop Green’s shoulder. A chorus of mew! mew! answered. The kittens reached Green and clambered up into his lap, purring and rubbing their heads on any part of Green they could reach. Some bravely ascended his shirt to perch on his shoulders as well. Green turned his head to try and get a better look, and a particularly daring kitten pushed its cheek into Green’s and then licked him.
“Ah!” Green started. The kittens erupted in mews as he shifted. “It’s rough!”
“Their tongues do have a strange sensation,” 7724 said, walking over and sitting beside Green. The rest of Diode followed. Echo picked two kittens off Green’s shoulder and settled them in his own lap as he sat down. They had other ideas, however, and scrambled up his shirt as well. One of them reached out to swat at the implant on his head.
Green couldn’t help the smile that broke out across his face. “They’re so cute!” A chorus of mews answered him. He scooped up another kitten and held it close, burying his face in its soft fur. A wave of emotion swept over him. He’d never dreamed of a moment so sweet and perfect. He sniffled, blinking back the moisture that suddenly welled up in his eyes.
Echo turned toward him suddenly. “Are you experiencing any ill effects? Difficulty breathing? Itching eyes? Mucous buildup in your nose?”
Green shook his head. “No, I’m just…” he nuzzled the kitten again, “…really happy.”
The kitten purred.
Later, Sa Eno determined that the inoculation she had given Green had been effective. If nothing else, he would at least not have to worry about being allergic to cats. It was a small step, but it was a step. She watched the holocam feed in the room, where Green had been allowed to return. He lay on his back, letting the kittens climb over him. Diode must have told him that she was watching, because he turned to the cam and mouthed “thank you”, before a kitten lost its balance on his chest and tumbled into his face.
Even through the door, she could hear his joyous laugh.