Chapter Text
“Takashi, hurry up!” Shiro fumbled his hands around to quickly finish tying the jacket around his waist before taking a few long strides to catch up with Adam. With neither of them bound by Garrison duties for one glorious day out of the week, two of the program’s top students had hung up their uniforms for one afternoon in favor of having fun in the nearby city. Something that was absolutely, positively, not a date. Or at least as far as their classmates knew.
Shiro met Adam’s pace and interlocked their fingers as they walked, stomachs full from a nice lunch and wallets gradually emptying from their inability to stop buying each other sappy gifts from whatever store they chose to window shop. “The next bus will be here in a few minutes if you’re ready to head back,” Adam said, showing him the bus schedule on his phone.
The raven-haired cadet nodded and rested his chin on Adam’s shoulder. “‘m yeah, getting pretty tired…”
Adam smiled and rolled his eyes as he reached up to pat his hair. “Oh, poor baby…” He led Shiro to the bench next to the bus stop and reluctantly let him settle his head into his lap.
Shiro hung his arm limb off the side of the bench, swaying it from side to side in boredom while Adam kept an eye out for the bus. His eyes glanced down at the gaps in the bench and oddly enough, something else stared back. His body tensed as fur brushed his fingertips only for a small calico cat to make itself known to the boys.
Its colored spots were sparse, leaving most of its fur a blinding white. It gazed up at Shiro before letting out an adorable squeak. Shiro covered his mouth in shock before slowly reaching out to pick up the kitten. The calico eagerly nuzzled into his hands and mewled again as Shiro picked it up and held it.
“Takashi…” Adam held a stern warning in his voice. He knew about his boyfriend’s love for cats and exactly where his mind was going.
“Adam, she’s so cute!” Shiro cradled the cat and ran his fingers through the fur on her small head.
“We can’t keep a cat at the Garrison, Shiro!”
“Watch me!” Shiro pulled off his jacket and bundled it around the small cat as the bus approached.
Adam groaned and followed him onto the bus, knowing he couldn't wrestle the cat out of his arms without a risk coming to the cat’s health. Shiro showed his student pass to the driver and settled into one of the back seats, keeping the squeaking bundle close as Adam joined him with an exasperated sigh. “You are going to be in so much trouble…”
The cat peeked out of the jacket bundle and stared up at Adam before gently reaching out to touch his arm. “Come on Adam, she likes you. Do you really wanna throw her out in the cold?” Shiro whined and leaned closer to Adam, setting the bundle into Adam’s lap. Adam reluctantly set his hand on the kitten’s small head, smiling softly as it purred and nuzzled his fingers. “She’s like our little baby…” Shiro hummed happily as he leaned on Adam’s shoulder.
Adam smiled softly and continued to pet her. “She needs a name…”
“mm...how about Alba”
“Alba?” Adam raised an eyebrow, the cat squeaking in response.
“Hear that? She likes it!” Shiro beamed.
Adam chuckled and planted a soft kiss to Shiro’s forehead. “You’re such a dork.”
----------
“I got the food!”
“I still can’t believe you're doing this...” Adam sighed as he pet the freshly cleaned kitten in his lap. Shiro shut the door to their dorm and opened the doggy bag of chicken scraps from the kitchen. Alba mewled and hopped down to the floor to eat from Shiro’s hand. “How did you even get that?”
Shiro shrugged and continued to feed Alba small bites of chicken. “Hard to say no to the star student, I guess.”
“You spoiled jerk…” Adam mumbled, his jealousy over Shiro's amount of special treatment didn't affect their relationship at all but it was still very much present.
“You're right, I am spoiled with a perfect boyfriend and our adorable daughter.” Shiro shot him a small wink and Alba mewled, patting Shiro's hand to ask from more food.
“That's enough for now Alba. I'll give you a little more later.” Shiro set the bag down and pulled her into his lap. Alba mewled and kneaded her paws into his leg while Shiro’s fingers curled through the fur on her cheeks. “C’mon Adam, you have to at least admit she’s cute.”
A purr rumbled in Alba’s throat as Adam joined them on the floor of the room. She stretched out her neck to sniff Adam’s hand and nuzzled his digits while remaining in Shiro’s lap. Adam let out a sigh and pet her head. “Yeah, she is pretty cute…”
From then on the two cared for the small kitten in secret. Shiro managed to sweet talk his way into getting some bowls from the kitchen to use for food, water, and the eventual and horrific realization that was sneaking out to buy cat litter. At night Shiro would rise from his cluttered bed and cross the room to lay with Adam on the small twin mattress.
Once both were settled in, Alba took that as a cue to join them. She paced over their bodies, the slight pressure of her paws on their sides being slightly painful but neither would dare shift and force her to jump off. She would eventually settle in the gap between them, curled up in a tiny ball and kneading her claws into the blanket in a slow rhythm as she fell asleep. They were content this way for about two weeks before disaster struck.
Adam was the first one awake as usual, whining out complaints about being late for breakfast to the half-asleep teammate pinning him to the mattress. Shiro whined as Adam practically dragged him out of bed and into his uniform, wearily checking to make sure Alba had enough food and water before leaving the room. Unbeknownst to them, the door to said room closed behind them a bit later than they thought.
Alba flicked her tail passed the doorway just before it closed, her two friends had already turned the corner and she had completely lost track of where they went. That was hardly a concern, however, as the kitten trotted away to explore the new labyrinth of corridors that had opened up to her.
----------
“Alba! We’re back!”
“Takashi don’t shout it out. Someone might hear.” Adam warned in a hushed whispered as the exhausted cadets stepped into the dorm room.
Shiro waved off Adam’s worry and looked around the small room. “Come on out baby. It’s just us.” he dropped to his knees and shimmied under Adam’s bed to see if she was there. “Adam, do you see her?”
“No trace of her…” Adam muttered as he peeled back the blankets on their beds to check. Adam felt worry gather in the pit of his stomach. “Kashi...I think she got out…”
A startling loud bang came back in response as Shiro smacked his head on the bed frame as he pulled back. “What?! How??”
Adam winced at the hit and looked around the room again. “I don’t know, but she isn’t here, Takashi. If she’s not in the room then where is she?”
The panic in Shiro’s eyes did more than any amount of words could do to convey his fear of every hypothetical situation that could now have happened while they were gone. Shiro waited until the pulsing pain in his head subsided before standing up. He shoved the door back open, the automatic mechanism being far too slow for his state of mind right now.
“Takashi wait!” Adam ran after him, fighting his urge to not run in the halls and risk getting yelled at. Shiro disregarded that worry entirely as he raced down the halls, his boots sliding on the floor and knocking him into the walls as he sharply turned the corners of the winding halls. His eyes scanning every nook and cranny as he sped past other cadets, looking for any trace of the cat.
“Takashi slow down!” Adam yelped as he finally caught up to him, nearly tripping over him when Shiro suddenly stopped and crouched on the floor. In between his fingers was a small white hair, two bright and short to be from any of the Garrison staff.
“She was down this way…” Shiro rose to his feet again and continued the search at a mercifully slower pace.
As they passed an intersecting hallway Adam grabbed Shiro’s collar and pulled him back. Shiro looked back at him in confusion, only getting a point down the other hall as a response. A small striped tail flicked and curled at the far end of the hall before disappearing completely into an open doorway. Shiro didn’t think twice about following Alba but Adam tried tugging him back again.
“Wait, those are the offices. We could get in serious trouble for going in there!”
“We don’t have a choice, Adam. If they find Alba we’re in even worse trouble.” Shiro shook off Adam’s grip and approached the office in question. It wasn’t as hard as Adam was making it out to be. Get in, get Alba, get out. Get in, get Alba, get out. Get in, get Al-
“Need something cadet?”
Shiro’s back was conditioned to straighten at the sound of Iverson’s voice, another year in this place and his hand would have already been at his forehead in a salute. “N-no, sir! I just misplaced something, wondering if any of the officers kept a lost and found.” If Shiro wasn’t the up and coming star student, lying through his teeth probably wouldn’t have worked.
Iverson seemed to scan his face before responding. “Try Officer Hendrick if you lost something, but more importantly you should keep better track of our things cadet.”
Shiro's eyes trailed down to Alba circling one of the thick legs of Iverson’s desk. “Yes sir, it won’t happen again.”
“You have a bright future here, Shirogane. I expect better than these kinds of-”
“Merw”
Shiro’s bit his lip as if holding back a tidal wave of curses as Iverson stopped mid-sentence and rolled back in his chair to investigate the noise. Alba shamelessly walked into his field of vision, staring up at his face with her big bulbous eyes and rubbing against his feet. Shiro was paralyzed from the fear of what would happen. Iverson was ruthless in their training and even if he didn’t get punished the kitten would probably be kicked out like a pest to fend for herself. Would they put her down? It wasn’t exactly easy to determine what a government military would do with a stray animal on their premises but the worst case scenario put Shiro on the verge of tears.
Iverson was rightfully hesitant but picked the small cat up by the scruff, holding up the rest of it with his other hand until he could gently set it on his desk. “What the heck is a cat doing here?”
Shiro wasn’t entirely sure if that was directed at him or a general statement, he was just relieved that Iverson was being gentle. “Beats me, sir…”
“Shiro, did you find Alba yet?” Adam peered into the room and immediately covered his mouth when he saw Iverson.
The commander raised an eyebrow, looking between the two fearful cadets and the kitten investigating the papers and other items on his desk. “Shirogane, Winters, you wouldn’t happen to know where this cat came from, would you?” he voice carried a strong warning that whatever they did at this point, they weren’t coming out of the office unscathed.
Shiro bit his lip and sighed, there wasn’t a single way around this. “Yes, we brought her in and kept her in our dorm. We didn’t mean to let her get out!” Shiro’s posture stayed straight and professional as he held back his emotions and all the tear-filled begging he wanted to do not to have her hurt.
Alba, clearly being unable to read the room, meowed loud and cheerful, nuzzling Iverson’s large knuckles and hopping into his lap. She laid down on his legs, paws widely spread out and hanging over the edge of the chair, bright eyes still staring up at him as she purred.
“Well, no wonder she got out. You were keeping her in a damn dorm room, we pack you kids into those like sardines. But this little thing saw a chance for something better, and she took it. A fearless explorer, like the many who have served in the Galaxy Garrison. Such an admirable creature...” Iverson's chest swelled with pride as he spoke, fingers rubbing circles into the fur on her side.
It took a moment for either of the cadets to process what he was rambling about.
“So...would you let her stay..?” Shiro knew he should have bit his tongue on trying to ask that but at least Iverson didn’t look horribly offended by the question when he looked back at the two cadets.
“Fine, if she strived to be here, I can’t stop her. But you two sneaking a stray animal onto Garrison property is another story!” Adam winced at the scolding tone while Shiro took it in stride. They really should have seen this coming. “Instead of slacking off long enough to find another cat to bring here, you’ll be spending the next month taking over cleaning duties from the other cadets! And the supplies for her is coming out of your monthly allowances.”
Shiro held in a whine and saluted, Adam following suit. “Yes, sir!” the replied, eager to serve so long as that meant Alba was allowed to stay.
----------
Shiro whined as he collapsed on the bed, Adam following suit, pressing the air out of Shiro’s chest with a painful wheeze. Their arms and legs refused to move with any sense of coordination or precision as they settled into bed from their long chore shift. Adam raised his head slightly to set his glasses on the table when a muffled meow came to the door. The boys shared a look before Adam reluctantly got up and shuffled back to the door. Neither of them had seen Alba in days and had been left to hope that Iverson kept his word.
Alba trotted proudly through the door. She meowed again and nuzzled Adam’s legs with a purr. Adam smiled and gently picked her up, carrying her to the bed and to Shiro’s waiting arms. “Look who showed up…”
Shiro only responded with a happy hum as he pet the kitten. Alba shook out her fur as Adam squirmed back onto the bed, a jingling noise coming from the new engraved dog tag attached to her collar, the Galaxy Garrison logo proudly emblazoned next to her name. Regardless of the authorities that would try to have her removed in the coming months, she belonged here, same as the rest of them.