Chapter Text
“Fargo, get out of here.” Jack barked breathlessly as he struggled to hold on to the furious cat in his arms.
“YEOWWWWRRRRRRRRR!” Shrieked the cat, as he flailed madly in Jack’s arms. Fargo squeaked in fright, but slithered past, avoiding Nathan’s lunge and fled out of the door.
The huge tabby cat in Jack’s arms slumped, and Jack staggered from the sudden stillness, slumping into the chair conveniently close by, with Nathan on his lap.
Jack had to admit, Fargo had outdone himself this time. There was a button, Fargo pressed it, and Nathan had lunged forward half a second too late, he had pushed Jack clear, but the wave of sparkly green light had enveloped him, there was a blinding flash and when everyone had reorientated themselves, instead of a six foot four angry scientist in a suit that cost more than Jack’s monthly paycheck, there was a large and angry tabby cat, with a white flash on his chest, and four white paws. A Maine Coon, fully grown (Jack was quite relieved at that), and really, this was Stark, it figured that if he was going to get turned into anything, it would be something huge, and patrician with a lengthy ancestry.
Nathan Stark would never be an ordinary moggy.
Allison’s expression of distaste said it all. “I don’t like cats.” There was something distinctly cat-like about the way she bared her teeth as she skipped past out the door (which Jack forbore to mention in a rare moment of self-preservation), in search of Henry and Taggart to do something about Nathan’s feline state.
Jack sighed. Allison didn’t want him, and Jack had no doubt that Nathan would terrorise Fargo, and Fargo had a dog too.
Carter to the rescue.
Day 1
“You will wear the collar.” Jack bent over until he was eye level with Nathan, sitting on the kitchen table.
The green eyes flashed fire, and the thick fluffy tail made it quite clear exactly where Jack could go, and what he could do with the collar when he got there.
Jack was not above emotional bribery. “Please.” he went with the sad eyes, “I don’t want to lose you.”
Nathan made a strange grumbley sound, and eyed him with distaste, but the tail stopped lashing and he submitted to having the collar buckled around his neck. Jack had fastened the tag, and concealed it in his hand, he was winging it here, certain though that Nathan would not be too pleased to be tagged as “Nathan” with Carter, and Jack’s cell number on the reverse, but there was no way Nathan was going to get lost on Jack’s watch.
The battle with the collar now over, Jack was going to be magnanimous about dinner, the skirmish over lunch where Nathan made it extremely clear that he was not dining from a dish on the floor, he was not eating cat food at all, although Jack drew the line at a glass of red. Nathan was on water until he was human again.
Day 2
Jack should have known. He really should have.
Nathan had won Zoe over in a heartbeat (“Dad, he’s so fluffy!”) He made a face. He had the feeling that Nathan was going to get away with murder.
Jack spent the day, as he usually did when dealing with Global Dynamics, putting out fires and restraining himself from the comments he wanted to make to Allison about scientists and doing things just because they could without stopping to think whether they should.
Nathan spent the day following Jack about, staring reproachfully at Allison, who was beginning to squirm a little under that sad but aloof gaze, growling at Fargo when he passed by which freaked the scientist entirely, and slapping at the hands of scientists who wanted to touch him with a warning hiss.
Jack arrived home after a long day to find Zoe on the couch with Lucas. Jack sighed. “SARAH beer me, I’m going to get a shower.” He was too tired to argue.
Nathan deposited himself on the couch back next to Zoe and glared at Lucas.
The boy moved closer. Nathan growled. The boy stopped moving and turned back to his textbook.
Jack finished his shower and moved into the kitchen, comfortably dressed in sweat pants and a tee shirt. He could see that Nathan had moved closer to Zoe, and watched out of the corner of his eye as Lucas stealthily tried to slide an arm around Zoe’s shoulders. Nathan hissed and struck. Jack grinned as Zoe’s beau withdrew his hand, shaking it, as Nathan climbed down from his perch and deposited himself on Zoe’s lap.
Like many young women, Zoe was easily diverted by the cute, and Nathan’s lazy affection really should have bothered Jack, but somehow it didn’t. Lucas took himself off soon after.
“Good boy.” Jack raised his beer to Nathan-cat with a nod.
Nathan lay back on the couch and regarded him with half closed eyes…. The tail twitched in response, which Jack took as “you’re welcome”
Jack could get used to this.