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Prompt: Green-eyed monster
If one asked Caesar, he’d admit that his lover wasn’t the brightest person in the world. It seemed that his genius mind was limited to battles. That didn’t mean that the blond Italian didn’t love Joseph. Oh, no, quite the contrary. And yet, it was situations like this that made him question where the genius mind went after the battles.
“There’s a monster in the backyard!”
“Joseph…”
Caesar exhaled. The temptation of smacking the younger man around was strong. Perhaps a few brain cells would wake up as result. The blond looked down at his lover, whose arms wrapped around his waist and chin dug into his stomach. He looked up at him with huge green eyes. If the situation wasn’t so ridiculous, the Italian would have found it cute.
“Caesar, you have to believe me.”
“It’s pitch black outside. Are you sure that you aren’t imagining things?”
The older man asked with skepticism. To be fair, they were impacted from the fight with the pillars a few years ago. The couple dealt with nightmares and paranoia that refused to be shaken off. There was always that fear that there may be more of them out there. That Kars may have returned and with strong vengeance. Perhaps stronger than ever before. No matter how ridiculous it seemed, the fear was real. After all, the couple barely survived last time. Who knew what would happen if they faced those ancient beings again? If the description wasn’t so ridiculous, Caesar would have taken it more seriously. The green-eyed giant pouted up at him.
This was not how the blond imagined his evening to go. He wished for a simple and relaxing one. With a pleasant dinner, a snuggle on the couch and some quiet music being played in the background. Not… this.
“I’m serious. Something is out there!”
“And you didn’t go out there to see what it might be, because…?”
“I want you to go out there with me?”
Joseph replied with what sounded like a question. He tried to hide it behind a bright smile. Caesar resisted to exhale again. He got out of the other’s grip and moved towards the kitchen counter. On it rested a big black flashlight with a handle attached to its side. Next to that was the door that led to their small backyard. One that Caesar enjoyed spending time in ever since the couple bought the house a few years ago. It was a bit hard, as they had to look outside of New York City. But in the end, they found this house and fell in love with it. He only hoped that if there was something in the backyard, it wouldn’t destroy the flowers he planted for the summer.
Without looking back at his partner, Caesar grabbed the flashlight and stepped outside. With a flick of a switch, a bright light cut through the darkness like a knife. The slight cold air bite into his exposed forearms, but not enough for him to roll down his sleeves. It was rather pleasant for a Spring night. It also helped that Joseph’s natural warm body all but pressed against his back. The rough hands gripped his shoulders with his chin resting on the left one. Not paying any mind to the man, he continued to investigate the backyard.
“Where did you see this… monster?”
Mio Dio, it sounded even stupider when he said it out loud.
“In the back, where that big bush is.”
The ‘big bush’ that Joseph talked about was the lilac one. Its flowers were yet to bloom, but they were coming along nicely. Caesar’s own green eyes rolled at the general description. He flashed the light in that direction and moved closer. A few steps in, something made a sound. The couple stopped.
“See!? I told you!” Joseph hissed in his ear. Caesar raised an eyebrow, surprised that the other wasn’t lying. “What do we do? Attack? Run away?”
The older man flicked the younger one in the forehead. A yelp responded at the assault.
“We don’t know what it is. We can’t attack it and if you run away, I will make you suffer.”
The other grumbled underneath his breath but didn’t say or do anything else. Now free of the bigger man’s grip, the other moved closer. Slow and steady, he had to remind himself. Once again, a sound was made, except it sounded like… a mew? What? The blond got on his knees and flashed the light underneath the bush. A pair of impossibly bright green eyes looked up at him. They belonged to a tiny grey cat. A snort escaped him, once he realized that this was the so called ‘monster’. He placed the flashlight on the ground and laid on his stomach. His arm reached out to the cat, who mewed once more and shuffled deeper into the bush. Caesar couldn’t help but coo at it.
“It’s okay, piccolo, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“What is it?”
Joseph finally asked. His lover didn’t respond, too busy grabbing the cat. The animal hissed as it tried to scratch at the hand. Caesar ignored it and pulled the little fur ball closer until it nestled in his arms. It finally stopped resisting and began purring and snuggling into the strong chest. Joseph blinked. He leaned in to get a better look.
“A… cat?”
“Yes, the monster you were so scared of, is a kitten.”
A rather young one, by the looks of it. The taller man huffed at the jab but didn’t give a comeback. He raised his hand to scratch the back of the ear, which twitched, and the cat purred. It made him grin.
“What are we going to do?”
Joseph asked, once he realized the situation, they found themselves in. He never had been in this situation before. Not even when he lived in the suburbs of the English soil. There weren’t many animals that got close to the manor he lived in his childhood.
“I’m going to get this piccolo cleaned up. Tomorrow we can take them to the vet. But while we’re busy, I need you to make some food. I believe we have some canned tuna laying around.”
Caesar watched as his lover brightened up. His eyes twinkled in realization. The excitement was rather contagious, as it made him smile as well.
“Does it mean we can keep them?”
“Only if you help look after them.”
The giant bounced on his heels.
“Yes!”
A whoop escaped Joseph as he ran back inside to prepare some food for their new friend. The blond shook his head in amusements. His facial features softened. He looked back down at the cat in his arms. Their bright, green eyes, almost identical to theirs, looked back at him. Strong fingers scratched underneath the furry chin, getting a purr. Perhaps it was fate that brought them together.
“Welcome to the family, piccolo.”