Work Text:
It wasn’t that Aona never visited Azzy at work because he wasn’t proud of him, quite the opposite in fact. Opening a cat cafe with your friends was a huge accomplishment. Aona was so proud of his brother, of this great thing he had created. He didn’t have the heart to tell Azzurum that he was afraid he’d find a way to ruin it. Aona had never been great at socializing, and for the most part, he was okay with that, but he didn’t want to scare off Azzurum’s friends or accidentally cause drama in the group. So, he stayed away, despite Azzy’s constant invitations.
That changed after Aona, walking home from work, heard some scuffling from a nearby alley. Aona tensed up, cautiously approaching the noise, only to be met with a croaky “ mrow ”. There was a rustling noise, and out of the shadows came a fat, black-and-orange cat, apprehensively sniffing the air around Aona before seemingly deeming him worthy and rubbing against his leg.
“...Hello? Are you lost?” the genasi crouched next to the cat, searching for a collar. Upon finding none, and after a few moments of deliberation about what his next move ought to be, he set about trying to pick up the cat, eventually settling for cradling it like a baby, which it luckily seemed to tolerate. He continued his walk back to the apartment he and Azzurum shared, knowing that his brother would be able to help.
“Aona you will not believe what happened at work today- ohhh my god is that a cat?! ” Azzy exclaimed as soon as Aona made it through the door.
“Yes? I found it in an alley, and there was no collar, but I didn’t want to just leave it there, and I figured you’d know what to do,” Aona worried that maybe he should have sent Azzurum a heads-up, but luckily he seemed excited rather than annoyed.
“Oh, she’s so cute !”
“How can you tell it’s a she?”
“Ah- pretty much all tortoiseshell cats are female.”
“She doesn’t have a shell though?”
“Oh, buddy …”
Together, they took the cat, now christened “Tortoise”, to the local vet. While the vet didn’t find a microchip, what they did find was that Tortoise was very, very pregnant, but otherwise healthy. After a quick conversation and a phone call, it was decided that Tortoise would stay with Azzurum’s friend/coworker, Lidara, as she lived above the cafe and would have better supplies to take care of her during the last week or so of her pregnancy, before moving her and her kittens into the cafe proper.
So, for the first time, Aona stepped into Whiskers of Fate. The cafe had a cozy, lived-in feel to it, mismatched chairs and mugs, and bookshelves lining the walls, with cat towers stuffed in corners and boxes of cat toys. The cafe was closed for the night, but the smell of coffee and pastries still permeated the air. Waiting for them on one of the stools by the counter was an elven woman with blue-gray skin and white hair tied back in a bun, a black cat curled up next to her. At the sound of the door opening, she looked up from what was either a notebook or sketchbook, the cat mirroring her.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite coworker!”
“Hello, Azzurum,” the elf responded, with a long-suffering sigh. “You must be Aona, and I’m assuming that,” she said, pointing to the recently-purchased carrier, “is Tortoise?” Aona nodded, gently setting the carrier down.
“Is it alright to let her out?” Aona asked, feeling bad for keeping Tortoise cooped up but not wanting to overstep any boundaries. With a nod of approval from Lidara, Aona unzipped the carrier. Tortoise trotted out with a grateful ‘ mrp’ , headbutting Aona’s hand before examining her new surroundings. Lidara moved to crouch next to Aona, reaching out a hand for Tortoise to sniff.
“She’s a friendly one, isn’t she?” Lidara said fondly as Tortoise headbutted her, too. The black cat peered around Lidara, curious about the new inhabitant. Tortoise seemed to notice the attention, as she returned the look, cocking her head to the side. Aona held his breath, worrying that the two cats would break out into a fight at any second. As if noticing his anxiety, Lidara spoke. “Oh, that’s Vana, she’s a sweetheart, she won’t start anything with Tortoise here, isn’t that right?” she said, ruffling the fur on top of Vana’s head, pressing a kiss to her forehead. Tortoise walked over to Vana, sniffing the air apprehensively before nuzzling against the fellow cat. Aona let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, we oughta get out of your hair. And fur,” Azzurum said, ”Text us if there’s any updates?”
“Of course! You’re free to visit her whenever you want, save for the middle of the night.”
“Thank you,” Aona said, reaching over to pat Tortoise on the head in parting.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later, Aona found himself back in Whiskers of Fate, though this time during operating hours. His boss at the garden supply store, Rowain (though she insisted he call her ‘Granny’), had given him the day off, and Aona never dealt well with downtime. So, he decided to check on Tortoise. According to Azzurum, she was adjusting well, but Aona still felt he should visit.
Luckily the cafe wasn’t too crowded. Behind the counter was a green tiefling that Aona registered as Vincent, Azzurum’s other friend. Lidara was manning the register, and Azzy was moving from table to table, making small talk with the customers. Aona made his way over to Lidara, keeping an eye out to make sure he didn’t step on a tiny tail or paw.
“Uh- hello, I was hoping I could see Tortoise?” he asked.
“Sure! She’s upstairs, do you want a coffee or anything while I go get her?”
“Oh, just a tea is fine, thanks,”
“Alright, any preference as to what kind?” Aona blinked.
“Oh uh, whatever you like best I guess?” Lidara just smiled and nodded, turning to prepare the drink. Aona lingered near the counter, worried he was taking up too much space. He felt out of place in the cozy environment, like if he talked too loudly he would break something. Before he could start picking at his cuticles, a mug was nudged into his hands.
“It’s just an earl grey, I made it with almond milk though, ‘cause I know Azzurum’s vegan and I figured you might be, too.” Lidara explained, before calling his twin over to man the register while she retrieved Tortoise.
“Thank you,” Aona said softly, watching her go.
“Well if it isn’t my favorite baby brother!” Azzurum said as he sauntered over to the counter.
“You have no proof to back that statement. You could be the baby for all we know,”
“He does act like one sometimes.” Vincent grumbled, pouring another customer’s order.
“ Rude! This is workplace harassment, I’m telling HR.” Azzurum’s specific brand of chaos eased Aona’s worries a bit. Knowing that all eyes and ears would be directed towards his brother made him feel less like he was being watched, lessening the prickling feeling on the back of his neck, the gut instinct to stay vigilant. He was grateful for it. Aona took a sip of his tea, the warmth filling his chest. It was nice, almost flowery, but not overwhelmingly so.
As the two coworkers continued bickering, the door to the back opened, and out came Lidara and a (somehow rounder) Tortoise. Aona felt himself smile, something that, while not wholly unusual nowadays, was still somewhat unfamiliar. Tortoise trotted right over to him, greeting him with little chirping sounds, to which he responded by patting her head.
“If you want, you could stay for a while, we have plenty of open tables,” Lidara offered.
“I think I’d like that.”
—------—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since that visit, Aona had been coming to the cafe a couple of times a week. The cats were surprisingly relaxing, and he had especially bonded with Tortoise, though more and more she was being accompanied by Vana. He also spoke more to Azzurum’s coworkers. Aona had never really had friends, not until Azzurum, who he wasn’t fully sure counted, considering they were brothers. But one day, as Vincent made Aona’s usual order and Lidara carried Tortoise to his usual seat, he realized that, impossibly, these people were becoming exactly that.
One day, Aona visited the cafe after a particularly grueling day at work. It had been a busy day at the shop, and the bustle and noise left his skin crawling. Initially he worried that the cafe would just feel like more noise, more stress, but the moment he stepped in the door, he felt like he could breathe just a little bit easier.
As he settled into his spot, drink in his hand and Tortoise in his lap, he was surprised to see Lidara settle into the seat across from him, Vana not far behind.
“Rough day?” she asked, and Aona hummed in confirmation. From the way Lidara pursed her lips, he gathered that the same applied to her. Usually Aona struggled to read people, but something about Lidara was familiar, not quite a mirror image of himself, but more alike than different.
The two sat there together, occasionally talking about the small things, but spending most of it in the comfortable silence of being understood without having to explain, of solidarity. It was long enough that both Vana and Tortoise had fallen asleep in their laps and it was time for the cafe to close up. Aona went to move, but Azzurum stopped him, motioning him to stay where he was.
“Woah, woah woah, you’re a cat bed right now, moving is illegal, you too, Lidara,”
“We have to close up though,” Lidara protested
“Me and Vincent can do that, you two just uhh stay here,” said Azzurum, with a mischievous grin. Aona tilted his head questioningly at his brother, but he only shrugged and walked away.
Lidara seemed similarly confused, but neither were complaining, necessarily. There were certainly worse ways to spend time than curled up with a cat in your lap, and they both knew it.
“So… Do you have any hobbies?” Lidara asked.
“Not really, uh, besides kickboxing.” It was something that his father had signed him up for when he was young, but even after he moved out, even despite the former connection, Aona found it to be a good outlet.
“Really? I used to kickbox! It’s been a while though, so I’m probably pretty rusty at it. We should spar sometime, though!”
“I think I’ll take you up on that. What about you?”
“Hm?”
“Any, uh, hobbies?”
“Oh, well, I like to draw. Art in general, I guess. I’ve been meaning to get into gardening, but I’m not sure I’d have the time, plus not all plants are cat-friendly,”
Aona nodded, making a mental note to ask Granny about plants that were safe for cats, maybe something easy to take care of.
Eventually, Azzurum and Vincent finished closing up. Almost on cue, Tortoise woke up with a big, languid stretch. Aona scritched behind her ears like Lidara had shown him a few days prior.
“Well, I’ll see you soon?” Lidara asked. Aona was shocked at the hope in her voice, he still couldn’t fully grasp why anyone would want to see him again, but either way, here they were.
“Yeah. See you soon,” he said with a soft smile, following Azzurum out the door.
“Soooo… Lidara, huh?” Azzurum asked him as they were walking back to their apartment.
“What about her?”
“You two seem to be getting pretty close.”
“She’s very nice. Easy to be around.” Sometimes, people just made Aona feel terrible, whether it be words or looks or his own residual paranoia, but Lidara felt good, safe.
“ And? ”
“And I’m happy to be her... friend?”
“Right, but would you wanna be more than that?”
“Like uh,” Aona paused, trying to remember the word Azzurum always used, “Like… besties?”
“Well, sure, but I was thinking, you two could be good together, like romantically.”
“Oh,” he said, thinking it over. It would be nice, to care for someone that deeply, and be cared for in return. He certainly cared for Lidara, though he didn’t know her too well. He liked being around her, liked talking to her, he liked her. Aona wasn’t familiar with romance, but he figured that with Lidara, almost anything could be nice. She made his worst days seem more tolerable, at least.
“You don’t have to act on it, or rush anything, just… offering my support.” As much as Azzurum loved to tease people, he cared deeply for the ones he deemed family, and Aona was perpetually grateful to be considered a part of that.
“Thanks, Azzurum.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next morning, Aona woke up to a text from an unknown number, containing a photo of four tiny kittens, with the caption ‘ Hatchlings! (This is Lidara by the way)’ . Aona smiled, adding her to his contacts before responding.
‘How is Tortoise?’
In response, he received a photo of the familiar cat, curled up in a cat bed with her kittens.
‘Cute.’
‘If you’re free, you should swing by and visit!’
‘Will do.’
Aona had the day off, so he and Azzurum walked together to the cafe. Lidara had texted Azzurum the situation earlier that morning, and he had given Aona’s number to her. Aona’s phone still had more blocked numbers than contacts, but he didn’t much mind.
Soon enough they were greeted by the familiar door chime, Lidara excitedly greeting them before ushering Aona into her apartment and telling Azzurum to set up shop. There were bags under her eyes, but a soft smile rested on her face.
As Lidara guided him to where the kittens were resting, he glanced around the apartment. It was lived-in, cozy, a sketchbook lying open on the coffee table with a cup of earl grey next to it. There were a few photos on the wall, a good portion of them featuring two people who resembled Lidara, others with Vincent and Azzurum. It was nice, comfortable. Aona wasn’t used to being in others’ spaces, and he was worried he would cross some boundary or make a wrong move, but the soothing atmosphere, alongside Lidara’s comforting presence, was a balm to his anxieties.
His thoughts were interrupted by a squeaky ‘mew’ , immediately drawing his attention. Standing at his feet, almost rebelliously, was a tiny orange cat. Aona wasn’t sure if he was supposed to feel intimidated or charmed. Either way, he crouched down, outstretching a hand for the kitten to sniff. The kitten squeaked again, before bravely stumbling back to its mother. Aona followed behind.
“She’s gonna be happy to see you” Lidara said, looking at Aona with something so openly fond that he felt his face heat up. He was saved from responding by the same cat doubling back to stare at them demandingly with a disgruntled ‘ rrow ’.
“Well someone’s bossy,” Lidara laughed, “they’re over here.”
Sure enough, at the other end of the couch, there was Tortoise and her kittens, still snuggled together. Tortoise lifted her head when Aona crouched down, chirping a greeting. Aona responded with head scritches.
“I think you should be the one to name them,” said Lidara.
“Me?”
“Well, you were the one to find Tortoise and, by proxy, the kittens.”
“I’m not very good at names.”
“Neither is Vincent. He named a cat Soup once.” Lidara snickered.
“Okay,” Aona said, frantically looking around the apartment for any inspiration. His eyes caught on one of the photos on the wall, presumably taken at some sort of concert with Vincent playing violin. “Uhm, that one’s Clarinet,” Aona said, pointing to a black and white kitten. Lidara giggled, but nodded for him to keep going. Using the same method, he named a pure white kitten ‘Shoe’ and a gray kitten ‘Fork’. Then it was time to name the feisty orange kitten, his eyes catching on another photo, this one of the three coworkers decked out in their aprons and smiling at the camera, captioned ‘Opening Day!’, and so the final kitten was named ‘Barista’ (‘Barry’ for short).
While he’d been thinking of names, Lidara had been moving around in the kitchen, eventually returning with mugs of tea for the both of them. They spent a good while just sitting side by side on the floor next to the cat bed, Lidara showing Aona how to play with the kittens. Barista was especially fond of the string toys, trying to pounce to catch his ‘prey’. Fork joined her brother for a bit, but eventually went back to napping with her mom.
Eventually, rush hour came for the cafe, and Lidara had to go downstairs to help out. Aona got one more tea for the road, before heading out to do some shopping. Even though it was his day off, Aona found himself stepping over the threshold to Blondie’s Botany , greeted by a familiar face.
“Aona! Did you forget it was your day off?” Granny asked.
“No, actually, I was hoping to get something for a… friend,”
“Oh, a friend , is it?”
“Um. Yes, preferably something live and cat-safe. Maybe easy to take care of?”
“I have just the thing.”
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day, Aona accompanied Azzurum to the cafe again, this time carrying a small potted plant. Azzurum didn’t comment on it, just looked at him knowingly and wiggled his brows. When they arrived at the cafe, Azzurum scampered off to the back, claiming he had to check inventory and sending Aona a wink. Aona walked over to the counter, where Lidara was already brewing tea for the both of them.
“Good morning, Aona” she smiled, that fond look back on her face.
“Good morning. I uh- I got you something.”
“Oh?” Lidara said, sliding over the mug. Mirroring her, Aona placed the pot on the counter and gently slid it over.
“You, uh, mentioned wanting to garden and so… it’s catmint, it’s supposed to be very cat-friendly,” Aona sputtered. Lidara reached out, lightly touching the leaves with a look of awe before turning back to Aona with a determined look on her face.
“Aona… this may be a bit sudden, but would you want to go out sometime? Like as a date?”
“I- yes, yes I think I would like that,” Aona stuttered, somewhere between shock and giddiness. Vana jumped onto the counter, sniffing the new gift curiously before rubbing her face in it.
“Oh boy, she’s gonna get the zoomies,” Lidara commented.
“The what?”
“You’ll see.”