Work Text:
You had just gotten done knitting. It was a project you had been working on for quite some time - it has consumed the entirety of the last month. You didn’t really mind, knowing it’s going to see a lot of use, but it still felt good to pop your knuckles one last time while hunched over it.
You stretch, your body feeling refreshed, as you stand to go find Andrew.
You hold it by the shoulders one last time - running your eyes up and down and confirming every stitch is where it should be. The thick wool masked most of the imperfections anyway, but you preferred to rest easy knowing the gift was as flawless as you could get it to be.
You don't walk for long until you find who you’re looking for - He was, as usual, sitting by a window and staring outside. He’s told you before that he’s rather wary of going out physically, but loves to appreciate the natural beauty by a distance.
“Hey, Drew?” You approach slowly, hands behind your back.
He looks at you, his eyes half-lidden and visibly relaxed.
“I made you something!” You exclaimed with proud cheer, taking the shirt from behind you and holding it out for him. “What do you think?”
You look at his face expectantly. He appears taken aback as he looks the gift up and down. “You made this…?” He hesitantly brushed the back of his hand against a bottom corner. “And…for me?” His eyes met yours, an innocent and grateful shine captured within his unusually transparent pupils.
“Of course! I wouldn’t do it for anyone else!” You chuckle. “Do you like it?”
“I…” He looked around swiftly, searching for his words. “I love it! So much! Oh, dear…It’s perfect…” He stood from his seat, catching you in an embrace as the sweater was carelessly sandwiched between you, still in your grasp. “What made you do that…for me?”
“The weather’s only going to get colder and you don’t have many layers to pick from. My hands were free in the evenings, so…” He looked at you, then finally connected his lips against yours in an excitedly messily-executed kiss. Once you pulled away, only one question remained:
“Want to try it on?”
Andrew nodded with much enthusiasm, his bangs scattering to reveal his second eye. He readjusted his glasses with practiced memory and took your hand to your bedroom, which housed a full-length mirror.
He never really liked his reflection. Was a simple sweater really enough to convince him to not avoid the mirror for once?
Well, apparently yes, as he eagerly tugged it on. You adjust the collar of his button-up below as he holds his arms straight, smoothing down the sleeves and reaching to tug the bottom end towards his belt.
The sweater was mostly a soft orange hue, with some cream-yellow, squiggly lines sprinkled through the very middle across the torso and sleeves of the sweater. They looked nice with his white hair.
“Damn, I made the sleeves too long.” You curse as you compare the cuff to his wrist, or rather his palm, as it reached past and ended at around the base of his thumb.
“It’s quite comfortable, actually…” Andrew corrected, which admittedly cheered you up.
You watched him turn slightly and appreciate his new favorite article of clothing, but soon conversation about it ran dry and you parted with a kiss to resume whatever you were doing prior. In your case, it was finally tucking your balls of yarn away to a basket deep in your wardrobe.
—
The two of you sat facing each other, both sipping away at a delightfully warming tea. It was getting late now, as it was well into the afternoon, the sky above your little home swirled with uninviting grays. You hold your mug with both hands, placing it down on the table with a clink as the tingly aftertaste of ginger remains on your tongue.
"I wonder if those apples are gone."
"The ones by that old house?" Sure enough, there was an abandoned, decrepit home a walk away from yours. It was left to rot and haunt passersby with its gnarly appearance after the foundation had apparently gotten too moldy - that's the version your neighbor held. You and Andrew both knew that, truly, it was only because an unwelcome ghost moved in and chased the inhabitants out.
"Yeah…Apparently, the tree is no one's, so nobody came to gather the apples."
"The boars will clean them up"
"But it feels like a waste! They're perfectly good apples…”
"What would you even do with them?"
"We'll both see once you come asking me for something sweet to eat. Get up. We're gathering those apples."
"At least let me finish my tea first!!-"
And so, your pair embarked on a mission - elbows either linked together or carrying baskets, scarves knotted around your necks to your ears, new sweater proudly displayed on Andrew, boots buckled, doors locked…
It was probably around 5 by now. The clouds only darkened as they accompanied you on your trip, the breezeless atmosphere seeming weirdly lonely as if nature itself was grieving to part with the heat of summer. Gone were the birds and crickets, their cheery calls left without a replacement. The somber, lifelessly still air was unpleasant as it filled your lungs.
You walked through the pebbled road for what was quite a short moment. The carpet of leaves was nowhere near crunchy or colorful, instead dulled and settling between the grooves of the rocks below your feet.
"It's much prettier back home…The trees are so bare here." Andrew spoke up, disappointment apparent in his tone. "I used to hate winter time. The colorful leaves helped take my mind off the cold. I hated when they fell. This is just that all over again." He shook his head disapprovingly.
"Oh, Andrew… at least you've got a warm place to sleep now?" You squeeze his hand in yours.
"Yeah…I guess so." He kicked the leaves leisurely, though his lips curved to a smile. "There's you too, which makes it better."
You couldn't stop the smile that stretched your lips. "Well, you've made my life more pleasant, too. It was so lonely before you came around." You admit.
You've never really told him things like this before, despite how long you've known each other. He has heard a lot about your past, sure, but you've never told him much about the more recent parts. Living alone proved incredibly lonely for you and you were always thankful for Andrew's company.
"It's the least I can do, with just how much you've helped me. Thank you for saving me." Andrew whispered to you and just like that, a boring walk to retrieve old apples turned into a cherished memory.
You squeezed his hand and exchanged thanks, but carried on. The walk was quite uneventful until you arrived at the apple tree, where Andrew treated your crown to a sneaky kiss before he approached the dried-up trunk of the olden tree.
It was quite a sad sight, really. The bark had gone gray and the scales covering the wood were peeling. A side of the tree was skinned from deer rubbing their antlers against it. The branches hung low despite the tree's size, they warped and curved into rounded shapes, possibly from yielding under the weight of the fruit it had birthed in years prior. Andrew had to duck underneath the tree to not gouge an eye out. Below, around the foot of the tree lay an even mat of green apples.
"You need to feel each apple around. They're bruised from falling and they could have worms, too." You explain as you bend to begin harvesting them.
The fruits were quite small, around half your fist each. The skin was rough to the touch and splotched in tiny, black freckles. You find a particularly good apple before rubbing it against your shirt, appreciating how the matted skin became glossy. "Oh, these are better than I hoped." You admit to yourself as you take a bite. It wasn't very juicy, but the flavor was quite sweet.
Andrew stretched an arm out to try the apple. You drop it into his hand without question, watching as he bit next to the half you ate. He hummed in approval as he finished it, picking the flesh from around the thin core and chucking it into the surrounding bushes.
"They're great. We should try planting them at our place."
With the motivation to forage all the good ones, you began to review each apple individually. You got lost in the task, not noticing Andrew leaving your company as you turned each fruit around in your hands before putting the good ones in your basket. The air carried a pleasant aroma of the sweetness the apples promised.
You were entirely absorbed in your work until a loud "Dear? Would you come here?" tore you away from it.
You look up from the ground, elbows on your crouched legs as you look to find Andrew. "And where's 'here', exactly?"
You spot his bright head of hair as he approached the ruins of the dilapidated house. "Love, get away from there, it's not safe!" You warn, but it doesn't do much as he kneels in front of what appears to be a stone vase by the old walls of the house. "Andrew, come back!" You rise to your feet, only for him to hold a straight palm out, signaling for you to wait.
You're confused, but he's clearly seeing something you aren't, so you listen to him and cross your arms in waiting.
Andrew suddenly gets up, wordlessly approaching you, taking your hand, and leading you to his previous spot before the vase.
"In the gap between the bricks. You can just barely see it." He whispers, crouching and guiding you down with him. He points into the darkness. You squint, trying to make anything out while moving closer to the gap until a pair of green, glowing eyes meet you from within. You yelp, falling back by instinct, to which you're caught and steadied by Andrew.
"What is that?!" You squeal, moving behind him, who seems entirely unaffected by the encounter.
"Nothing to be afraid of. It's okay. I'll try to get it out." He pats the hand you placed on his shoulder as he begins clicking his tongue at the animal.
"Are you insane?!" You quietly hiss through bared teeth. Your husband doesn't react, instead switching to a different sound to try and coax the animal out. You watch as you discover a brand new side of him as the eyes in the hole return. They seem to be nearing the exit at a somewhat consistent speed.
The anticipation is killing you! You hold on tight to the back of the sweater you had gifted him earlier as he attempts to call the animal. Finally, the threatening eyes hesitantly neared daylight, which would allow you to see just what that creature was.
You could expect…Many things. If you had to guess, you'd bet on a fox or weasel, maybe even a raccoon. Your imagination wasn't helping, however, as you began thinking it could even be a man-eating beast, whose small size wouldn't deter it from tearing your leg off or something. It certainly wasn't any of these, as what you were met with was significantly more wholesome:
A small, fluffy, thoroughly frightened orange cat. It just barely stuck out farther than its neck, yet it was enough to see the state the poor thing was in.
Its fur was matted and soggy, caked with cobwebs and gray dust. It approached Andrew cautiously, its tail limp on the ground and ears folded to its skull.
"Aww…" You coo as the little guy rubbed its head on Andrew's sleeve. "How did you know it was just a little kitty?" You ask as you hold out your hand for it to sniff.
"I saw it run into the hole. It must've come here for mice or something. Maybe shelter." He speaks slowly while hovering his hand above the cat's back. He eases it down after a moment, the cat not seeming to mind, as Andrew begins to pet it lightly. "What are we going to do with it? We can't just leave it out here…"
"No, we can't." You agree as you watch it rub its muzzle on your hand, asking to be pet. You giggle at its cute display, fulfilling its request. The fur on its head was surprisingly soft and thick. "We can take it back. We can clean it up a little and maybe someone will want to take it…"
"Awe, do we have to give it away?" Andrew looks at you from over his shoulder, his question clearly heavy with disappointment.
"Well…Since it seems to like you so much…I guess we could see if it takes to us…" You decide, patting Andrew comfortingly as his face brightens.
"You hear that, little man? You don't have to stay here anymore! Want to come home with us?" Andrew turns to the animal as it raises its head, bumping noses with him, who seems to melt at the unusual contact. "Its nose is so wet!!" He squeals at you innocently and you feel your heart grow.
You stood up to gather your things while Andrew picked the cat up. It was probably someone's pet before, as it wasn't wary of you and it didn't even try to squirm out of Andrew's grasp. He cradled it as it began kneading his sweater, which concerned the both of you a little as it was decided claws in the freshly-finished gift were probably the last thing either of you would want near it.
You place one basket within the other, Andrew's harvest being small enough that it could just be added to your own. You lift the baskets onto your shoulder and leave, both of you carrying something quite precious.
The walk back was filled with giggling as the cat wiggled in Andrew's arms. It began pawing at his bangs at one point, swatting the hair with its front legs as if it were trying to catch a mouse. As you opened the front door and looked back at Andrew, you realized he was entirely covered in cat hair, which somehow even included his glasses.
"Looks like you both will need a bath." You tease as you put the baskets in your hall, leaving to fill a bowl with water.
Andrew settled on your bathroom floor, trying to ease the cat into a calmer state so that bathing it wouldn't be an issue. It was putty in his hands until it noticed the water sloshing in a laundry bowl heading in its direction. It quickly scurried behind Andrew as you placed the large container on the tiles in front of his lap.
"C'mon, you're wet and you smell. I'm sorry, but it needs to be done-” Andrew tried to reason, though the cat's grasp on language seemed to be rather loose, so it didn't really help. Once the bathroom door was closed, its fate was sealed. Realizing this, it began wildly scampering around the small room, with the two of you chasing it to catch it. At one point, it got so desperate it climbed Andrew's leg and snuck below his sweater, claws comfortably sinking into his button-up (or, quite unfortunately, the skin below), securing its hold and only dangling its tail out. You had to pry its claws out of the fabric as Andrew laughed uncontrollably, which only elongated the process.
Finally, you had it safely held above the water. Its fur spiked as it accepted defeat.
"Would you like to hold it instead?"
"Oh, so I'm the one getting scratched by a fierce, wild animal?" Despite his joking remark, he holds it gently yet firmly once he received the poor thing from your hands.
"No! It seems to trust you more, that's it!" You defend yourself, not wanting the situation to be read wrong.
"It's alright, I'm just kidding. Now, help me here…" He winced seeing the cat thrash as it was lowered into the water. "Easy now…The better you behave the quicker we'll be done…"
At last, the animal was placed into the bowl. Surprisingly, it didn't try to leave, instead standing perfectly stiff as it glared at you with betrayal in its eyes.
"Don't be looking like that little fella, we're only trying to help…" You try to comfort, running your fingers along its back to comb out the knots. Clumps of mud and wet fur loosened from its pelt as Andrew splashed them gently off of its back. The water soon became a rather uninteresting color, with sand and small pebbles collecting at the bottom of the dish. The poor cat even began trembling at a point, mewls soon morphing into howls of pure agony.
"I need to change the water out…put it in the tub while you wait." You instruct, lifting the cat into Andrew's hands. He comforted the animal, speaking softly as it was transported into your bathtub so it wouldn’t expose the floortiles to further moisture.
You left hurriedly, chucking the water outside and rinsing the settled dirt out, returning with a fresh bowl of water, which was much warmer compared to the cooled-down, previous batch. The cat was still shaking, the fur licked down flat by the water, making it appear much thinner and sickly. It was moved back to the container quite swiftly, although its fur didn't produce much dirt this time, so you deemed the process complete.
"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Andrew comforted it as he wrapped a towel around the poor thing. "All better…I promise we won't ever put you through that again." He apologized, softly swaying with the cat in his arms, only its little head sticking out from within its makeshift swaddle.
If it wasn't for its furry face, you could confuse the tiny bundle in his arms for a baby. The realization made you feel oddly warm as you decided the sight was quite cute.
The cat mewled weakly as Andrew stood up with it, holding it along his shoulder. You watched with a small smile. You thought briefly about just how much he's bonded with it already and that whatever would happen, that cat is staying with him and you're making sure of it.
You got busy cleaning up the bathroom as Andrew went to dry the kitty up. You emerge a few minutes later with the laundry bowl in one hand, noticing him on the floor, facing the furnace in your kitchen as the cat ever so slightly shook in his arms, its paws outstretched with one on each of his shoulders.
You sit down beside him, placing a cupped palm on the cat’s head. It was chilly to the touch, so you came a little closer and hugged it as well.
You remained like that for a longer while, mostly motionless until Andrew spoke up:
“Y’know, I used to know a different cat, a few years back.” His voice began steady and mostly monotone until he continued. “He was so sweet. He never seemed to fear me. He was a black cat, so I assume he was also rejected by the people, kind of like me…” He pondered out loud as you listened, curious to learn more about him. “It was nice. He kept me company and I would share my food with him. I felt quite guilty, I mostly only ever had bread…I often wished I had a sausage or something else more tasty to give him.” He chuckled, but his tone quickly darkened.
“He often came to me on his own but…I was the one to find him one night. He was already gone when I did. It seemed that someone had gotten to him and well…” His grip on the cat in his arms seemed to tense up, although not enough to hurt it. “I just don’t understand people. I tried to understand. So many times.” He shook his head. “What evil was a stray cat causing anyone?” He moved to place his hand upon your own on the animal’s head. He wrapped his fingers around your palm tightly.
You raise from your spot on the floor to a kneel, sensing his distress and wishing to soothe it before it could turn to rage. You run your other hand along his cheek, not saying anything. You’ve comforted him enough to know words don’t really do much when he’s like this, with touch being the only thing to effectively get through to him.
It took a moment, but he soon appeared to simmer down, the grasp on your hand releasing as you finally begin to coo to him.
“I don’t understand either, Andrew. But what I do know, you and that cat were both blessings to each other, you were in the right place to give it good company before it passed. It didn’t have to end like this, but you’ve done everything in your power.”
“But…I thought people loved cats. How is it that when a cat is a certain way, all of a sudden, it’s evil? Only because someone said it was?”
“That applies to many things. Just because someone decided it would be a certain way. All we can do is either conform or support each other in our own little riots.”
“I guess you’re also participating in your little riot, marrying me and all.”
“I’d participate in many other riots just for you.” He decided to stare into the small flame within your furnace instead of facing you. You could practically see the thoughts running wild in his head. You give him a single kiss on the cheek, then offer one to the cat’s forehead. It begins to purr, with it picking up in volume as time went on.
You decide to sit back down, with half your body wrapped around his side, the other dedicated to running a hand gently down the cat’s back.
“It needs a name, you know…I think it would like you to pick it.” You speak up, moving a strand of hair behind his ear as he remains spaced out. You mostly wished to take his mind off of things, although the need to name your new companion was also quite important.
“I don’t think I have any good ones…”
“Yes, you do, you just haven’t found it yet. Just give it some thought. We’ll both be waiting to hear it. Until then, no rush, since this cat is going to stay with us for a while.”
“So you want to keep it?”
“Of course! I can’t let anyone else take it after seeing just how much it already trusts you.”
Andrew cheers up a bit at that. He smiles, snuggling the cat as its purring grows louder.
“But now…You’ll have to excuse me. I still need to put those apples away. You think about that name while I’m not distracting you.” You kiss his temple as you rise to your feet, leaving to retrieve the basket, which was still forgotten right by your front door.
The rest of the day was quite ordinary. Andrew mostly dwelled around the kitchen, a once again fluffy cat in tow. He also took a break to get cat hair out of his new sweater.
You went to sleep that night quite early, with the new addition to keep you company through the night. As you let Andrew wrap his arms around you, you felt a small, purring weight added on your legs.
“I think I finally got it,” Andrew speaks into your hair drowsily. “Custard.”
“Custard?” You chuckle, “Because it’s so sweet?”
“That’s right.” Andrew yawns, pulling your quilt further over the two of you, dragging little Custard up with it. It lets out an unamused meow, moving to settle between your chests instead.
After quite an eventful day, you were finally allowed to get your sleep. You exchange goodnight kisses and drift off to the sound of little claws kneading against your covers.