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There were many things in life Jack thought he would never do, or never accomplish. Though there’s too many aspects of his life to seriously take the time to question, — and it’s too late to go back and change his decisions, so why bother — he’s spent his fair share of time mulling over regrets sprawled over the edge of his couch. The what could have beens, the what should have beens, the what should I do now s?
His apartment is empty, silent and stale. The walls are white because he knows if he paints it one color he’ll want another in the morning, the minute the sunlight hits the fresh paint. His room is cluttered with junk he’s found some sentimental value with, bits and bobs of mechanical equipment, and a failed little robot looking rather sad in the corner, gathering dust. His desk is scattered with papers and mapped out projects, with a red hair dye container knocked over comically in the corner.
The only life here is himself, and he feels out of place with all his energy in such a confined space. There’ll be days he’s clenching and unclenching his hands to keep himself from bouncing off the walls, and now happens to be one of those days he gets that creeping feeling up the back up his neck. He decides he needs air, even if he has to share it with strangers who cast judgemental stares. Not his fault he dresses better than almost all of those stupid assholes.
The street he walks, thankfully, isn’t as busy as it usually is. There’s a traditional looking family on the other side of the road with a wailing baby in an expensive looking stroller, a couple of teenage girls in high pigtails ahead of him; a few loners shuffle down the sidewalk with hands shoved in their pockets and earbuds shoved in their ears.
Most of his ‘I need fresh air’ walks are spent with glances and glares at passer-by’s, rolling his eyes at giggles that most likely weren’t directed at him but he still felt personally offended by.
Maybe he should find a nice nature trail nearby, though he doubts there could be anything like that in this little part of the world. The only reason he’s here is because of the cheap hardware shops nearby that he can use for his contraptions, and the even cheaper housing. And another reason. He’s not going to lie to himself and say he didn’t choose this specific town because of how close it was to Chase…
Because he did.
He thinks about Chase a lot.
Not even going out and breathing in the outside air can stop his mind from clouding with thoughts of him. It’s a little embarrassing how often the man is on his mind, with late nights spent imagining phantom touches against his shoulders where he’d touched him before.
And Chase knows Jack moved closer to him. And yeah, Chase probably knows it was on purpose, but that’s fine, because he didn’t seem angry about it. He didn’t even block him or anything… at least, not his new number. His old numbers don’t count.
Hard surface collides with Jack’s shoulder, realizing too late that he was so lost in thought that he’d stumbled into the glass window of a… pet store? He blinks the confusion out of his eyes and steps back, looking inside. He assumes it’s a pet store, based off the toys littering the floor, bits of string ripped from their handles and littering the floor, plastic balls rolled into corners and multicolored mice on top of scratch posts. But where are the animals? The cats, more specifically.
He’s not sure why he’s so intent on finding one of the furry little creatures through the glass, and not really sure how he hadn’t noticed this store here earlier, either. He steps back a few feet and glances up at the sign — Anni’s Kitties. Ok, not very creative. And not very true to the name, since he failed to see any… oh, hold on.
A little black kitten, perched atop the scratch post. It hadn’t been there before, but now it was staring at Jack with the widest eyes he’s ever seen. He stared back, unsure of what he’s supposed to do. The cat is… cute. But it’s a bit off-putting, the way it’s staring at him. Big, blueish green eyes looking into his own. It starts to paw at the window, and utters a meow Jack can’t hear from outside the store. Why does he feel bad all of a sudden? Geez.
Glancing at the door to the shop, then back to the kitten, he nibbles on his lip, tearing the skin and considering something he’s not even sure of. Maybe he’ll just go in to look. He’s not sure how he even is with cats, so it’s not like he’s gonna bring it home. He’ll just go in and pet it’s little head, or something.
———
Jack sits in his living room with a purring mound on his lap, wondering how he got here. He glances at the cat toys he had bought, laying on the carpet. The litter box is in the corner. Then there’s the food bowls pressed against the wall, which the kitten hasn’t touched. It seems much more interested in laying on Jack’s lap, and he really isn’t sure what to do.
The adoption lady, Anni, said her name was Josie. He liked the way it went with Jack, which was probably the final deciding factor. Josie and Jack… Josie, who seemed much more friendly than Jack knew how to handle. He would stroke the little kitten a few times before withdrawing his hand and staring at her, then at the clock, not wanting to get up with her on his lap. It would be rude, probably. So…
His phone lights up after he grabs it from the couch, displaying his sparkly homescreen he’s had for years. He thumbs up, finds his messages and watches his finger hover over Chase <3.
He clicks it, gnawing on his lip, scratching the kitten’s back. It’s a little soothing, and he can feel it rumbling under it — he forgot that was something they could do. He glides his finger to the keyboard, and tries to ignore the nerves in his gut.
do you like chars?
What?
Cats*
Sorry!
???
———
Josie had thankfully left Jack’s lap when the doorbell rung, and was making her way around the coffee table, sniffing the table legs and waddling forward on little black paws. Chase stands off to the side of the room, plastic bag in hand and hair up in a ponytail. It’s weird, really weird to see him in such a casual outfit. Jack guesses he just came from home, or something. He’s never dressed like that out in public. It’s a rare, and nice, opportunity to see him like this.
That’s what he wants to say, anyway. What comes out is “Did you do something to your hair?” The first words spoken after greetings at the door.
Chase doesn’t answer, rather strides over and sets the bag down. It crinkles when he walks, even more when he unties the handles and digs inside of it, pulling out a few boxes that Jack isn’t sure of what they contain.
“What are those? Did you buy something for me? Cus, you shouldn’t have. But that’d have been really nice.”
“Quiet,” The other man mutters, dumping the rest of the contents out and pushing the bag off to the side. Jack feels weird sitting so far away, so he scoots his way over in front of Chase, reaching out curiously at a box. Chase narrows his eyes, but doesn’t say anything.
“A… pet hair removal tool. Was I supposed to get one of these? Shoot.” He grins, something wobbly and awkward, “You really saved me. I don’t know about half of this stuff. I just did what the lady said.”
“I wasn’t sure what you had gotten,” Chase uttered, not meeting his eyes. “But you got the basics, as I can see.”
“Thank you, really. Thanks a lot.” Jack is still smiling.
“Uh-huh,” Chase rips open another box, apparently having opened the other. He piles the trash on top of the plastic bag, and unravels a long stick with a ribbon on the end. The other container was a little box of brown coloured treats. Jack feels kind of bad he didn’t think to get something like that, but that’s what he has Chase for.
“Now,” The taller of the two stands, and looks around the side of the coffee table, a small smile forming on his lips; it makes Jack’s chest swell. It wasn’t really a rare sight — Chase smiled plenty, but never like this. Something so gentle and nurturing seemed foreign for his face, yet suited it so well.
“Here she is!” He leaned down, coming back up with gentle hands holding the kitten to his chest. Josie seemed content, meowing softly but making no move to struggle out of his grasp. Jack watched a hand stroke the side of her, looking up with wide eyes. Chase looked down, scoffing.
“Do I have something on my face, Jack?”
“No, I didn’t say that—“
A deep laugh came from Chase’s chest, then. He rubbed Josie’s head and set her down gently, turning to Jack. His smile had faded, but he seemed amused, not angry. “Why did you get her?”
Jack shrugged, “I felt like she wanted to come home with me. I didn’t want to say no. … That sounds stupid, I mean, you know,” No, he doesn’t know.
Chase lowered his eyes and nodded. “If you have any issues, come to me. I mean it,” He turned his gaze back to Jack, fixed and serious. “Even just questions.”
Jack nodded, slowly, and watched as Chase kneeled and the kitten came waddling up to him, meowing louder than before, rubbing up against his leg. The smile had returned to Chase’s face, and he laughed softly, putting out his hand and letting Josie rub against him.
Jack smiled, too. Eyes flickering from the kitten, to Chase, to the kitten, to mostly Chase. He wishes he could be as good with animals as him.
The redhead walks over and kneels next to him, sticking out a hand and rubbing Josie’s back. “She’s sweet. She wasn’t scared at all when she came with me.”
The kitten looks up at Jack, meows, and dips her head to rub against his knee. Jack giggles, cooing quietly at the small thing. He’s sure he’ll be alright. He had really thought about asking Chase to take care of her, or taking her back if he couldn’t get a grip, but all that is pushed aside, now. He can be a responsible owner, he’s sure. Just have to keep her away from his tools and all, it would be way too dangerous for her.
He looks up for a moment, meeting Chase’s eyes. Chase, who is looking back at him with an expression far more gentler than he is used to. It lasts only a second, before Chase pulls his eyes away and back to the kitten, before standing.
“Are you leaving?” Jack cringes when his voice comes out whinier than he intended. Not very cool.
“I have stuff to do. I only came over to drop these off and see the kitten,” He turns his head to the side. “And you.”
The last part was much quieter, much so that Jack wasn’t sure he heard it right. “What?”
Chase is walking towards the door, not bothering to answer him. He turns the knob, looks back, and looks like he’s contemplating something. “I could visit the kitten again. If you need help.”
The door closes behind him, and Jack is still sitting on the floor. His face feels warm, and the apartment feels more full. He’s happy, and he guesses Josie is, too, with the way she rubs against his foot.