Work Text:
Todd doesn't have a cat, and yet despite this, here lies a cat in his kitchen. It's a particularly tubby tabby with a beautiful gray hue. What really garnered Todd’s attention however was the box of Cheerios that was stuck atop the feline's head. Feeling pity for the poor, dumb animal he went over to remove the cereal box from the cat's head. When he did he saw that the cat had a tag and was in fact called Thisbe.
“What kind of cat name is that?” Todd asked the cat, who seemed mildly interested in his name being called.
During his initial appraisal of Thisbe’s collar he saw that the cat did indeed have a home address printed on his tag. It was concluded that Thisbe resided in apartment number 403 b which was a whole floor above Todd’s.
“403 b? How the hell did you even get down here? Did you take the elevator?” Todd asked Thisbe amusedly. Thisbe, however, was now more interested in eating bits of Cheerios off the floor.
Todd was now determined to return the cat to his owner, eager to see if he could learn anything more about the mysterious traveling cat.
Up in flat 403 b, Neil Perry was oblivious. He had just gotten back from rehearsal and was working on memorizing lines for the show. He was in search of his favorite highlighter when he heard a knock at the door.
Usually, Neil looked forward to any social interaction, however today he was particularly stressed about learning his part, so he swung the door open quickly. After briefly assessing the scene before him, a cute man holding a box of something, he decided that the man was here to sell him something.
“Sorry” He exclaimed “I don’t need any Herbalife products today sir!” He exclaimed to a very confused Todd.
The door was midway shut when Neil heard a very familiar
“Mraaaooow.”
Upon hearing this sound, Neil instantly realized two things.
One: that gray thing in the box was most certainly his cat, Thisbe.
Two: He had just made an utter ass out of himself in front of some cute stranger returning his cat.
Todd was not an angry person by nature. He was a people pleaser at heart. But even he was getting a bit heated at the actions of Thisbe’s owner. The man had, for some reason, just shut the door on him after accusing him of trying to sell him some product. One that he was pretty sure belonged to an MLM, not that it mattered.
After shutting the door quickly to collect himself, Neil was trying to think of ways in which he could act his way out of looking like a mad man.
“Um hello” he uttered weakly. “I believe that’s my cat you’re holding”
“Are you sure?” Todd said, sass evident in his tone.
“Just a minute ago you thought this was a dietary supplement that I was holding”
At this point, Neil was starting to get quite embarrassed. And the familiar feeling of self loathing was beginning to creep back back up into his brain.
Sensing the other man’s discomfort, Todd sought to change the subject.
“Thisbe’s quite a funny name for a cat, you know. D-did you name him?” Todd said, attempting to steer the conversation into a lighter tone.
“I did. What’s yours by the way” Neil said, hoping to learn the name of his apparent neighbor.
“Oh I haven’t got one actually” Todd said, assuming Neil was asking him what his nonexistent cat's name was.
Baffled at this, Neil said:
“You haven’t got a name?!”
“OH! I thought you meant my cat's name. Oh no sorry. Todd. My name is T-Todd. Todd Anderson.. is my name.” Todd awkwardly exclaimed, stumbling over his words with pure embarrassment. He was bewildered at his ability to make an idiot of himself so many times in one conversation. The shame he felt at his own ineptness prompted a blush on his skin that rose all the way to the tops of his ears.
Neil was amused at the man’s apparent lack of social skills, somehow worse than his own. He also felt strangely fond of this man, apparently called Todd. The more he got to look at him, the more Neil found himself immensely attracted to the man holding his cat. The man had lighter hair than his own and a shy demeanor about him. Neil was mentally wracking his brain to see how he could:
A: Determine if he was gay, or bi
B: Get his number
Before Neil could have the chance to think upon this more, Todd moved to return this cat and make a quick exit. Neil had one more chance to get to know Todd, and in that moment he took it.
“Wait!” He said as he put down Thisbe, who was quite over being manhandled today. “As a way to thank you for returning Thisbe, is there any way I could take you out for coffee” Neil exclaimed with a renewed sense of confidence.
Todd was not a risk taker by nature. If anything he was stickler for the rules. Exciting things like this never happened to Todd, first to find a cat in his apartment, then to have a handsome stranger ask him for coffee, it was all so out of the ordinary. In that moment Todd almost said no, however he felt strangely possessed, and turning back to face Neil he said
“Sure!”
But what he was thinking was
“Carpe Diem”
FIN.