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It was only by a miracle of the Goddess, Ashe assumed, that Caspar was finally able to hold the cat long enough for Ashe to give it the medicine. It hissed and spit at them before eventually curling into a ball in Ashe’s lap to rest from the evasion tactics it had been pulling off all afternoon.
“You’re lucky you’re cute,” Caspar grumbled. He was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Ashe, glaring at the cat and holding a cloth over his bleeding forearm.
Ashe chuckled. “It’s only for a week. Maybe it’ll get used to it before we’re done.”
Caspar shifted his glare to Ashe. “Easy for you to say. You didn’t have it throwing all 20 claws at your torso.” To underline his point, he removed the cloth from his arm to show off a long line of oozing marks interspersed with tiny bites.
“Do you want me to hold it tomorrow?” Ashe offered.
“No way, I’m not making you go through this.”
Ashe laughed. Always the hero. Careful to not disturb the cat, Ashe capped the medicine Marianne had given him. Hopefully it would kick in soon– the poor cat had been suffering from an infected wound on its paw. One week didn’t sound like long enough to cure it but Ashe trusted Marianne. And anyway, everything seemed possible with Caspar by his side.
“You’ll be just fine soon, little buddy,” Ashe said, petting the big orange cat. It purred, content, and Ashe happily lost himself to the sensation of running his finger through that long fur.
Shifting beside him caused Ashe to look up. Caspar was staring intently at him, specifically his lips. Ashe felt his smile fall. They had known each other long enough at this point that Ashe could tell Caspar was thinking hard about something. Trying to come to a decision. Scared to act one way or the other…
When Caspar didn’t move, Ashe took the chance and moved first.
He caught Caspar’s lips with his own, pressing into him, one hand still resting on the unbothered cat. Caspar jerked his head back. Ashe had to snort at his bewildered expression. “A-Am I wrong?” Ashe manage through a knot of nerves. “You really– You looked ready to kiss me so–”
“I’m always ready to kiss you!” Caspar blurted out, causing the cat to dig its claws into Ashe’s leg. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time! I just, I don’t know, seeing you looking so happy just now… I thought I could actually do it this time.”
Ashe gently tugged Caspar to him again. A belly rub soothed the cat, and another kiss seemed to soothe Caspar. “You can do it whenever you want,” Ashe assured him.
Grinning, cheeks as red as Ashe’s own, Caspar did just that.