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*
Eddie spends the rest of his evening after his brief conversation with Christopher googling nearby cat shelters. There’s plenty of options in the greater Los Angeles area, but he eventually settles on one located just a few minutes away.
He fills out his application, easily answering the questions about his name, address, phone number. But he pauses for a moment when he gets to the question asking whether there’s anybody else who lives with him.
Technically, the answer is no. At least until the end of summer when Chris has promised he’ll be coming back from Texas. Chris has been careful to stress it’s just because he doesn’t want to go to school in Texas, and not because he’s forgiven Eddie.
Chris is still barely talking to him even after a few weeks have gone by, only sending stilted replies to the daily text messages Eddie sends and occasionally tolerating a phone call where Eddie does ninety percent of the talking. They’re making progress, even if it’s slow.
So eventually, that’s what leads Eddie to decide he should answer the question based on the long-term. He fills in Chris’ name and age, and moves onto the final section.
Does he have any other animals?
That’s an easy one.
He puts down ‘no’ and then he’s done, ready to hand the form in on his next day off.
*
It takes Eddie six whole days to actually take the form down to the shelter.
In those six days, he gets his house set up with all the essentials—a food bowl/feeder combo, a water fountain, a scratching post, and a litter tray.
When he arrives at the shelter—after handing in the form—they invite him out back to see if any cats interest him, and he’s immediately smitten.
Freddie Mercury is a five year old domestic house cat. He’s mostly white, with black patches on his body and the top of his head, and most importantly—Freddie has a patch of black fur in the shape of a moustache on his face.
Eddie catches a glimpse of himself in the reflection of a nearby shiny surface—his own moustache centre stage—and decides it’s a sign.
It only takes him four minutes to find the nearby attendant and tell her he’d like to adopt Freddie Mercury.
*
The first thing Eddie does when he gets Freddie out to his car in the shelter parking lot is release him from the shelter-provided carrier so he can take a selfie with his new cat.
He makes a mental note to buy Freddie a better carrier.
Yellow.
He thinks Freddie would like yellow, much like his namesake.
Eddie gets his selfie without any trouble, but he's then forced to spend almost half an hour trying to wrangle Freddie back into said carrier because once the cat has a taste for freedom he doesn't seem to want to give it up too easily.
Nevertheless, in a little under an hour they make it home.
Eddie’s accompanied by a rather put out Freddie, who was not at all impressed by the drive.
“Sorry buddy,” Eddie tells the cat as he accidentally runs into the doorframe with the carrier. It’s a lot more awkward than he expected. “I’ll have you out in a minute.”
It takes him less than thirty seconds to get the door closed and release Freddie from captivity.
Freddie immediately jumps out and dives under the coffee table.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Eddie calls out softly, flattening himself on the ground so he can make eye contact with the cat. “I know it’s scary. New place and all. But this is your home now.”
Freddie blinks at him.
“We’re gonna be best friends, I promise.”
*
It only takes Freddie about an hour to get bored under the coffee table.
Eddie gives Freddie some space, topping up Freddie’s fancy new water fountain and then reaching for the cat biscuits.
The moment his hands grasp the bag it crinkles, and out of the corner of his eye Eddie sees a black and white blur go flying into the dining room. He places the bag of cat food on the counter, peering around the corner.
Freddie’s jumped up on the back of one of the dining chairs by the looks of things, and Eddie can’t help but smile.
“Good job buddy,” Eddie whispers, keeping his distance so as not to startle Freddie. “You’re being so brave.”
Eddie doesn’t move any closer, but he does reach for his phone. He snaps a quick picture for evidence that he has actually adopted a cat.
The camera sound startles Freddie.
“Sorry buddy,” Eddie apologises. “How about I get these biscuits in your feeder? You’re probably hungry, aren’t you?”
Freddie continues to stare.
“I hope you like this thing,” Eddie continues, referring to the slightly expensive feeder. He’d bought the damn thing because it claimed it would keep biscuits fresh for days at a time, and he’d figured that would be best for Freddie when he needs to work longer shifts at the firehouse. “I bought it just for you. Gotta make sure you’ve got lots of food and water when I’m not here.”
He finishes filling the feeder and puts the biscuits away before turning back towards Freddie.
Freddie appears to be eyeing the food, but makes no move to come any closer.
“Why don’t I give you some space?” Eddie suggests, backing away into the living room. “You can come and be my friend later maybe? If you want?”
Freddie stares some more until Eddie’s moved far enough away that he feels confident jumping down to the biscuits. Freddie looks at Eddie once more and meows before digging into the biscuits with gusto.
Eddie smiles.
He’s gonna take that as an agreement from Freddie about them being friends.
*
- Eddie
- Meet Freddie Mercury!
- Chris
- u actually got a cat
- Eddie
- I said I was going to.
- What do you think?
- Chris
- he looks cool
- i like his moustache
- Eddie
- I can’t wait for you to meet him.
Chris
Today, 6:15 PM
Read 6:25 PM
Chris doesn’t say anything back, but that’s not unusual these days.
Whether it’s because he’s still mad or whether he’s just distracted playing a game, Eddie can’t always tell. He tries not to push though.
Instead, he opens a message to Buck while he waits to see if Chris will respond.
- Eddie
- Freddie Mercury.
- Buck
- eddie is that a cat? when did you get a cat?
- Eddie
- Today. I told everyone I was going to get one.
- Buck
- you were serious about that?
- Eddie
- Obviously. Hence Freddie.
- Wanna come over and meet him next week once he’s had a chance to settle in?
- Buck
- duh. i’m gonna be his favourite person ever
- Eddie
- Sure you will.
Buck
Today, 6:28 PM
Read 6:36 PM
Buck doesn’t respond again after that, and neither does Chris.
WIth nothing else left to do for the evening, Eddie sets himself up on the couch to catch up on his favourite telenovela.
When Freddie joins him after about half an hour, Eddie feels a sense of peace overcome him. It’s nice having companionship.
Who knew a cat would actually end up helping so much after all?
*
Eddie wastes no time getting his phone out to pass pictures of his new cat around during his next shift at work two days later.
Hen’s first in line, surprisingly, with Chim right behind her.
“Oh, wow,” Hen says, eyes wide as she looks down at Eddie’s phone screen. “That really is a cat.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?” Eddie asks, as Chim joins Hen. “I told you I was adopting a cat. Now I have a cat.”
“He’s got your moustache,” Chim comments. “Is that why you chose him? So you wouldn’t feel so alone when we make fun of it?”
Hen snorts and Eddie sends a glare her way.
“No,” he says petulantly. “That’s not why.”
Eddie’s well aware he’s not being entirely truthful—he did kind of pick Freddie because of their matching moustaches—but Hen and Chim don't need to know that.
“How—how many pictures have you taken of this cat, Eddie?” Hen asks as she swipes through what’s got to be approximately fifty photos that Eddie’s managed to take in the last couple of days.
“I don’t know,” he lies. “A few, I guess.”
“This doesn’t look like just a few,” Hen points out. “This is—you know what? Never mind. What’s the little guy’s name? You didn’t tell us.”
Eddie grins.
“Freddie Mercury,” he says, just in time for Buck to hear as he comes jogging over.
“More Freddie pictures?” Buck asks excitedly, leaning over Hen’s shoulder to see Eddie’s phone. “I love that he has your moustache!”
“Really?” Hen questions. “You’re not just humouring him?”
“Seriously, what’s wrong with my moustache?” Eddie asks self consciously, reaching up to run his fingers over it. “Buck said it looks cool.”
“It does!” Buck insists. “Why are you guys messing with him?”
Chim and Hen share an unreadable look.
“Never mind,” Hen eventually says. “The moustache is… it’s fine. As long as it makes you happy.”
Eddie’s not an idiot, he’s pretty sure they hate his moustache.
But as long as Buck likes it he doesn’t care. Buck’s into guys now, so out of the four of them, Buck’s going to know best what looks good on men, right?
He’s studiously ignoring why he cares whether or not Buck thinks he looks good with the moustache.
Luckily, a distraction appears in the form of Bobby, walking over towards their little group.
Gerrard’s stint as Captain of the 118 hadn’t lasted longer than a week. Once Bobby had a chance to speak to the higher-ups, they’d been thrilled to have him back.
Eddie in particular has been happy having him back. Bobby had actually been the one to suggest Eddie look at getting a pet to keep him company with Christopher gone for the rest of the summer.
“Is this your cat?” Bobby asks.
“Freddie,” Eddie announces proudly. “He’s great. Although, he does seem to like sleeping as close as he can get to my face every night. I’m starting to wonder if he’s trying to suffocate me in my sleep.”
“That’s actually a common misconception,” Buck chimes in. “They’re usually seeking warmth. If your cat sleeps next to you or on top of you it means they trust you. He must like you a lot already.”
“It’s only been two days,” Eddie says weakly. “I’m sure he’s just—”
“Don’t be stupid,” Buck says, taking Eddie’s phone when Hen and Chim get bored and wander off. “Freddie’s definitely got good instincts. He knows you’re someone he can rely on.”
Eddie swallows audibly as he tries to clear the lump in his throat.
Buck really thinks all that?
He’d kind of assumed everybody thought he was a mess at this point. But maybe Buck’s right. If he can be someone for Freddie to rely on, then maybe he can be someone Chris can rely on again too.
“Thanks, Buck,” Eddie manages to get out. “That means a lot.”
“Of course.” Buck offers him a large smile, handing his phone back. “Are you—”
The alarm blares through the station, and Eddie’s quite literally saved by the bell.
He’s pretty sure Buck’s question was going to be some variant of ‘are you doing okay?’ and he doesn’t want to deal with anybody’s pity today.
*
Eddie’s first month with Freddie passes uneventfully.
He continues his texting with Chris, which eventually evolves into short phone calls and more frequent texts. He’s happy with the progress they’re making.
Buck comes over to hang out. Not as much as Eddie would like, but often enough. Buck has Tommy now, after all, and as much as Eddie hates sharing his best friend, he doesn’t want to make Buck feel bad.
Eddie misses him though.
Freddie helps a lot. He’s kind of the perfect companion.
Eddie loves spending evenings watching TV or reading a book with Freddie on his lap. And it’s nice having someone to talk to around the house, even if Freddie never responds with actual words because he’s a cat. He does meow though, and it’s entertaining to pretend Freddie is actually responding to him.
It makes Eddie wonder.
If Freddie’s such a good cat, surely it can’t hurt to take a look at the other cats up for adoption on the shelter page.
Maybe Freddie would like a friend so he won’t have to be alone while he has to work?
*
Eddie doesn’t end up just taking a look.
He heads down to the shelter the next morning and adopts what he’s told are a ‘bonded pair’ of cats named Crockett and Tubbs.
He can’t resist once he sees their names.
*
Eddie can sense the sarcasm in the thumbs up.
- Eddie
- What do you think of the cats?
- Chris
- they look cool
- what did u name them
- Eddie
- The orange one is Crockett and the black one is Tubbs.
- Chris
- isn’t that what u n buck went as to chimney’s bachelor party
- Eddie
- Yeah, it is! That’s the other reason I had to get them.
- Chris
- of course you did
Chris
Today, 12:16 PM
Eddie swipes out of his messages to Chris and taps on his most recent conversation with Buck.
- Eddie
- You’ll never guess their names.
- Buck
- tell me
- Eddie
- Crockett and Tubbs!
- Buck
- no way!
- Eddie
- Felt like a sign.
- Buck
- definitely
- can’t wait to meet them
Buck
Today, 12:57 PM
Eddie smiles at Buck’s response.
He can’t wait for Buck to meet them either.
*
Maddie shows up on Eddie’s doorstep the Wednesday after he brings Crockett and Tubbs home and invites herself inside with zero shame.
It’s not the first time it’s happened, and Eddie doubts it’ll be the last.
They exchange pleasantries, and then it’s not long before Maddie’s quickly settling in on the couch with Crockett in her lap and Tubbs laying half on top of him. Apparently the cats really do need to be touching each other at all times.
“Why are you here again?” Eddie asks, and immediately wonders if it came out as rude as he thinks it might have.
Maddie raises an eyebrow at him.
“I just felt like visiting.” Maddie says as if she’s daring him to argue with her, so he doesn’t bother.
“Fine,” Eddie sighs, knowing from past experience that she won’t leave if she doesn’t want to. “Make yourself at home, then.”
Maddie just smiles, and Eddie realises she’s basically already done so.
Eddie heads over to the armchair, deeply regretting every choice in his life that led him to making friends with Buckleys. Freddie immediately jumps up into his lap.
He looks over at Maddie and sees her looking curiously at Crockett and Tubbs.
“What?” Eddie asks. “Why are you looking at them like that?”
“Don’t they fight?” Maddie asks, patting Tubbs gently along his spine.
“No,” Eddie says, shifting slightly to accommodate Freddie stretching out on his lap. “They mostly just follow me around and lay on me a lot.”
“Mostly?” Maddie asks. “What about the rest of the time?”
“The rest of the time they sleep,” Eddie says as if it should be obvious. “And eat.”
“And this”—Maddie gestures around at the room full of cats—“makes you happy?”
“Yep,” Eddie says.
It’s also a good distraction from the fact that his son is in another state.
He doesn’t say that part out loud though.
“Eddie, I know you love the cats,” Maddie says after they sit in silence for a while. “And I know people always say firefighters rescuing cats is cute. But are you not a little concerned you might be taking it too far?”
“No?” Eddie says, sounding a little more uncertain than he’d like to. “Three cats is a perfectly normal number of cats for someone to own.”
“You acquired them all in less than a month after never having owned a cat before,” Maddie points out. “I’m just a little concerned.”
Eddie rolls his eyes. “You mean Buck’s concerned.”
“No, I mean—”
“I know he sent you here,” Eddie says confidently. “It must be a Buckley trait. He’s doing the same thing you did to him after the lightning—sending people here to check up on me.”
“He didn’t—”
“Well, you can tell him I’m fine,” Eddie states, crossing his arms and slightly disturbing Freddie. Freddie meows in response, curling up into an even tighter ball on Eddie’s lap. Eddie looks up at Maddie, “See.”
“I’ll be sure to let him know exactly what I’ve seen,” Maddie says with a sigh. “Don’t you worry.”
*
Later that evening, Eddie takes a picture of Crockett and Tubbs and sends it to Chris.
- Eddie
- They’re cuddling again.
- Hope you’re having a good night. I miss you.
- Chris
- cute
- wanna facetime friday?
- Eddie
- That would be great!
- Chris
- cool. i’ll check if buck’s free
- night
- Eddie
- Night Chris, I love you.
- Chris
- love you too dad
Chris
Today, 8:43 PM
Eddie smiles widely to himself.
Things are definitely getting better if Chris is suggesting they FaceTime for the first time since he left for Texas.
Now he’s just gotta survive until Friday, that’s all. Unfortunately, it’s only Wednesday, and he doesn’t have to work again until Saturday. It’s gonna be a long few days.
Eddie sighs and switches over to send a message to Buck.
Eddie’s heart skips a beat.
He’s pretty sure he heard Buck mention to Hen yesterday that Tommy wanted to take him out for a fancy dinner on Friday night.
And here Buck is, willing to cancel those plans at the drop of a hat?
He’s not sure what to do with the way it makes him feel—Buck prioritising him and his son over his boyfriend—so he distracts himself by sending Buck another picture of the cats.
- Eddie
- They really do love to cuddle.
- Buck
- looks like us during quarantine
- pretty sure we woke up like that most mornings
- Eddie
- Yeah, we did. It was nice.
- Buck
- i miss waking up like that tbh
- Eddie
- Me too.
Buck
Today, 8:57 PM
Read 9:02 PM
Eddie feels his heart start to beat faster.
Me too.
Did he really just say that?
It’s not a lie, but still.
His phone buzzes again.
Buck doesn’t respond straight away, and Eddie feels himself start to panic.
What was he thinking?
Of course Buck’s not going to get out of bed at nine o’clock on a random weeknight and drive over to his best friend’s place so they can cuddle in bed with a bunch of cats.
Buck has a boyfriend, and if Buck wanted to cuddle in bed with someone then surely it would be said boyfriend, right?
Even if that boyfriend is stupid and calls him by the wrong name and doesn’t even seem to actually put any effort into their relationship and—
Huh.
Does he hate Tommy now?
When did that happen?
And it takes him a moment, but Eddie realises it was probably around the time Buck said ‘I kinda can’t stop thinking about him’ and it made him want to throw up a little.
“Am I homophobic?” Eddie asks out loud, looking to Freddie for answers.
He receives a slow blink in reply.
“I can’t be homophobic,” Eddie says to Freddie. “Buck being into guys doesn’t bother me. It only bothers me when—oh god.”
Freddie meows, moving so he can lay on Eddie’s chest and stare directly at his face.
“It only bothers me when I picture Buck with other guys,” Eddie repeats. “Guys who aren’t me. Freddie, what the hell? When did I start having feelings for Buck?”
Freddie stares at Eddie in silence.
Eddie tries not to panic even more than he already is.
Which isn’t easy when he looks back at his phone to see the three dots that indicate Buck is typing appear and disappear multiple times before his phone finally buzzes again.
Does that mean Buck’s considering it?
Or is Buck just humouring him?
Eddie forces himself to say anything at all in response so Buck doesn’t think he’s fallen asleep or something.
Eddie blinks down at his phone.
What the hell possessed him to say that?
Sweet dreams?
Jesus Christ.
Eddie stares at the ‘x’ for god knows how long.
He’s so screwed.
*
Later that same evening—in an effort to distract himself from thoughts of Buck—Eddie finds himself back on the shelter’s website looking at cats available for adoption.
He tells himself he’s just looking.
That he only adopted Crockett and Tubbs a few days ago.
That the volunteers at the shelter would probably judge him if he shows up again so soon looking to adopt another cat.
But then again, more cats finding homes is a good thing, surely?
Eddie pauses to think.
Would one more cat really hurt at this point?
Eddie keeps scrolling, before finally stopping on an adorable long haired grey cat named Sir Ian.
The website says he’s six, and that it would be best for him to go to a home that has experience with large amounts of cats.
Eddie looks around at Freddie, Crockett and Tubbs.
Three cats is a large number, right?
And he likes to think he’s pretty experienced at this point even though he’s only had them for a month or so.
Sir Ian will be the perfect addition.
*
Eddie adopts Sir Ian the very next day, and also purchases an additional two cat trees.
*
It doesn’t take long for Sir Ian to settle in once Eddie gets him home. He’s starting to think he’s really got a knack for this whole cat thing.
He’d read on the internet you were supposed to keep new cats separated at first, and to do slow introductions. But honestly, he’s kind of just been letting them loose in the house once he gets home. There’s never been any fighting, so Eddie’s of the impression they might remember each other from the shelter. That, or it’s just extremely good luck.
It’s with that lingering confidence that Eddie makes his way into the bathroom to shave before his FaceTime call with Buck and Chris. Even though he’s got a completely free day ahead of him, he doesn’t want to risk running out of time.
Freddie follows along behind him as usual.
Eddie prepares his razor and shaving cream, half-heartedly attempting to get Freddie down off the countertop but eventually giving in and letting him stay as long as he doesn’t keep interrupting.
“Sorry buddy, no more pats for now,” Eddie says as he lifts the razor up to his face to remove his stubble and the stray hairs from around his moustache. “I’ve gotta tidy up my face. Can’t be looking homeless for our FaceTime call with Chris, can I?”
Freddie meows.
“I know, it’s not fair.” Eddie finishes shaving his stubble, rinsing the razor and batting Freddie away from the sink handle. “You can have as many pats as you want later, okay?”
Freddie stares at him.
“I already said I was sorry, buddy.” Eddie lifts the razor again, lining it up to get as close as he possibly can to his moustache for a clean line. “But this is important.”
And that’s when it all goes wrong.
At the same time Eddie swipes the razor, Freddie meows and headbutts his stomach, surprising him and causing him to slip.
“Oof,” Eddie grunts, the force behind Freddie’s headbutt extraordinarily strong for such a small animal. “Careful buddy. Don’t want to end up—oh my god.”
Eddie stares mournfully into the mirror at what remains of his moustache.
“Freddie!” Eddie attempts to reprimand him, forgetting that he’s simply incapable of ever actually being mad at the cat. “Look what you did!”
Freddie stares.
“You’re not even the slightest bit sorry, are you?”
Freddie meows.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
He inspects his moustache, but it doesn't take long for him to realise it's not salvageable.
He's left with the only option of shaving the rest of it off too.
*
Eddie’s nerves get the better of him by the time he needs to start getting set up for the FaceTime call.
He hasn’t spoken to Buck since whatever the hell the other night was, and it’s the first time he’s going to see his son in person—sort of—in almost two months.
He fidgets with his phone stand, adjusting the angle of the screen repeatedly. When the sound of an incoming FaceTime call rings through the dining room he jumps before hastily answering it.
The call connects after a few seconds and Eddie’s faced with Buck and Chris already on the screen. Buck’s sitting on his couch by the looks of things, and Chris is set up in his room at his grandparents’ house. He looks good, and Eddie feels relieved.
“Eddie!” Buck says cheerfully. “Chris was just telling me about how excited he is to meet the cats.”
And Eddie can’t help but light up.
“They’re really excited to meet you too!” Eddie looks over at Freddie sitting behind his phone. “I tell them about you all the time. Crockett and Tubbs always try to sleep on your bed, but I haven’t let them because I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it.”
“They can sleep in my bed,” Chris says straight away. “Maybe they’ll still want to sleep on the bed with me when I’m home. That would be cool.”
“Very cool,” Buck says helpfully. “You’re definitely coming back in a few weeks, yeah?”
“Flights are all booked, and I’ll be travelling by myself for the first time,” Chris says proudly. “Thanks Dad, for telling them I can do it.”
Chris is referring to the rather massive argument Eddie’d had with his parents over whether Chris was capable of flying alone. Eddie’d argued that his son wasn’t exactly a toddler anymore, and that as a teenager he would be fine to meet himself and Buck at the airport once he came off the plane. Eventually he’d had to put his foot down and remind them that he’s still Chris’ actual parent, and they finally backed down.
“Of course, buddy,” Eddie eventually says. “I can’t wait to see you.”
Chris pauses. “Yeah, I’m excited to see you guys, too.”
“Why don’t you tell us what you’ve been doing in Texas,” Buck says, even though Eddie’s pretty sure he’s going to have heard all the stories already. Chris and Buck had been calling each other multiple times a week last he heard. “Your dad might like the story about the lake from last week.”
Chris lights up. “Oh my god, Dad. You won’t believe this!”
Chris goes on to spin a tale of summer craziness down by the lake near his grandparents’ place. The very same one Eddie met Shannon at, although he’s not sure if Chris realises it’s the same one. Eddie watches on as Chris emphatically tells the story, a big smile on his face the whole time.
“And then—” Chris pauses. “Dad. Did you get another cat?”
“Huh?” Eddie says, his head whipping around. “Oh. You mean Sir Ian.”
“Sir Ian?” Buck asks incredulously. “Eddie, what the hell? You only adopted Crockett and Tubbs a few days ago.”
Eddie bristles. “Hey, it was almost a week ago.” It in fact wasn’t. “I just happened to be on the shelter’s website and I saw him on there and I just thought why not, you know? I really enjoy having the cats around. One more at least makes it an even number of cats.”
“Are you seriously trying to justify it by saying you needed an even number of cats, Dad?” Chris shakes his head. “I mean, I don’t mind the cats. But you do know this is getting a little out of control, right?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Eddie brushes them off. “Everything is fine. Totally under control.”
“If you say so,” Buck says, not sounding very confident.
Chris chimes in, “I thought you said you were gonna keep an eye on him, Buck?”
“Hey!” Buck sounds a little offended. “I can’t control what he does when I’m not there!”
“Sure,” Chris responds. “A likely story.”
Eddie chooses to stay silent, watching on with a smile as the two people he loves most in the world shit talk each other over who should be stopping him from adopting more cats.
By the time they’re ready to end the call, he feels well and truly like a traditional Sunday dinner in the UK—thoroughly roasted.
They say their goodbyes and Eddie’s just about to get into bed when his phone dings.
Eddie flushes, and decides he won’t be responding anymore.
He thinks he can safely say the FaceTime call was a success at least.
*
Things seem normal with Buck after the FaceTime call and the text messages the other night, so Eddie expects his next shift at work to be more of the same.
Which is in fact not the case.
When he arrives at the firehouse, he quickly gets dressed before heading for the stairs, but as he reaches the loft he’s met with a laughing Hen and Chim the moment they catch sight of him.
“Buck told you what happened, didn’t he?” Eddie glares at a completely unapologetic Buck. “I really do hate you. I hope you know that.”
“You really don’t,” Buck throws back, and Eddie hates that he’s right.
He rolls his eyes as Buck grins at him.
“Maybe the universe was doing you a favour?” Chim chimes in. “You know Chris was going to have a field day with that thing.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Eddie says with another eye roll. “I think that’s enough workplace bullying for me today, thanks.”
Chim just laughs.
“Hand over the pictures of the new cat, then,” Hen demands.
Eddie doesn’t even make it fully onto a chair before Hen’s taking his phone and helping herself.
She’s silent as she flicks through the pictures, Chim looking over her shoulder. Eddie hears footsteps approaching and looks up to see Buck walking over to join them.
“Are you sure that’s a normal cat?” Hen asks, drawing his attention again. When he turns to look at her, she’s squinting at a picture of Sir Ian.
“He looks a bit like one of those really big cats. What are they called?”
“Maine coons!” Buck answers enthusiastically, before frowning and grabbing for the phone. “Eddie. Did you ask what breed Sir Ian was before you adopted him?”
“He’s just a normal cat!” Eddie insists. “He’s exactly the same size as all the others.”
“Do you even hear yourself?” Chim snorts. “All the others?”
Eddie bristles. “There’s nothing wrong with owning more than one cat. It’s perfectly normal.”
“You have four!” Chim exclaims. “Is it even legal for them to keep selling you cats at this point?”
“I’m adopting them,” Eddie says with a glare. “They need loving homes and that’s what I’m giving them.”
“I’m surprised you still have any space left in your house for more cats,” Chim continues. “This is the last one, right?”
Eddie’s silent.
“Eddie. Please tell us this is the last one,” Hen implores when he doesn’t answer Chim.
Eddie shrugs.
“Sure.”
*
Sir Ian is in fact not the last cat.
*
Eddie makes his way down to the shelter to ask about Sir Ian on his next day off, because as much as he hates to admit Hen might be right, he does a little googling and Sir Ian’s ear tufts are pretty damning.
He asks for Bailey—the volunteer he’s seen every time he’s adopted one of his cats—and she proceeds to explain with great amusement that Sir Ian’s adoption post actually stated that the cat was six months old, not six years, and that the suggestion for experience with large amounts of cats was actually just experience with large cats because he is in fact a maine coon.
Well then.
Eddie knows he certainly won’t be living this down any time soon.
He thanks Bailey for explaining, and reassures her that no, he doesn’t want to bring Sir Ian back. He’ll buy some sturdier cat trees and they’ll be just fine.
As he’s turning around to leave, a loud screaming cry catches his attention. He turns around to see another volunteer holding a tiny white kitten with the bluest eyes he’s ever seen.
The kitten continues to scream.
“Is he okay?” Eddie asks, taking a few steps back towards the reception desk. “He’s pretty loud for such a tiny kitten.”
John laughs. “He’s just fine. He’s deaf though, so he doesn’t know how noisy he’s being.”
“Oh,” Eddie laughs, moving closer and reaching out to let the kitten sniff his hand. “Hey there little man.”
“You wanna hold him?” Bailey asks, a twinkle in her eyes. “His name’s Evan.”
Eddie’s eyes light up. “Evan?”
What are the odds?
“Yep,” John says, handing Eddie the kitten. “Little Evan even, since he’s so little.”
Little Evan immediately snuggles up under Eddie’s chin, giving up on his screaming in exchange for a loud purr.
“Oh,” Eddie says, a little softer this time. “He stopped crying.”
“Hasn’t stopped screaming all day,” John admits. “I think he must like you. You’re welcome to hold him as long as you want.”
As long as he wants?
Well then.
Bailey shakes her head knowingly and reaches for the adoption paperwork Eddie’s become very familiar with as of late.
*
Eddie leaves the shelter with Little Evan.
*
An hour after Eddie gets Little Evan home, he gets his phone out to send a message to Chris.
- Eddie
- Meet Little Evan!
- Chris
- did you seriously get ANOTHER CAT
- wait isn’t that buck’s name??
- dad wtf
- ur so weird
- u could have just told buck u love him to his face
- u didn’t have to buy a whole cat about it
- r u ignoring me??
- 😒
Chris
Today, 11:29 AM
For the first time all summer, Eddie doesn’t respond to a text message from his son.
Instead, he swipes over to his messages with Buck.
- Eddie
- Come meet my new cat.
- Buck
- out with tommy 🙁
- Eddie
- Bring him.
- Buck
- you sure?
- Eddie
- Yep.
- Buck
- be there in 30
- also. another one? seriously?
Buck
Today, 11:33 AM
Eddie chooses not to respond to Buck's last message, instead looking up to see a judgemental look on Freddie’s face.
“What?”
Freddie meows.
“Yeah I know.” Eddie sighs. “Probably not the best idea to invite your best friend and his boyfriend over when you’re pretty sure you might be in love with the best friend, huh?”
Freddie stares.
“Don’t look at me like that.” Eddie shuffles his feet, shifting awkwardly on the spot. “I can’t help the way I feel. It’s not really that bad, is it?”
Freddie stares some more.
“What do you know?” Eddie mumbles as he sits on the couch and crosses his arms petulantly. “You’re a cat.”
*
“You named him Evan?” Buck asks, clearly flattered. Eddie hands Buck the kitten before taking a seat with Crockett and Tubbs on the couch. “Tommy, come meet Evan.”
Buck sounds absolutely in awe that the kitten shares his name.
Tommy looks mildly irritated, but to be fair, that could also just be his face.
“You don’t think that’s going to be confusing?” Tommy asks, reaching out a single finger to awkwardly attempt to pat Little Evan on the top of his head. Before he can make contact, Little Evan hisses, and Buck quickly moves away from Tommy to snuggle the kitten again.
“It’s alright, buddy,” Buck coos. “You can stay right here with me, huh?”
Eddie resists the urge to outwardly praise the little angel.
“It might,” Buck responds to Tommy’s initial question, pressing little kisses to the top of Little Evan’s head. “I’m sure we’ll come up with some way to tell us apart. Won’t we, baby?” Buck directs the last statement towards the kitten, not his boyfriend.
Eddie finds it very satisfying.
“Maybe you could start calling Buck by his preferred name,” Eddie suggests. “That’d be the easiest way to minimise the confusion.”
Tommy huffs. “I don’t think—”
“Actually,” Buck interrupts, sounding a little awkward. “Eddie’s kinda got a point. Nobody really calls me Evan except my parents and sometimes Maddie.”
Eddie resists the urge to cheer.
“Oh,” Tommy says, equally as awkward. “You never said anything before.”
“I did say something,” Buck says hesitantly, ducking his head. “I corrected you a few times when we first met, but you pretty much ignored me so I gave up.”
Eddie stays silent, attempting to blend into the couch.
“Well, I think Evan sounds more mature,” Tommy states, crossing his arms across his chest. “You don’t seem to mind it now, anyway. Maybe Eddie can pick a different name for the cat?”
Buck stares at Tommy incredulously. “You’re really going to keep calling me Evan? Even after I just told you I hate it.”
“You never said you hated it,” Tommy argues.
“I assumed you could read between the lines, Thomas,” Buck throws back, irritation seeping into his tone. “And Eddie’s not renaming the cat.”
Petulance isn't a good look on Tommy, but then again, not much is. "I can't believe you're being so ridiculous."
“I'm not being ridiculous, I'm setting a boundary. If you don't like it...” Buck shrugs. “I guess you can get over it. Because this little guy’s not changing his name.”
And with that, Buck turns back to Little Evan and starts nuzzling their noses together.
Eddie watches as Tommy crosses his arms and huffs to himself.
And if he carefully doesn’t mention that Little Evan is actually deaf, and it really doesn’t matter what his name is since he won’t be able to hear them calling out to him anyway, that's his business and his alone.
*
Eddie thinks about what to say next, but before he gets the chance to respond another message comes through.
Eddie holds his breath.
His phone buzzes again.
Eddie manages to go a full ten minutes without panicking after Buck leaves him on read.
But the more time passes without a response from Buck, the more he contemplates driving over to the loft and demanding Buck send a text back. He’s so busy staring down at his phone—willing Buck to respond—that he doesn’t notice the sound of a key unlocking his front door until Buck’s already stepping over the threshold.
“Hey,” Buck says, closing the door behind himself as he moves further into the living room. “Sorry to just show up like this, but I needed to see you.”
“Right now?” Eddie asks nervously, not sure if he's ready for whatever's about to happen. “I’m kind of covered in cats.”
And he is. Covered in cats, that is.
He’s laying on the couch, half propped up against the armrest with Freddie’s curled up in his lap like usual, and Sir Ian spread out lengthwise along his legs. Crockett and Tubbs are curled up together by his feet, and he even has Little Evan snuggled up on his chest.
“I can talk to you from here,” Buck says genuinely, as if it’s no trouble for him to stand in the middle of the room while Eddie takes up almost the whole couch with his cats. “Seriously, it’s fine. I just needed to say this to your face and not—”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Eddie says, cutting Buck off once he realises where the conversation might be headed. Hopefully, at least. “I’ll move the cats. Give me a second.”
Eddie sits up, gently placing Little Evan down on the ground before picking Sir Ian up and letting him slip down too. Freddie meows when Eddie nudges him out of his lap, but does eventually accede to moving.
“There,” Eddie says, patting the middle couch cushion as he shifts to sit on one side. “Come sit.”
Buck huffs out a laugh, stepping over Sir Ian and Little Evan and standing in front of the couch. Eddie watches him look down at the couch before looking up again.
“Actually,” Buck says slowly. “I think I’ve changed my mind.”
“What?” Eddie’s brow furrows.
“Yeah, I don’t think I wanna do this with words,” Buck breathes out as he moves forward to kneel on the middle couch cushion in such a way that leaves him hovering above Eddie. Buck glances down at Eddie’s lips, and asks, “Is this okay?”
And Eddie’s never been so sure about anything in his life as he is right now.
“Better than okay,” he insists. “You should—”
Before Eddie has a chance to say ‘hurry up and kiss me’, Buck’s already leaning forward, pressing their lips together in a tentative kiss.
And even though he knew what was about to happen, a surprised sound escapes Eddie’s throat.
“Oh,” he breathes out against Buck’s mouth.
This is what a kiss is supposed to feel like.
At that realisation his hands fly up to tangle in Buck’s hair so he can haul him in closer. Buck lets himself be moved, shifting even closer still to settle between Eddie’s legs as he deepens the kiss.
And Eddie lets it happen, he lets himself be kissed the way he’s always dreamed of being kissed. Sweet, loving, passionate; it’s everything he’s never experienced prior, but has ever so desperately wanted his entire life.
It feels incredible, the way Buck surrounds him and makes him feel adored. He’s ready to lose himself in it, to fall straight into Buck’s warmth and stay there for the rest of the evening, when suddenly Buck takes a breath and shifts back to put some space between them.
Eddie’s eyes flutter open slowly, revealing Buck smiling down at him.
“Wow,” Buck says softly, running a hand through the back of his hair. “That was… wow.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Eddie flushes. “I kind of underestimated how good that would be, to be honest.”
“Insanely good,” Buck admits, his eyes darkening as he leans in again and—
Eddie swears, as Freddie jumps up between them onto his lap and starts meowing.
“I am so sorry,” Eddie mutters to Buck, attempting to push Freddie off. “Freddie, get down.”
Freddie resists, meowing louder as he attempts to burrow in between Eddie’s legs.
“It’s fine, really, I—ow!” Buck exclaims, jumping up off of the couch and grabbing at his ankle. “What the hell was that for?”
The question is directed at a very unapologetic looking Sir Ian.
“Shit. The shelter said he might bite ankles,” Eddie admits. “I haven’t had it happen to me yet, so I thought maybe they were wrong. But evidently…” he trails off. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
Buck eyes Sir Ian warily. “If you say so.”
“I should probably also confess that you were right about him.” Eddie blurts out, realising it’s probably best to get the admission over with. “I read the shelter bio wrong. It said he was six months old, not six years. He’s one of those maine coon things you mentioned. They offered to take him back but…”
“But… you weren’t just gonna give him up,” Buck finishes.
“No, I uh, actually left the shelter with Little Evan instead,” Eddie admits.
Buck snorts, and then laughs more fully. “Oh my god.”
“Stop,” Eddie halfheartedly complains. “I know. I have a problem. No more, I promise.”
“Really? You think you can quit cold turkey?” Buck has to dodge Sir Ian attempting to bite his ankle again, and he swears. “Sir Ian, go away. You’re a goddamn menace.”
“That’s what you get for teasing me,” Eddie says, chuckling as Sir Ian jumps up on the couch and nuzzles his leg. “Thanks, buddy.”
Buck rolls his eyes affectionately before looking around. “Where’s Little Evan?”
“Over there,” Eddie says, pointing towards the dining room where Little Evan has taken up residence in the archway.
“Little Evan,” Buck calls out, frowning when the kitten doesn’t react. “Hey, Little Evan, come here.”
"Oh god," Eddie groans. “Okay, so don’t be mad.”
He’s really starting to wish he’d told Buck the truth sooner so they could have just gotten straight back to the kissing.
Buck raises an eyebrow. “What?”
“Little Evan is deaf,” Eddie explains, holding Freddie like a baby in his arms. “That’s kinda why I adopted him. He was screaming at the shelter while I was there, and they said he was so loud because he couldn’t hear himself. And then they told me his name was Evan and they said I could hold him and they handed him to me and he stopped crying and they said it was because he liked me and I couldn’t just leave him there after all that. So I took him home, and I probably could have changed his name since he can’t hear it, but it was your name and I—”
“Eddie,” Buck says through a laugh. “Breathe. It’s fine. Were you actually worried I’d be mad?”
Eddie buries his face in Freddie’s fur. “Maybe?”
“Come here,” Buck says, gently taking a very unwilling Freddie out of Eddie’s arms and placing him on the ground. Eddie stands, and lets Buck pull him close. “Listen. I don’t care how many cats you have, or what their names are. Or whether they bite my ankles for the rest of our lives. I just want to be with you, okay?”
“That sounds really, really good,” Eddie says, leaning in closer to brush their lips together once more.
*
Eddie almost can’t believe how much his life manages to turn around by the end of summer a few weeks later.
He’s got a boyfriend now who’s also his best friend in the entire world. He’s in love, and he’s loved in return, and it’s overwhelmingly wonderful.
He’s got his cats—his little buddies—and he loves them too.
Most importantly though, he’s got Chris back.
Chris, who he loves the most out of anybody in the whole world, and who’s currently sitting in the back of Buck’s jeep as they drive home from the airport sharing fun facts about Texas with Buck while Eddie throws in the occasional comment.
They’ve got the windows down, the sun is shining, and Eddie’s so happy he feels like he just might burst.
Life is good.
*
“I can’t believe we’ve got six cats,” Chris says once they finally make it home. He surveys the room as the cats circle around them, meowing for attention. “This is insane.”
“There’s only five, actually,” Eddie points out, leaning down and scritching Crockett’s chin. “That’s not so bad.”
“Sir Ian counts as two,” Chris insists. “He’s gonna be huge.”
“That’s not—”
“I dunno, Eddie. Chris kind of has a point,” Buck says, eyeing Sir Ian contemplatively. “That cat’s gonna eat more than we do soon enough.”
Eddie glares at them.
“Stop being mean to him.” Buck and Chris both turn to look at him incredulously. “He can hear you and you’re going to make him feel bad.” Eddie lifts Sir Ian into his arms with a grunt, smothering his face in kisses. “Don’t listen to them, Sir Ian. You’re perfect just the way you are.”
And with that, Eddie gently places Sir Ian back on the ground and walks off to sit down on his usual corner section of the couch, extending his legs with a sigh.
Immediately, Freddie jumps up on Eddie’s lap and curls up with a yawn.
Crockett and Tubbs follow; Crockett squeezing himself in between Eddie’s legs and the side of the couch, Tubbs waiting for Crockett to get comfortable before plopping down on top of him.
Evan brrts, scrambling up the side of the couch as best a kitten can to loop himself around the back of Eddie’s neck.
And Sir Ian. Well, he circles Buck’s legs before nipping at his ankle. The cat ignores Buck’s mumbled swear, launching himself up onto the couch to curl up on Eddie’s feet.
“They’re great, aren’t they?” Eddie says, smiling softly at them all.
Chris shakes his head and jokingly says, “I never should have gone to Texas.”