Work Text:
Wriothesley has finally gotten sick of Clorinde insisting that he get a pet to keep him company. As a workaholic, Wriothesley isn’t even home often enough to take care of an animal. Not only this, but he’s afraid that his personality won’t resonate well with any pet he tries to bond with. However, neither of these excuses has deterred Clorinde in the slightest, which is how Wriothesley has found himself at a nearby cat shelter.
In Clorinde’s own words, cats like to keep to themselves most of the time and are the perfect roommate. Wriothesley decided not to mention that this negates the entire point of getting a pet, seeing as how Clorinde wants someone he can befriend. Regardless, Wriothesley knows Clorinde won’t stop pestering him until he gives this a try. If he and his future cat companion can’t get along, he can always return them later.
Stepping into the building, the first thing that hits Wriothesley is the sound of several cats meowing. He expected them to all be in cages, but on the contrary, most seem to be loose in what appears to be an open floor plan. There are plenty of cat trees, food bowls, and toys scattered around in what appears to be an organized chaos. Almost immediately, Wriothesley feels a bit overwhelmed.
There’s so much to take in and he’s considering turning around and leaving when he hears a tiny mewl near his feet. Glancing down, Wriothesley finds a small, white cat staring up at him with wide eyes. Unsure of what to do, Wriothesley leans down and very gently begins petting her. The cat lets out another meow, louder this time, before beginning to purr.
“Hey, kitty. Why are you all alone?”
The cat mewls again, head butting Wriothesley’s hand as he continues to pet her. Honestly, not only did Wroithesley think he wouldn’t enjoy being around animals, he was also somewhat convinced that any cat he took a liking to would hate him. This small, adorable cat seems to be shattering his previous expectations though. Wriothesley is unfortunately almost immediately charmed and he has a sinking feeling that he’s going to be taking this cat home.
“Sigewinne seems to like you.”
Startled, Wriothesley stands back up straight and tries to pretend as though he didn’t just get caught bonding with a cat. He’s embarrassed, but this feeling increases tenfold when he meets the amused eyes of the young man who’s addressed him. The man is fancily dressed, though there seems to be a hint of cat fur clinging to his clothes – a clear signifier that he works here. The first thought that runs through Wriothesley’s head is that this man is attractive. The second is that he has no idea what to do with this information.
Clearing his throat awkwardly, Wriothesley breaks eye contact to stare back down at the cat instead.
“...Her name is Sigewinne?”
“Yup. She’s a feisty one too. I’m surprised she’s taken such a liking to you so quickly.”
“Is she up for adoption?”
“She most certainly is. Are you interested?”
Hesitating only for a moment, Wriothesley nods.
“Yes, I think I am.”
“Well, my good sir. Why don’t you follow me, then?”
Wriothesley thinks that surely he must be hallucinating when the man winks at him, though when it’s combined with a teasing smirk, he realizes that surely he’s being messed with. Someone as youthful and attractive as this man would have no interest in someone like Wriothesley – a man who is already graying in spots due to stress. Still, this doesn’t stop him from looking at the young man’s ass as he’s led further into the building.
“Can I get your name, mon cher?”
Blinking in surprise, Wriothesley stares a bit stupidly for a moment before responding.
“...Wriothesley.”
“What a handsome name for an even more handsome man. My name is Lyney, since we are having introductions.”
“It’s ah.. nice to meet you.”
“Oh, no. The pleasure is all mine.”
Wriothesley is almost confident that he’s being fucked with now. Pressing his lips into a thin line, Wriothesley stares Lyney down with a disapproving stare. However, Lyney seems entirely undeterred and simply gives Wriothesley a charming smile as he gets out the adoption papers. Realizing that he’s going to have to deal with Lyney until he’s able to sign everything, Wriothesley sits down and just barely contains a sigh.
“So, how many pets have you had before? Will Sigewinne have any companions at her new home?”
“No, she’s my first.”
Lyney looks up at Wriothesley for a moment, a mischievous glint in his eye.
“Your first is always a special occasion. Be sure to treat her right, otherwise I might just have to make a home visit to take her back.”
“...Is that a real thing that happens?”
“Pfft.. I’m joking, mon cher. You look like you’ll be a responsible caregiver – someone who will really give Sigewinne everything that she needs.”
Feeling a bit out of his element, Wriothesley merely nods. He doesn’t think about how Lyney visiting him might go. He doesn’t think about their size difference, or how easy it would be to pin Lyney to a wall. Wriothesley keeps his thoughts purely wholesome and ignores how he feels a vein near his temple strain with the effort. The sooner this is over, the sooner Wriothesley can take Sigewinne and run for the hills – preferably without Lyney in tow.
“How much more paperwork is there?”
“Awe, eager to get away?”
Before Wriothesley can respond, Lyney laughs.
“I’m kidding once again. We’re almost done and then you can be on your way.”
“Right..”
Lyney has Wriothesley sign a few documents that he doesn’t have the patience to read over. He puts up with more of Lyney’s light teasing, hating how he’s beginning to enjoy it, and then everything appears to be finished. Wriothesley watches as Lyney procures a small carrier for Sigewinne and gently sets her inside. She doesn’t seem to be very happy about it, but Lyney gives her a few pets before closing the kennel.
“You should be all set, now. Oh! One last thing before you go.”
Lyney pulls out a card, offering it to Wriothesley.
“If you have any troubles or questions, the shelter number is on here.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Taking it, Wriothesley sees a flash of pen written on the back of it. A second phone number has been put down in floral handwriting and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out whose it is. Raising his eyebrows, Wriothesley gives Lyney an unreadable look before pocketing the card. Lyney has a light flush to his face for the first time and Wriothesley pretends he doesn’t see it as he picks up Sigewinne’s carrier.
“I’ll be sure to give you a call if anything comes up.”
“P-Please do.”
Barely biting back a smirk, Wriothesley turns and heads out of the shelter with Sigewinne in tow.
+=+=+
A week passes by in an unbelievable blur. Getting used to having a cat around his apartment is a surprisingly steep learning curve, but Wriothesley is determined not to fuck this up. He likes Sigewinne and his new cat hopefully likes him back as well. Sometimes it’s hard to tell, but when Wriothesley asked Clorinde, she simply laughed and said to give it more time. So, that’s what Wriothesley does.
Once he and Sigewinne are finally settled into a somewhat comfortable routine, Wriothesley turns his eyes to the business card given to him by Lyney. The number on the back taunts him, as if daring Wriothesley to accept Lyney’s advances. He hasn’t been flirted with in a long time – especially not by someone he’s admittedly also interested in. It gets to the point that Wriothesley accepts that he’s being avoidant for no reason and that’s when he takes out his phone to give Lyney a call.
The line rings exactly three times before a familiar voice answers.
“Hello?”
“Ah, Lyney.. It’s Wriothesley.”
“Mon cher! It’s so good to hear from you. How is Sigewinne?”
Considering the fact that Sigewinne is currently asleep in Wriothesley’s lap, he’d consider her fairly content.
“She’s been good. I like having her around.”
“That’s great!”
There’s a pause and then Lyney speaks again.
“..Can I ask why you’re calling?”
“Right, about that...”
Wriothesley won’t get anywhere if he doesn’t try. He knows that Lyney is interested – it’s only a matter of getting the words out confidently. Wriothesley has a feeling that Lyney wouldn’t take kindly to any sort of shyness in this situation, so he clears his throat and steels himself.
“I was wondering if you’d be interested in going out on a date with me. It doesn’t have to be fancy – unless you like fancy, then I can find us somewhere nice.”
There’s a small laugh on the other line, but Wriothesley doesn’t feel as though he’s being mocked for his attempt.
“Hmm.. I do like fancy. Set something up and send me the time and date. I’ll be waiting, mon cher.”
Only slightly flushed at the thought of actually following through with this, Wriothesley can’t hold back a smile as he holds the phone to his ear.
“Let’s go for this weekend, then. I’ll send you the details once everything is finalized.”
“I look forward to seeing you all dressed up. I hope you don’t disappoint.”
“I wouldn’t dream of disappointing you.”
Lyney laughs again, his voice warm.
“Have a good night, Wriothesley. Give Sigewinne a kiss for me.”
“Heh, will do.”
The line goes dead and Wriothesley exhales heavily, hardly believing that he followed through with it. Clorinde is going to have a field day when she finds out and Wriothesley is definitely going to get an earful about it. She’ll want to meet Lyney, of course, and Wriothesley can just imagine the two of them getting along great at his expense. Feeling a headache beginning to form, Wriothesley puts those thoughts aside for now.
He has a date to plan and if things go well, he might even get a second date out of it. Wriothesley likes Lyney from what little interacting they did and he wants to see where this goes. If they end up in Wriothesley’s apartment after the date, that’ll be no one’s business but their own. If things go even further... well, Wriothesley isn’t one to kiss and tell.