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1. Ava
Bob found her in the rain.
She was soaked, trembling under the scaffolding outside the Watchtower’s lower hangar, her green eyes wide as planets. He didn’t think. He just unzipped his jacket and wrapped her up against his chest.
That was three days ago.
Now, the little black puffball was curled into the crook of Bob’s arm on the common room couch, purring like a tiny, content engine.
Ava entered silently, barefoot and holding a mug of maté. She stopped mid-step, arching a brow at the sight of the cat kneading Bob’s flannel pajama top like dough.
“You adopted a cat.”
“Uh—sort of. I found her outside a couple of days ago. Her name's Mochi.” Bob looked sheepish.
Ava approached slowly, crouched by the couch, and let the cat sniff her fingers. The cat, surprisingly, allowed a scratch behind the ears.
“She likes you.”
“She’s got good instincts.” Ava said. “I used to feed the neighborhood strays in Buenos Aires. Every other afternoon."
Bob didn’t say anything, but he smiled. She nodded once, stood, and walked away, sipping her drink.
“She’s cute.” Ava added over her shoulder.
2. Yelena
Two days later, the scream echoed down the hall.
Bob sprinted out of the shower, towel barely hanging on, and followed the sound to Yelena's room.
“BOB! YOUR CAT IS A SERIAL KILLER!”
Yelena was clutching the guinea pig protectively to her chest. Mochi blinked at her, tail swishing lazily.
“She tried to eat Igor!” Yelena barked.
“She’s just curious!” Bob tried, holding out his hands. “She wouldn’t hurt him.”
“She stuck her paw in his cage!” Yelena shouted. “He’s traumatized!”
Mochi meowed softly, clearly unbothered.
“Great. First Alpine tries to murder him every other Tuesday. Now I have a mini panther stalking him in his own home.”
“She’s not a panther.”
“She has fangs.”
“She has baby teeth.”
Yelena sighed and stepped down, still hugging Igor protectively.
Bob looked apologetic. “I’ll keep her out of your room. Promise.”
That night, Bob found a sticky note on his door:
Training Igor in martial arts. If he vanishes, I’m blaming Mochi. —Yelena
3. Bucky
The third confrontation came when Bob was looking for cat litter.
He rounded the corner of the rec room to find Mochi and Alpine playing an elaborate game of paw tag. He froze—mostly because Alpine never played with anyone. Ever.
Bucky appeared a second later, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. “She yours?”
Bob nodded sheepishly. “Yeah. I, uh... I might’ve needed company while John’s gone.”
Bucky looked at the cats again. Mochi was sprawled on her back now, batting Alpine’s tail like it was a slow-moving enemy.
“You need litter?”
Bob blinked. “Yeah. How’d you—”
“You’re carrying a trash bag full of newspaper shreds.”
“Oh. Right.”
Bucky shrugged and gestured for Bob to follow him to the supply closet.
“If you’re keeping her, we can split costs. Litter, toys, treats. Alpine’s brand loyal, but the store has fluffball-friendly options.”
Bob smiled. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Just… don’t let her eat Alpine’s treats. She gets possessive.”
Bob watched the two cats tumble over each other on the rug and nodded. “I think they’ll manage.”
4. Alexei
The kitchen smelled like something had gone very wrong.
Bob peeked around the corner and found Alexei hunched over the stove, frowning down at a pot.
“Hey.” Bob said carefully, stepping in. “Need a hand?”
Alexei looked up, narrowed his eyes, and handed Bob a whisk
“I triple the gelatin,” he muttered. “Still not set. Tastes like wet sponge.”
Bob leaned over and peered at the mix. “You know, I think the sugar crystallized. Did you stir while it was heating?”
Alexei huffed. “I was multitasking. You try beating egg whites with one hand while reading Cyrillic upside-down.”
Bob grinned. “Switch. I’ll whisk; you fold the whites.”
A couple of minutes later, Bob was handling the base while Alexei tackled the mousse.
That’s when Mochi trotted in, tail high and confident, and—despite both men shouting her name—leapt onto the counter and stuck her nose straight into the whipped topping.
“No, no, Mochi! Not the cream!” Bob lunged for her, barely catching her mid-lick.
Alexei looked on in horror… before bursting into a wheezing laugh.
“She has good instincts.” He said. “Even your cat wants my dessert. Clearly, I am genius.”
5. Valentina and Mel
The team meeting was halfway through when the door creaked open.
Valentina paused midsentence as Alpine trotted in.
Moments later, Mochi followed, purring loudly and leaping onto the conference table with a thud.
She promptly sat on a holographic projector.
Everyone froze.
Bob was already reaching for her, but Valentina raised a hand. “Don’t bother.”
Melina tilted her head. “I thought we had a no-pets policy.”
“We do,” Val said. “Enforced since Bucky’s cat nearly chewed through the security wiring.”
“Alpine was chasing a laser pointer.” Bucky muttered.
Val pointed at Bob. “And you?”
“She’s really well-behaved.” Bob said quickly. “And John—Walker—he’s been gone for weeks and I was lonely and I found her outside, in the rain and I thought—”
Melina reached forward and scratched behind Mochi’s ears. Mochi purred even louder.
“She’s charming.” Melina said.
“She’s a liability.” Valentina muttered, but she didn’t tell him to get rid of her.
Bob figured that was a win.
+1. John
Three weeks in Eastern Europe had left John Walker sore, jet-lagged, and starved for something soft—preferably a bed and, ideally, Bob.
He dropped his duffel by the door, kicked off his boots with a groan, and padded down the hall toward his quarters.
He pushed the bedroom door open.
Bob was already curled up in bed, the comforter half-draped off his shoulder, hair tousled, breathing slow and steady. John smiled to himself. Home.
He slipped under the covers, careful not to jostle the mattress too much. But before he could settle in, something furry pressed against his ribs.
Then it moved.
John startled, blinking into the dark—and met a pair of glowing green eyes inches from his face.
“…uh. Babe?”
Bob stirred with a sleepy grunt. “Mmm?”
“There is… something on me.”
Bob squinted, then smiled into the pillow. “Oh. That’s Mochi.”
“Mochi?”
“Yeah. She’s the cat. She lives here now.”
There was a long pause.
“You adopted a cat?” John asked slowly. “While I was gone?”
“I found her outside of the Watchtower.” Bob mumbled. “It was raining. She was sad. I was sad. It worked out.”
Mochi, as if sensing she was being discussed, delicately stepped onto John’s chest and settled there like a furry queen. Her purring started up immediately.
“She’s kinda... intense,” John muttered, frozen.
“She likes you. That’s her special spot.”
“I’ve been home for thirty seconds.”
“She’s a fast judge of character.”
John turned his head just enough to look at Bob. “She your replacement for me?”
Bob rolled over, one arm sliding around his waist. “You were gone. She doesn’t talk back.”
John huffed. “She’s kneading my sternum.”
“She does that. It means she likes you.”
John sighed and glanced down at the fluffy black cat now fully settled on top of him. She blinked once, slowly, like she approved of him."
“She looks like you.” he said finally. “Big eyes. Judgy. Demands snacks.”
Bob snorted, nose pressed to John’s shoulder. “You’re just mad she’s cuter than you.”
Mochi shifted, placed one dainty paw on John’s chin like she was blessing him with her presence.
John shook his head with a smile. “Yeah. Well. I still missed you more.”
Bob’s fingers found his under the blanket and laced them together.
“I know.” Bob whispered.
And with Mochi purring like a tiny motor between them, John finally let himself sleep.