Chapter Text
“Y’know, it’s not too late to switch careers. Do something a little more your speed? Like a baker?” Slider goaded and Maverick barked a laugh when Goose’s expression screwed up, Wood and Wolf chuckling behind them.
“A baker, Sli? Really? That’s the best you could come up with?”
“Yeah, I don’t know about that one. Goose isn’t exactly known for his cutlery skills.” Mav added, grinning at the betrayed look Nick levelled at him while Slider cackled.
Before Goose had a chance at defending himself, Slider was already responding, “Good point. What’s something less dangerous to the human population? A human traffic cone?”
“He’d get run over.” Wolf pointed out, grinning.
“I know I’d certainly hit him.” Slider sighed, nodding along. “Not a traffic cone, then, what else?”
“Well, excuse all of you–”
“What if he was a stay at home dad and Carole worked full-time?” Maverick offered, cutting off his RIO with a smirk that earned him an exasperated glare.
“Hey, that’s not a bad idea!” Wood exclaimed behind him. “He’d be able to put all those mothering qualities to good use!”
“You think I don’t already do that?” Goose scoffed back, lip finally twitching as he roughly grabbed Mav and pulled the pilot pointedly into his side. “With this one I’m already a babysitter.”
“Oi! I’m not that bad!”
“Can’t be worse than Ice.” Slider chuckled and Goose honked a laugh as Mav’s head snapped to the RIO, eyes narrowing.
“You’re joking.”
Slider just raised an incredulous eyebrow at him, sharing an amused look with Goose. “Sure, kid. Joking.”
Wood snorted and Maverick scowled. “First off, don’t call me ‘kid,’ you’re literally not that much older than me.” Goose scoffed and Maverick slapped his shoulder without taking his eyes off Slider. “Secondly, please tell me you have dirt on Iceman. I’ll even pay you for it.”
Slider rolled his eyes at that. “No dice, kiddo.”
Maverick’s jaw dropped at the gall this man had, while Wolf snickered and Goose’s grin sharpened into something far too amused at Pete’s predicament.
“You can’t hint at blackmail then not tell me! And I just said not to call me ‘kid.’”
“And I didn’t, kiddo.” Slider agreed easily, before stopping so quickly Wolf stumbled into his back with a squawk.
The other three also stopped, watching curiously as the RIO’s expression shifted from amused to fond exasperation, something far softer than Maverick thought possible lurking in his eyes.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?”
Mav’s expression creased in confusion and Goose’s eyebrows rose, the RIO opening his mouth to speak before a chirp interrupted him. Eyes widening, the four followed Slider’s gaze and found a cat, of all things, trotting towards him, ears perked and tail low.
Upon reaching Slider the spotted cat’s tail went up in that way cats had that meant they were happy to see someone and the feline looked up, chirping again.
“Ohmygoshhe’ssocute.” Wolf breathed, immediately dropping into a crouch and reaching a hand towards the cat, but not pressing closer.
Slider huffed at him while the cat’s attention turned to the blond. They watched incredulously as the cat glanced at Slider, then slowly stepped closer to Wolf, sniffing his outstretched fingers hesitantly. Maverick looked up at Slider.
“I’m sorry, is it yours?”
“He is, yes.” Slider answered amicably, gaze not moving off where the cat was now rubbing his cheek against Wolf’s hand, tail swishing lightly. Goose snickered when Wood also lowered himself down, clicking his tongue a couple times and extending an open hand.
Maverick shifted uneasily, unsure if he’d look more foolish if he joined the other two on the ground or stood while they befriended the feline. To take his mind off it, he looked back to the RIO, brow furrowed. “How’d you get him on base?”
Slider just shrugged, meeting Mav’s eyes a second before they strayed back to the cat. “He’s pretty good at avoiding inspection, seeing as he’s more wild than tame and does what he wants. He’s never been caught and I’ve never gotten in trouble. He kind of chose me once in Academy and has been around off and on ever since.”
“You’ve had him since Academy?” Wood asked, looking up with his eyebrows raised, the cat receiving head scratches from him while Wolf stroked gently along the kitty’s back.
“Yup.”
“How come I never saw him?” Goose questioned, sounding mildly put-out. Slider just shrugged.
“Ask the cat.”
Goose scowled playfully. “Oh, yeah, that’ll get me an answer.”
“Mrrow.” The feline in question, ironically, piped up. Goose tried to frown while the other four laughed at him, but his grin ruined the attempt. He sighed instead, nodding sagely.
“You make a very good point, cat.”
Maverick snickered next to him, glancing at Slider. “Does he have a name?”
“Tomcat.”
Goose’s eyebrows rose and his head snapped up. “Please tell me you named him after Ice. I need that in my life.”
Slider just chuckled, shaking his head. “I let him pick. He just so happened to go with the F-14. Honestly, I think Prowler would’ve been better.”
“Prowler is a pretty sick cat name.” Wood agreed from the ground, watching as Tomcat stepped out of their reach and toward Slider. The cat sat at his feet, gazing up at him imploringly.
“Mrrow.”
“What?”
“Mrrow.”
“Sassing me isn’t gonna get you what you want, Spots.”
The cat sighed and Maverick wondered incredulously if he was dreaming. The kitty was so small his entire body deflated with the motion, then he was looking again at Slider, this time releasing a bright chirp with his head cocked.
Slider rolled his eyes playfully, but grinned, glancing at them. “You guys wanna go to the rec room? If I take him home he’s gonna tear the place apart like a wild thing.”
“You got all that from two meows and a chirp?!” Wolf spluttered, his disbelieving tone perfectly conveying Maverick’s thoughts. Slider shrugged.
“I told you, I’ve had him since Academy. He’s not actually destructive, but without some kind of stimulation he’s gonna be very unhappy the rest of the day, so it’s either rec room with you guys or the beach.”
“You take your cat to the beach?” Goose asked drily. Slider sighed.
“Believe it or not, he loves the water. He’s a better swimmer than I am.”
They all blinked at him in silence for a moment.
“Imma need to see that at some point before we leave here, but right now all I want to do is chill for a bit.” Wood asserted slowly.
Slider huffed, lip twitching. “Rec room it is.”
The cat chirped brightly, crouching a moment before leaping up onto Slider’s shoulders, making the nearly-six-foot jump look like nothing. Slider only winced once, sighing once the cat was safely perched against his neck.
“You better not have put holes in this shirt.”
“‘Rrow.”
“Uh huh.”
Goose shook his head at the other RIO in amusement, while Maverick watched on in astonishment. He’d never had pets, and getting attacked by packs of stray dogs a few times had convinced him that he never would. But watching the obvious connection Slider had with Tomcat made him a teensy bit jealous.
Maverick was beyond impressed when they made it to the rec room without being stopped. Every time the cat’s ears perked and his head came up he’d jump down, staying between them and the wall as whoever he’d obviously-heard approaching passed. Then, once the coast was clear, Slider would duck down a bit as the cat leapt back onto his shoulders, neither ever breaking their stride. It was so well-done, so practiced that Maverick was starting to see how Tomcat had managed to hang around Slider so long without getting caught.
Nevertheless, they all breathed a sigh of relief when they got to the rec room and found it empty, most people who lived on base probably taking a breather at home before going out that night.
Tomcat jumped off Slider’s shoulders the moment the door was closed behind Wood, bounding across the room to the pool table and springing up onto it. He made eye contact with Slider and chirped, spinning in a couple tight circles. Mav’s eyebrows rose and they all looked to the RIO in question to see he had one eyebrow cocked, an amused smirk on his lips.
“You want me set up a game?”
A bright chirp, the kitty’s tail swishing excitedly. Mav found a small smile working its way onto his face. The spotted cat was cute, if nothing else.
Slider chuckled, moving to, as promised, set up a game of pool. The cat carefully balanced on one narrow edge while the RIO chalked a cue, the other four spreading out around the table, eager to see what the feline was going to do.
“Ready?” Slider asked, glancing to his right at the cat as he leaned down to line up the first shot. A bright chirp and Slider broke, a second strike proclaiming him stripes.
A third shot–this one unsuccessful–then, “Alright, cat, do your worst.”
None of them were sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t for the cat to flounce around the balls, bypassing the cue ball entirely. His springy steps didn’t come close to disturbing any positions save one, which rolled neatly into a hole. Tomcat’s tail twitched as he spun, gaze flicking between the balls before sinking one more, batting at it imploringly. His third attack was also successful, and Goose looked up at Slider, eyebrows raised.
“Don’t look now, Sli, but I think you’re about to lose a game of pool to a cat.”
Slider just nodded agreeably, a fond smile on his lips when Tomcat sprang back from a ricochet, bounding across the table to him. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”
He leaned down to line up his shot, the spotted cat climbing nimbly onto his shoulders and stretching out, tail flicking into the RIO’s face every few seconds. Slider rolled his eyes, swatting at said tail.
“You can’t sit on me if you’re gonna cheat.”
“Mrrow.”
“Tomcat.”
The kitty huffed, but stopped, tail dropping to flick against Slider’s shoulder instead as they all watched on, gobsmacked.
“This cat is crazy.” Wood murmured, running a hand through his hair.
“He’s amazing.” Wolf grinned next to him, practically giddy. “I used to dream about being friends with an animal like that. Closest I’ve ever seen is dogs and horses.”
Tomcat huffed, tipping his chin up pointedly and slipping back onto the table for ‘his turn’–because Maverick was still struggling to wrap his head around the idea of giving a cat a turn at playing a human game–sauntering toward a solid with his tail high. The craziest part was that the ball Tomcat chose was the one Maverick also would have chosen, were he playing.
The cat, unsurprisingly, sank it with a well-placed nudge, and Maverick realized then that Tomcat was only hitting each ball once. Teaching an animal to play pool was one thing. He’d even stretch it and say making sure they stuck to only stripes or solids was possible. But one hit for each try? Maverick might not know much about animals, but he was positive that was not normal.
A couple turns later and they were down to three and two, the kitty growling when his next strike bounced. Slider just chuckled, scrubbing a gentle hand over the feline’s head as he moved to find the best angle for his shot. Only three more and the eight ball and he’d be the winner.
Against a cat.
But an uncommonly-skilled cat.
Tomcat reclaimed his place on Slider’s shoulders, eyes wide and bright and ears perked, head jerking side to side as he followed the balls’ movements. Slider sighed a grumble when the third ball bounced clean off the opposite side, a full three inches from the hole. The cat chirped, physically perking up as he jumped down and trotted over to one of the solids, sinking it easily. The bystanders were all watching with bated breath, eyes fixed on the cat who sat down, tail swishing as he studied his last ball.
Slider chuckled. “What do you think?”
“‘Rrow.”
“Ah ha.” Slider nodded sagely in agreement, ignoring the incredulous looks he was receiving from the sidelines.
Maverick would have never expected a pool game with a cat to be this intense, but it was, somehow. All of them caught in a mixture of disbelief and excitement at seeing something none of them thought possible.
The cat chirped and stood, gaze still flicking around the pool table as he approached his ball. One last appraising glance at his options, and the cat swatted the ball to his left, the angle sharp. It felt like the air itself stilled as they all watched…
And cheered when the ball sank.
Slider just rolled his eyes playfully, even as he laughed at them. “He’s still gotta get the eight ball, you know.”
“Yeah, but he still cleared his rack before you did!” Wolf argued back gleefully. Tomcat’s tail swished sharply–Maverick had noticed the way he startled when they started whooping, and felt kind of bad for scaring the feline–his gaze locked on the eight ball.
“He’s all in.”
“C’mon, Tomcat, you can do it!”
“We should’ve bet money on this.”
“I would’ve lost. No way was I expecting a cat to be this good at pool.”
“Ah, man. I definitely should have bet! Like I’d bet on Slider when my other option was a cat? Are you kidding?”
Maverick’s lip twitched, but his attention–as well as everyone else’s–was fixed on Tomcat. The cat’s tail swished again and he glanced up at Slider. Mav frowned when he realized the kitty’s ears were flicked backward, body tense and only the tip of his tail now moving in a rapid flicking.
Slider didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow and held out his free hand, palm down. Tomcat stood, padding over to rub neatly against Slider’s hand, allowing the RIO to stroke along his back for a moment, eyes returning to the eight ball.
After a moment of staring, Tomcat left Slider’s grip in favor of the black ball, gaze flicking around the table as he–for lack of a better word–analyzed his options. The cat’s tail swished once, before he sat down. After one more second, during which Maverick was almost positive none of them breathed, Tomcat batted the ball towards a hole. They all watched the ball roll in silence, Tomcat’s tail twitching to rest elegantly over his front feet as he followed the movement.
It went in.
And they went wild.
Tomcat jumped, looking at them wide-eyed, and Slider chuckled softly, shaking his head as he set his cue down. The RIO stepped forward, scooping his cat up with one hand under the kitty’s chest as they all clamored excitedly.
“He did it!”
“Would you believe a cat would win at pool?!”
“He’s better than I am!”
“Most people are.”
“Hey!”
“He’s magnificent!”
“He could be in the circus!”
Slider actually huffed at that, while in his arms Tomcat’s lips briefly peeled back. “I don’t think he’s got the patience to be any sort of performer. He doesn’t like being around too many people.”
Slowly, they settled, still grinning. Wolf hummed, stepping closer to offer a hand for Tomcat to sniff. He stroked the kitty’s head once Tomcat rubbed against his fingers.
“Yeah, most cats don’t. Can’t say I blame him. All those people and all that noise is probably a lot for a little kitty, huh, buddy?”
The hushing earned him a gray-eyed glare that had Maverick and Goose choking on their laughter.
“He doesn’t…Doesn’t seem to like that too much, Wolf.” Mav gasped out, leaning against the pool table. The RIO just rolled his eyes.
“Please. All cats are grumpy.”
“Yeah, but Tomcat’s special.” Wood pointed out, moving over to study the feline. “I’d be careful if I were you. A cat that can learn to play pool can probably also learn how to smother you with a blanket or something.”
“Maybe, but he wouldn’t do that to me. Would you, Tomcat?” Wolf cooed, receiving another glare for his efforts that had him grinning.
Slider chuckled at him. “You’re probably safe, for now. He’d sooner scratch up your ankles than kill you in your sleep.”
They all winced.
“I think I’d take the death, honestly.” Goose mused playfully. “Cat scratches hurt.”
Slider grinned, then pointedly bounced the bundle of fur in his arms.
“You wanna play again?”
Tomcat perked up, twisting in a way that had both Wood and Wolf leaning forward, hands out in case he fell. Somehow, though, the spotted cat managed to stay in Slider’s arms, forepaws now pressed against his chest.
“Mrrow.”
“Ooooh, can I play with him?” Wolf asked excitedly. Slider blinked at him, then glanced down at his cargo.
“Tomcat?”
oO0Oo
Tomcat ended up playing one game with each of them before he was worn out, Wolf and Goose coming out on top and Maverick and Hollywood joining Slider’s ‘I lost a game of pool to a cat’ club. Now, Slider and Maverick were playing their own game, Goose standing nearby cheerleading and Hollywood and Wolf on the couch. Tomcat had curled against Wolf’s leg and was currently dozing, a soft, content purr rumbling through him. Slider was hopeful that all this excitement would not only wear Ice out, but also serve as some much-needed socialization.
He’d been surprised that Ice had shown them this form at all. It was the first time in years anyone other than Slider had seen Tomcat up close, and Ron couldn’t help but wonder why. Ice had mentioned before that he judged people based on their scent, which explained his small social circle, but didn’t shed any light on this part. On the decision that their classmates were safe-to-him-in-this-form part. Because most people weren’t, Slider knew. But there was something about these guys that had Ice comfortable enough to be in his weaker form near them, to play and actually rest.
That was special, and Slider knew he’d have to ask about Tom’s decision later. But right now he was just happy to see his pilot so at ease and receiving the attention he shied from in his human form.
Slider only knew someone was approaching the rec room because Tomcat’s ears flicked towards the door, but the kitty didn’t bother lifting his head. Ron didn’t know if he was truly surprised or not that it was Chipper and Sundown, the pair entering with easy smiles in greeting.
It was Chipper who first noticed the spotted feline next to Wolf, the pilot’s expression immediately lighting up.
“Woah! Whose cat?!”
“Slider’s.” Multiple voices called.
“Mine.”
“And you do anything to him I’ll lay you out, ya hear?” Ron growled a firm warning, sending Chipper and Sunny a quick glare. Ice may have already given them the all-clear, but he preferred to err on the side of caution. The pair raised their hands placatingly, stepping closer curiously.
“Take it easy, man, we won’t hurt him.”
“Yeah, who’d want to hurt a cat?” Wolf asked, brow pinched while one hand stroked Tomcat’s side, the kitty still curled against him contentedly. Tomcat hadn’t even opened his eyes at Ron’s threat, but Slider knew from the way the cat’s ears flicked and his tail tightened against his side that his pilot was flustered at the open protection.
“You’d be surprised.” Slider muttered, drawing concerned glances from the others.
“Wait, actually? People have tried hurting him?” Goose asked, brow furrowing. Chipper had dropped into a crouch in front of Wolf and was gently tracing the markings on Tomcat’s face. Sunny stood next to him, leaning closer curiously.
“Well, they’ve shot at him and thrown firecrackers at him, so if that counts then yeah, people have tried to hurt him.” Slider couldn’t help how bitter his words came out if he tried.
He was met with various horrified expressions and took that as a good sign.
“People have shot at him?!”
“Firecrackers?!”
“Why?” Mav questioned, looking genuinely distressed at the idea.
Ron shrugged, meeting Tomcat’s wide eyes across the room. The feline obviously hadn’t been expecting all the genuine concern, and even more obviously didn’t know how to handle it.
Ron scrubbed at his face to hide his smirk.
Good. Even if he had to be beaten over the head to get the memo, Ice had to realize that if people were safe to him in this form, that automatically implied they’d have the common decency to not want him hurt for sadistic entertainment.
“Some people just don’t like cats. And, in case you haven’t noticed, he’s not exactly your typical house cat. Pretty sure he’s been mistaken for a bobcat or something at least a few times.”
Sunny’s brow furrowed as he studied Tomcat. “So…what kind of cat is he?”
“Yeah, you said earlier that he was wild.” Wood added, leaning forward curiously. “How wild were you talking?”
Slider chuckled. “Try ‘South American jungle’ wild. That’s where his species is found.”
“What?!”
Slider took their moment of disbelief as a chance to chalk his cue, waiting patiently for their next question.
“So, what kind of cat is he, then?” Maverick was the one to reiterate Sunny’s question, voice teetering on mildly-hysterical.
“He’s called a Geoffrey’s cat.” Slider answered. “Had to dig through an encyclopedia to find out.”
“I’m sorry, how did a South American cat end up in the U.S.?” Wolf asked, hand gentle where it was smoothing along Tom’s side.
Slider shrugged. “Search me.”
“How’d you get him?” Chipper tried instead, brow furrowed.
“He found me in Academy.”
“And you still have him?”
Ron snickered. “Yup. Think of him as like a spirit guide. He disappears when he needs to and shows back up when he wants. Avoids inspections all on his own.”
“Sounds like a cat.” Wood chuckled, reaching across his RIO to stroke Tomcat’s head.
“Mhm, though I’m positive he’s worse than normal. He’s a wild animal, for one thing, but for another he’s smarter than he looks and he can tell what you’re feeling.”
“Really?”
“Yup, it’s the smell or something.”
“And you’ve had him all this time? With deployments and everything?” Sunny asked curiously.
“Yup. Always has a way of showing up when I’m stateside, no matter where I’m stationed. He’s actually not crazy about Ice, ironically, so you don’t really see them in the same place if they can help it.”
“Really?” Goose asked suspiciously, eyes narrowing, and Slider chuckled.
“Go figure, right? Ice has always been more of a cat person than me. I was never really partial one way or the other until Tomcat came into my life.”
“He’s pretty special.” Wood agreed, unintentionally echoing his earlier thoughts.
“It is kind of crazy to have a wild animal as a pet.” Chipper agreed from his spot on the floor, raising an eyebrow at the looks the other two pilot-RIO pairs shared, Slider watching on in silent amusement. “What?”
“You guys should’ve been here earlier.” Wolf gushed with a wide grin. “Tomcat plays pool!”
Sunny and Chipper blinked at him in silence for a long moment, then glanced at the rest of them. When none of them denied it, Sunny’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline.
“You’re serious.”
“Yup.” Mav ascertained, only a little glumly. At the confused looks he got for his tone he sighed, reluctantly admitting, “He beat me. And Wood and Slider.”
“Goose and I won, but that still leaves Tomcat with three wins out of five games.” Wolf confirmed easily, fingers threading soothingly through spotted fur. Tomcat’s eyes were half-lidded as he boredly tracked the conversation, tail flicking lazily. Slider’s lip twitched in a fond smile, unused to seeing his pilot so content around this many people, in either form. As Leo stroked the feline, though, his fingers suddenly stalled for a moment and his brow furrowed, eyes darting down to the animal beside him.
Wolf cursed low, catching the rest of the room’s attention, gently picking through Tomcat’s fur. Slider had a good idea what the RIO was looking at even before Wolf murmured, “He’s got a lot of scars on ‘im, eh?”
“Yeah, I think he had a pretty rough life before he found me.” Ron murmured, gaze softening as he lined up his shot.
He heard Chipper whistle. “You weren’t kidding. Look at this, he’s even got one above his eye! That must’ve bled a ton.”
“That one I actually know the cause of.” Slider hummed, glancing to his right and meeting Tom’s eyes. He continued when he received a slow blink as permission. “Had a bottle thrown at him.”
“What?!”
Tomcat flinched, jerking up a little at their raised voices, comfortable doze disrupted at the unexpected, protective anger. The next second they were all cooing at him like a bunch of kids. Ron just smirked now that he knew his pilot was alright, meeting Tom’s wide eyes. If he was going to be in this form he was going to get coddled as much as possible and he’d just have to deal with it. It was good for him, anyway. Ice had admitted before that he needed physical comfort in his shifted form just as much as his human one, and this gathering was definitely filling that quota for the day.
Ice allowed them to fuss and pet him for a moment, slowly relaxing once more. Then he hopped down, padding over to leap first onto the pool table and then straight to Ron’s shoulders. Slider raised a hand, gently scratching under Tomcat’s chin when the kitty rubbed against his fingers. The others looked on guiltily.
“Aww, I didn’t mean to scare him.” Chipper murmured apologetically, the sentiment echoed readily by the others. Slider chuckled.
“He’s alright, you guys just surprised him. He doesn’t like yelling, especially unexpectedly.”
“Probably ‘cause people keep trying to hurt him.” Goose grumbled, far too knowingly. Slider shared a wince with the RIO, knowing fair well who the younger man was likely thinking of. He wasn’t worried about Nick–or any of them, for that matter–figuring Ice out. It was too wild a stretch for the affectionate, playful Tomcat to have any relation to the closed-off and careful Iceman. Yet another benefit of Tom’s mask, as much as Slider disliked his pilot feeling the need to wear one in the first place.
Regardless, pain had universal consequences and once you were familiar with them in one situation they were far easier to spot in another.
Slider hummed. “He’s also just not used to a lot of people. Normally it’s only me he hangs around. You guys must smell safe. Or he just figured you’d be a bunch of suckers, either one works.”
Tomcat’s tail swished in his face and nails pricked into his shoulder before disappearing again, the pokes brief and a controlled show of annoyance at Slider outing him. Slider just chuckled, nodding for Maverick to take his turn and continue their game.
The pilot did and Tomcat’s ears perked, tip of his tail flicking against Slider’s back. The others noticed, too, gazes flitting between the spotted feline and the pool table.
Maverick glanced at the cat, lips twitching in a small smirk before taking his shot. Tomcat shifted on Slider’s shoulders, position now a crouch, front paws leveraging him forward so he could vault down at a moment’s notice. Slider ignored him, waiting for Mav to take his second shot before slowly stepping around the table, Tomcat’s stance steady despite the movement. The others had stood up, now, inching closer in anticipation. Slider leaned down to aim and felt Tomcat tense, tail swishing excitedly.
He shot, Tomcat leaping from his shoulder in the same breath, racing alongside the cue ball and bouncing neatly amongst the resulting disturbance, barely avoiding getting hit as he pounced up on the narrow ledge of the table.
Sunny whistled low, impressed. “I thought for sure he’d get hit.”
Slider chuckled, shaking his head slightly as he moved around the table. “He’s had a lot of practice. He likes pool.” Then he glanced up, narrowing his eyes at the cat. “But you can not mess up my shot, y’hear? No cheating.”
The kitty’s head tilted, those gray-blue eyes sparkling. “Mrrow.”
Slider sighed, knowing that was probably the best he was going to get as he shifted to choose another shot, well-aware of the lazy focus Tomcat had on him. A chirp and his gaze flicked to the feline, who met his eyes before looking pointedly at a green ball near him, across the table from Slider. Ron considered silently.
It wouldn’t be an easy shot, but admittedly it might be his best bet at getting out of the mess Maverick had left him. He looked once more to Tomcat as he leaned down to take it and saw the cat’s tail swish excitedly at the knowledge his suggestion had been accepted. The feline shifted his weight, angling himself forward, ears up and body perfectly balanced.
As soon as the cue ball was moving Tomcat was, leaping neatly onto the adjacent edge of the table, tail sweeping out as he caught his balance and turned to watch the ball roll into the pocket.
Maverick cursed at Slider good-naturedly. “Was really hoping someone who got beaten by a cat on a regular basis would have more trouble making that shot.”
Slider chuckled, stroking a hand along Tomcat’s spine as he moved to take a new position. “Who said I lose to him regularly? He gets bored if he doesn’t have good competition.”
Maverick huffed grumpily, gaze flicking to said cat. Tomcat was walking along the edge of the table, tail low to help him maintain his balance as he moved over to Maverick’s side in order to properly spectate Slider’s next shot. Slider kept his head down, but his eyes were on the two across from him as Tomcat perched next to the pilot. Maverick visibly hesitated, hand not holding his cue flexing a moment, before he extended his hand towards Tomcat the same way the others had been doing.
Half expecting the poor brunette to get batted at, Slider was pleasantly surprised when Tomcat turned to sniff the outstretched fingers, then rubbed lightly against Mav’s hand, tail swishing to help him stay steady with the movement.
Slider saw Maverick visibly freeze, tense and wide-eyed, but then he gently began scratching along Tomcat’s jaw, earning a soft purr. Ron blinked in surprise as he leaned over to take his shot. The purring with Wolf hadn’t been too shocking, given how respectful and taken the RIO had been with the spotted feline. But Maverick had kept a careful distance from Tomcat the entire afternoon, gaze too complex a mess for Slider to sort out with how little he knew about the pilot. He’d noticed the encouraging looks Goose had sent the brunette, but hadn’t been sure if that had to do with Tomcat specifically or if it was just spending time with Slider, who Maverick seemed wary of on a good day.
And if Slider noticed how tense Mav was, Ice must have. He was able to smell emotions, there was no chance that Maverick’s anxiety escaped unnoticed. Slider just hadn’t been sure how Ice would respond to it. So he was relieved that Tom was going easy on the young pilot, giving him far more of a chance in this form than when Ice was human.
It was easier, though, Ron knew. Ice not only had no idea how to properly convey feelings as a human, but also didn’t know how to receive any form of comfort. As a cat? The give and take was significantly easier for him to wrap his head around and all his natural mothering tendencies rose to the surface once he lacked the fear that said he needed to stay detached.
So, it was soothing to see him receiving so much attention as Tomcat, even if Slider wished he’d be that open to said attention as a human. But still, baby steps.
Maverick had visibly relaxed, still rubbing along Tomcat’s jaw as he studied the new playing field. Tomcat stayed near the pilot even when Mav stopped petting him, the brunette shifting to take his shot. To Slider’s faint surprise, Ice split his time up fairly evenly between them, bouncing between Ron and Maverick during their turns and attacking the pool balls when he was of a mind to, careful not to move any. Once Slider pulled a win he tossed out a couple more balls, just to watch Tomcat chase them across the table.
The nap, regrettably, may have refueled the feline more than Slider had been expecting. But seeing how happy Tom was made all the manic energy worth it.
Plus, the spotted feline was undoubtedly adorable, springing around pool balls while the others nudged them across the table. Tomcat raced from side to side, occasionally hopping up on an edge in order to drop into a crouch, his tail the only visible movement as he, for lack of a better word, “stalked” the pool balls. A feat which the spectators found endlessly amusing.
Slider smirked at each impressed exclamation, though, when Tomcat caught each ball on the first try. He knew the kitty’s accuracy was scarily close to perfect, and he also knew Tomcat was gratified by other people realizing the same thing, the cat’s tail swishing proudly each time he earned a whistle or a clap.
After nearly ten minutes of playing, Tomcat, unsurprisingly, grew bored, trotting over to scale Slider’s arm and pant on his shoulders. Slider huffed sympathetically, gently stroking the cat’s head.
“You want a drink?”
He took the soft chirp as a yes, walking over to the dispenser by the door and ripping the top section off a paper cup before filling the remaining part halfway. Slider dropped into a crouch and Tom hopped down to the floor, neatly drinking his fill while Ron pet him. Goose and Wood put the game away as the others began chatting, eyes still flicking intermittently to the cat. Slider couldn’t say he blamed them. Tomcat was a bright spot in a life that was rigid and dull in many ways.
“You ready to go?” Slider murmured, voice low enough he knew only Tom heard him. The kitty chirped, looking up to meet Ron’s gaze with his own, bright-eyed one. A small nod and Slider smiled, waiting for Tomcat to finish his drink and jump back up on Slider’s shoulders.
“It’s getting late. Should probably go track down Ice, then head down to eat.” Slider offered conversationally as he tossed the cup.
“Aww. Do you have to take Tomcat?” Wolf asked sadly.
Slider chuckled, nodding. “Sorry, but yes. He would make his disapproval very clear if I left him. Trust me.” That got some snickers and Leo sighed, stepping closer to offer his hand once more.
“Alright, I don’t wanna make him upset. I’ll see you later, Tomcat? Hopefully?” He glanced at Slider, who offered a shrug, the cat on his shoulders shifting with the motion. Tomcat chirped, though, and Slider tipped his head back pointedly.
“Yes, apparently.”
Goose barked a laugh. “Hate to break it to you, Sli, but you’ve been whipped by a cat.”
Slider just sighed, nodding resignedly. “I’m a sucker and he knows it. Trust me.”
He bore the laughs at his expense with the grace of one who’d accepted their defeat, smothering his grin at the pleased flick of Tomcat’s tail against his back. “Thanks for wearing him out, in any case. Hopefully he'll sleep good tonight.”
“Yeah, he looks ready to crash.” Chipper murmured sympathetically, glancing at his own watch. “It is getting near supper, and I’m starving. Probably see you in mess.”
“I’ll be there.” Slider replied agreeably, taking his leave amongst the various farewells.
He waited until he was down the hall and positive there was no one within hearing distance, before murmuring, “Certainly wasn’t expecting to see you around any people.”
“Mrrow.” Ron could tell from the cat’s tone that Tom didn’t want to discuss it and rolled his eyes.
“You don’t gotta tell me right now, but we are talking about this later. You do realize how out of character you showing up was? And staying near them? When I first saw you I thought I was hallucinating. Then for a bit I wasn’t sure if I’d gotten concussed or if you had, because I couldn’t think of any other explanation.”
A grumpy grumble had Slider chuckling, reaching up to stroke the tawny feline.
“I’m proud of you, though.” Faint nail-pricks made Tom’s fluster clear and Slider continued, undaunted, “That was a lot and you handled it well. You let yourself relax around people other than me. That’s a lot, Tom. Even in this form. You did a good job today.”
Slider smothered his smile at the annoyed chirp he got, knowing how much easy praise, to this day, threw his pilot off-balance. As such he let the rest of their walk to the barracks go in silence.
And when Ice got teased at dinner for how slow some of his responses were? Slider waved them off with the convenient excuse of too much studying, tugging the blond closer reassuringly.