Work Text:
With a wide smile, Danis leaves the mill. Today, his cargo is way more precious than the flour he usually buys here. More agile, too. The small bundle in his arms is squirming and wriggling like a bunch of snakes. Trying to hold it securely without clutching too tightly seems impossible. With a sigh, he puts the bundle into his vest, pulling the cloth back so the face of a tiny orange cat pokes out. Danis smiles when he feels it purr against his chest.
The anticipation of bringing the cat home makes his heart beat faster. He wants to run to their house but forces himself to walk slowly. The last thing he needs is one of their friends wondering why he is running through the streets of Rivington like a culprit. Or worse - someone could spot the cat and tell Bex, spoiling the surprise for her.
The cat starts to wriggle again when Danis finally arrives home. When it opens its mouth to protest being captured all that comes out is a weak whine.
“You’re an impatient one, hm?”
Smiling, he walks up the stairs that lead from the little bakery to their apartment and heads to the bedroom. He opens his nightstand, carefully pulling out all the little secrets he has collected there over the last weeks. The biggest one is a cat bed he has sewn out of an old pillowcase and filled with feathers. He puts it on the ground and finally unwraps the kitten from the bundle of cloths. The kitten sniffs, meows and starts to tread the fabric of the cat bed.
The sight is warming Danis’ heart but he tears his gaze away. Tonight, holding Bex in his arms, there will be enough time to indulge in this cuteness. Until then, there are still a lot of things to prepare. He pulls the other treasures from his nightstand and thanks all the gods above that Bex isn’t one of those women who snoop through their husbands belongings.
He produces a hand-sewn toy mouse. Fabric is rather expensive in Baldur’s Gate, but luckily, Bex has sorted out some of the cloths she uses to cover the dough bowls with. The mouse is still a little large for the kitten, almost as big as its head, but this will change over time.
“Hey Geoffrey, here’s a friend for you.”
The cat stops treading its bed and sniffs the toy, tentatively reaching out, sinking its tiny claws into the mouse. It is warming Danis’ heart and he cannot wait for Bex to get to know their new companion. Initially, she’s been the one who has wanted a cat, but after half an hour of being with Geoffrey - a name Danis has chosen all those months back when they had searched for shelter in a Druid Grove - Danis can’t imagine being without a pet anymore.
He has sewn another toy for Geoffrey: an owlbear. Or at least his best attempt to create one. In fact, it looks more like a skewed mole, misshapen and bulky. At least he could give it pretty eyes, made of old buttons. He hopes the cat will appreciate his efforts, but the appraisal has to wait until Bex comes home. She needs to be the one to give this toy to Geoffrey, unless she keels over laughing about his lack of sewing skills beforehand.
He has no time to dwell on his worries, though.
“Come, Geoffrey, we still have a lot of work to do.” He picks the cat up, scratches between its ears and walks down the stairs. Taking a deep breath, he walks towards the door. He has managed to prepare most things for Geoffrey’s arrival behind Bex’ back: sewing the toys and the bed, planting catnip in the garden, buying cat food and little bowls on which he has painted Geoffrey’s name. The only thing left to do is unfortunately the most difficult one.
He’s never been an exemplary craftsman, but he has set his mind on building a cat flap for their front door so the cat can come and go as it pleases. An hour later, he is standing in the kitchen. His back is hurting, his hands are littered with scratches - courtesy of Geoffrey's claws and a saw alike - but these are small sacrifices he is willing to make. At least he is making good progress. The sawn-out hole is the perfect size and form and sanding it has gone surprisingly smoothly. He only needs to attach the hinges and the flap to it. A breeze. Or so he thinks, until quiet tapping on the work plate makes him look up.
“Geoffrey, no!”
But it is too late. The cat has already pushed the cinnamon bin over the plate’s edge. Now it is tilting its head, watching the cinnamon sticks roll through the kitchen with mild interest.
Danis stares in horror at the mess of clay shards, cinnamon sticks and dust, then back at Geoffrey, who gracefully ignores him. Anger and worry start tugging at his nerves. Cleaning the kitchen will take at least ten minutes, and he doesn’t know when Bex will come home.
He grants himself another few moments of self-pity before rolling up his sleeves and walking over to the work plate.
“How can such a little creature be such a menace?”
The kitten doesn’t answer, but walks over to the other edge of the plate, probably gauging how much more chaos it can wreak. Danis grabs the cat. Trying to put it into the pocket of his apron doesn’t work, it wriggles and meows as if it’s fighting for his life.
“This wouldn’t be necessary if you behaved,” Danis mutters, but the wriggling doesn’t stop. Time to change tactics. His tail lunges forward and curls around Geoffrey, snugly enough so the cat cannot wriggle free, but not so tight as to hurt. He has underestimated the spirit of the little critter, though. With surprising force the tom starts biting. Tiefling tails are sturdy; the little teeth do hardly more than tickle. Still, Danis starts to wonder if he shouldn’t have agreed so readily to get a cat.
Geoffrey is still trying to escape when Danis finishes his work, littering his tail with scratches and bites. Danis ignores the discomfort as he would an annoying fly and checks the hinges for a third time before mounting the entrance door back into place.
With a proud smile, Danis moves his tail so that Geoffrey can look at the cat flap.
“Meow?”
“Yes, Geoffrey. This door is for you. Once we’re sure you’ll find your way back home you are allowed to go out.”
The cat seems awfully unimpressed with that prospect and continues to bite into Danis’ tail. It doesn’t diminish his satisfaction with his work, although he wonders if letting a cat with Geoffrey’s mindset roam through Rivington is a good idea.
Pushing this thought aside, he starts cleaning up and putting away his tools, humming a merry tune. Not a minute too early; as he is putting away his apron, he hears feet tapping on the front steps. He runs towards the stairs, takes two steps at a time, opens the bedroom door and places Geoffrey gently on his cat bed.
He makes it back to the corridor the moment Bex opens the door. With a bright smile, he takes her into his arms and kisses her, gently leading her into the house. He silently prays that she hasn’t noticed the cat flap.
She is laughing when she breaks the kiss. “It’s only been a few hours, Danis. You cannot possibly have missed me that much.”
“You have no idea, my sweet.” Rubbing his nose against hers, he takes the bag of apples she’s been holding and brings it to their workplace.
“How’s your trip to the market been?”
Bex smiles, telling him about the current flour and sugar prices and about the latest gossip among the tieflings when he leads her upstairs. She goes on about Alfira’s most recent ballad and its inspiration - Lakrissa, her girlfriend. He nods, smiles and asks a question every now and then. When they reach their bedroom, she is talking about a new type of blueberry one of the vendors offers and how she could create delicious pastries with it.
“That sounds lovely!” Danis grins and leans forward to give his wife another kiss.
Bex raises an eyebrow when she eventually pulls back. “You seem awfully excited about dried blueberries.”
“I am awfully excited about everything you do,” he says, giving her another smile. “A good husband should support his wife.”
“Indeed.” She returns the smile and strokes her tail over Dani’s calf. “And a good wife always knows when her husband is hiding something from her.”
“I’m not-”
“The last time you were this twitchy was on our wedding day.”
The memory makes Danis smile and flush at the same time. “Well, that was the most important day of my life!”
Bex lets her tail wander upwards, its tip gently brushing against Danis’ knee. “You were so nervous you almost dropped the ring.”
“And you still said yes.” Joy and gratefulness warm his voice; his eyes are beaming with love for his wife.
“One of my better decisions.” She laughs at his indignant expression and crosses her hands at the back of his neck. “My best, actually. Apart from opening this bakery with you.”
After all these years, she still manages to take his breath away. When their lips meet, the familiar tingling in his stomach makes him smile into the kiss. It is bliss. Perfection, right until a loud bang from their bedroom makes Bex jump. Of course Geoffrey has decided to destroy this perfect moment. Danis questions the decision to get this cat once again.
“What in the Nine Hells was that?” Bex asks, already heading for the door.
Danis is too late to hold her back. With bated breath, he looks into their bedroom. The curtains and the rod have come crashing down, billowing on the floor like waves of the Sword Sea. Amidst the chaos Geoffrey is sitting like the most innocent creature on earth, head tilted.
“Meow?”
“Darling, I can explain-”
“By the gods,” Bex calls out, a hand pressed to her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide.
Ignoring Danis, she hurries into the room and scoops Geoffrey into her arms, inspecting him thoroughly to make sure he isn’t hurt. The cat starts purring and leans into Bex’ touch. The sight makes Danis’ heart swell.
He walks over to his wife, gauging the situation. “It should’ve been a surprise. I didn’t think that–”
“You obviously don’t have any experience with cats,” Bex says with a smile. “They are harbingers of chaos.” She scratches Geoffrey under his chin, prompting him to purr louder.
“Yes. Especially this one.” Danis clears his throat. “I hope you still want to keep him?”
“Of course I do! Look at him, he’s perfect!”
“Perfectly mischievous,” Danis mutters, hugging his wife from behind.
“Don’t listen to him,” she coos, blinking at the cat. “Does he have a name yet?”
“Geoffrey.”
“Geoffrey the orange cat. Just like we wanted it to be.” Bex’ smile is lighting up the room. “Thank you!”
Danis returns the smile and relaxes. “I also prepared some things. A cat flap, a bed for him and I sewed a few toys.”
“As I said, marrying you was one of my better decisions. I love you, Danis.”
“And I love you, Bex. More than anything.”
She gives him a gentle kiss, then looks back at Geoffrey, who is trying to catch the laces of her shirt. “And while Geoffrey and I will get to know each other a little better, you can fix the chaos here.”
His laugh when he turns to get his tools is full of relief and happiness. He truly is the luckiest man in Faerûn.