Archive of Our Own ^beta

Vessel didn’t dislike cats. In fact, he thought they were pretty cute. Funny, too; he and II would laugh at videos of them online almost every day. But that didn’t mean he wanted their fur all over everything he owned and their teeth or claws in his skin. He had sanitized razors for that. (II would beat him for that joke.) (Worth it.) 

The area they lived in had plenty of outdoor cats. People would let their cats out during the day to roam around and wreak havoc on the local ecosystem, then they’d dutifully return home for dinner and shelter in the evening. 

The day he found II leaving food for the critters was an interesting one. 

“I just want to make sure they’re getting enough to eat,” II had explained, looking and sounding ashamed as if he didn’t have a right to do something as simple as set food out. 

“Do you think I’m mad about it?” Vessel asked. 

II looked up at him and shrugged. “Maybe annoyed is a better word.”

Vessel shook his head. “Confused. These cats all have homes where they get plenty of love and food. You’re just making them fat.”

“A fat cat is a happy cat,” II said with a firm nod. Then he pursed his lips. “Within reason.”

There was no arguing with that. “Okay, well, just don’t get too crazy with it, okay? I’d rather they didn't come into the house.”

II nodded and hugged him tight. “I won’t invite them in.”

It had stayed that way for a long while. A little bowl of kibble and a separate one for water sat on their porch day and night. Vessel had even taken to refilling it on days II was busier than normal. 

It did actually feel nice to know the furry little animals were getting all the sustenance they needed while on their day trips. It was even cuter when he realized some crows and other animals were also taking advantage of the free meal.

That all changed one day when Vessel came home from work to find II in the kitchen. He’d hastily turned around, hiding something in a box behind his back. 

Vessel raised a brow. “What are you doing?”

II swallowed. “Nothing.”

“You’re a terrible liar, love. What are you hiding?”

“Let me explain first.”

He didn’t get the chance. As soon as he finished his sentence, whatever was in the box let out a loud yowl and began scratching at the side of it. 

Vessel sighed. “It’s in the house.”

II nodded. “But he’s in a box in the house,” he said, a terrible attempt at being convincing. 

“Two, I know you mean well, but its family will miss it.” He walked up to II and gently cupped his cheek. 

“No, Ves, this one doesn’t have a family. I found him on my walk the other day, he was out near the woods and covered in dirt and leaves like he’d crawled out of a ditch.”

Vessel grimaced. 

But II continued. “And he’s so thin! I gave him a little bit of my jerky and he ate it so fast. I went back today to see if I could find him again, and he came out to me. I had this box and some towels with me, so I caught him and tried to clean him up a little bit.”

The cat meowed again, the saddest sound Vessel had ever heard. 

“I just want to give him some food and take him to the vet, make sure he’s healthy, and then I’ll take him to the shelter,” II said, a plea in his eyes. 

Vessel sighed again. It was too easy to give in when II looked at him like that. He nodded and gestured to the box. “Can I see it?”

II’s wide grin was worth it. He stood on his toes to give Vessel a kiss before he turned around and opened the box. 

Immediately the cat leapt out and disappeared down the hall in a blur of white and brown. 

“Oh. Well, shit,” II grumbled. He glanced up at Vessel. “I’ll find him.”

Vessel patted II’s shoulder. “I know you will.”

He didn’t find it until later that night, after they’d had dinner and cleaned up. Vessel was on the couch in the living room reading when he heard II call out to it. He smiled to himself. The way II talked to it was cute, like it was a misbehaving child and he was trying to explain why being bad wasn’t a wise choice.

“I know you’ve got to be hungry,” he heard II say, a strain in his voice. “If you come out from under there I can feed you.”

Vessel could just imagine II on his knees, bent over to look under the couch in the game room. 

“Don’t you hiss at me,” II chided. “If you get mean, Vessel won’t let me help you.”

Vessel frowned at that. He wasn’t sure if II actually believed that or if he was trying to reason with the animal. 

He set down his book and got up to get a can of tuna from the cupboard. He opened it and scooped a little bit out onto a small plate, then made his way back to the game room. II was in fact bent over, ass in the air with one arm shoved under the couch and his cheek pressed against the carpet. Vessel stopped his thoughts in their tracks; II wasn’t stuck and this was not the beginning of a dubious consent porno. 

Vessel knocked gently on the door. “Two?”

II sighed and sat up, turning to face Vessel. His face was red and his cheek was patterned from being pressed into the carpet. 

“I can’t get him to come out,” II whined. 

Vessel nodded. “I can see that.” He held out the plate. “Here, set this down at the edge of the couch and come out here with me.”

II took the plate and did as he’d been told. Vessel took his hand and walked with him back to the kitchen to put the rest of the tuna away. 

“I need to get him out so I can clean him and take him to the vet tomorrow,” II said with a deep sigh. 

“Did you make an appointment?” Vessel thought it was a little silly to make one so fast, but he also didn’t know anything about caring for cats. 

II shrugged. “A tentative one? They said if I could catch him I could bring him in.”

That was very kind of them, Vessel thought. 

“So you have some time if it refuses to cooperate. Even if you can get it out from under the couch, it’s very fast and there are a thousand more places for it to hide in this house.”

II groaned. “I’m sorry, Ves. What if he goes around the house and gets his fur all over everything? You hate that. And he’s dirty, so it’ll be dirty fur.”

Vessel couldn’t help but grimace at that. “That doesn’t sound pleasant. What if we put some food out for it and shut the door for the night? It might feel more comfortable that way, too.”

“I guess so. I can’t believe I thought this whole thing would go so smoothly and you wouldn’t even have to know what I did.” II sighed. “Not that I wanted to hide it from you.” He looked at Ves and cringed. “Even though that’s exactly what I tried to do.”

Vessel chuckled. “Yeah, you did try.” He leaned down to kiss him. “But it’s okay, darling. I know your intentions are good.” He stepped away and picked up the box from the counter. “We should probably go grab some cat sand or something so it doesn’t shit on the carpet.”

“Oh god. I didn’t even think of that.” II scrubbed his face. “Fuck, I’m so stupid.”

Vessel whipped around. “Excuse me?”

II grumbled. “You know what I mean.”

“Just because I know what you mean doesn’t mean I’m going to let you get away with that.” He stepped up to II and framed his face with his hands. “If I had to fight with myself for five years to stop calling myself an idiot or stupid or worthless, you know damn well I’m not going to let you say the same about yourself.”

II attempted to nod. “I know, baby. I’m sorry.”

Vessel kissed him. “You’re not stupid. You made a questionable decision, yes, but I’m going to reiterate: you meant well, and that counts for something.”

“Thanks, Ves.” He pulled Vessel down for another soft kiss.

The men got ready and left for the store to get a few supplies for their impromptu feline guest.

The next morning, II got up as early as he ever did, but instead of getting ready for his morning run he went straight to the game room and peeked inside. 

At first, he didn’t see anything. He went in quietly and checked the food and water. Their little furry friend had eaten all of the food they’d left him, and the water was noticeably lower. II was relieved to find he’d also used the litterbox. 

He added some more kibble to the bowl and told himself to refill the water dish before he went to work. 

As he was about to leave, he glanced over at the couch and stopped short. Curled up on the blanket Ves had folded on the far cushion was the cat. He must have spent a good portion of the night cleaning himself; his fur was a pretty creamy white with light brown darkening his ears and muzzle. It seemed his legs had the brown tint as well. He was watching II with bright green eyes half open. 

“Well hello there!” II cooed. He tried to move slowly to see if the cat had calmed enough to let him pet it. Either he was too fast anyway or he was still skittish, because the cat hissed and immediately disappeared under the couch again. 

II sighed. “Fine. It’s not like I’m the one who rescued you or anything, little brat cat,” he grumbled more to himself than the cat and left the room. 

It was a little past noon when Vessel took his lunch break at work. He sat in the break room and got out his phone to ask II how he was doing. He huffed a laugh at the picture II had sent. 

It was the cat curled up on his blanket in the game room, relaxed eyes looking somewhere just off camera. II had sent it with, “This little shit won’t let me get near him. I’ve tried three times and each time he bolts under the couch and hisses.”

The next picture wasn’t so cute. II’s hand with three deep red lines, one clearly bleeding. With that one he wrote, “The fucker got me!”

Vessel quickly typed a message back.

Please make sure you wash and bandage those scratches really well.

He tapped his fingers on his phone for a second before he just called II. 

“I know, I know,” II answered, fond exasperation in his voice. “I’ve already cleaned the scratches up. They’re a little too awkwardly placed to bandage properly, but I put some antibiotic ointment on them. I’m fine, love.”

Vessel sighed. “I’m sorry, baby. I just worry about you. Cat scratches and bites can be really bad.”

“I know that too, Ves,” he said softly, encouragingly. “I will get that cat, one way or another.”

Vessel frowned. “I think you’re scaring it, Two. Maybe you need to give it some space for a while.”

II groaned. “I should, but the faster I can catch him, the faster I can get him out of here.”

As soon as Ves heard the words, he felt terrible. His boyfriend was putting himself in actual danger because he thought Vessel would be upset at him. He’d have to do something to fix that. 

“Maybe so, but you need to be safe first, okay? I need to eat some lunch while I still can. I love you.”

“Love you too, babe. I’ll be fine!”

They hung up, and Vessel sighed to himself as he pulled out his lunch. 

He may not particularly like the idea of a cat in his house, but it was II’s house, too. He was just going to have to remind II of that. 

It was his day off, and Vessel was determined to enjoy it. He hadn’t spent a lot of time in the game room since the cat had joined them three days ago, but today he was going to catch up on Halo and maybe even Baldur’s Gate, depending on just how lazy he decided to be. 

“Alright, beast,” he said as he sat on the couch. The cat was currently under it. “If you scratch my legs, I will lift this couch up to get you and you’ll find yourself homeless again.”

Technically it was still homeless. They were more like its foster home until it went to an orphanage. 

He immediately regretted the thought. 

“I’m not going to relate to a cat,” he grumbled to himself, forcing memories back into the pit where they belonged as he got the game going.

He left the door to the game room open so he could hear II if he needed anything, and soon he was engrossed in the world of Halo. 

About an hour later when Vessel’s phone buzzed with his alert to stand up and move around, he paused the game and set his controller aside. He stretched his shoulders and then his neck. He froze when he turned his head to the left and saw the cat was loafed on the cushion next to him. 

He didn’t say anything. He just kept stretching and wondered if the animal might hide when he got up to stretch his legs. 

It didn’t. It stayed where it was, but it watched Vessel with bright green eyes. 

Even when he sat back down on the couch, the cat didn’t run. Vessel still didn’t call any attention to it. Instead, he picked up his controller and got back to the game. 

The next few hours passed much the same. After the third hour, it had relaxed enough to curl up and barely looked up when Vessel started his stretches. Before he started the game again that time, he picked up his phone and snapped a picture to send to II. 

Looks like I’m specialer than you.

He sent the picture and waited. II response was almost immediate. 

I’m not speaking to you anymore.

Vessel snorted and picked up his controller to get back to it. 

He didn’t leave the room until it was time for dinner. II had made them some pork chops with steamed asparagus and mashed potatoes. 

“You spoil me,” Vessel said as he sat at the table. 

“You deserve to be spoiled,” II said back with a smile. “Did you have a good day off?”

Vessel nodded. “It was so nice to just vegetate. Thank you for letting me.”

II gave him a look he knew well, one of loving admonishment. “Letting you? You don’t need my permission, love. You work hard enough as it is; you should be able to spend your days off however you want.”

“I know, but I also know you have some things you want to do together.” Vessel was starting to feel a little guilty for not thinking about that earlier. 

II reached over and took his hand. “Hey, look at me.”

He did, meeting II’s eyes. 

“Those things I want to do with you can happen any time. There has never been a time in our relationship or our friendship before we got together that I have felt like you didn’t want to spend time with me, okay?” He gave Vessel’s fingers a loving squeeze. 

Vessel smiled and nodded, relief washing over him. “Okay, good. Because it’s never about that when I want to play games or nap or whatever.”

“I know, love.”

They finished their dinner and chatted a little bit about what II had done that day. 

“I’m almost done with that shelf,” II said proudly. “I think you’re going to like it.” 

Vessel grinned. “Like it? I’m going to love it. My boyfriend is making me a custom shelf for my games because he loves me. I’m so excited to see it.”

Suddenly II froze, staring off toward the hall. Vessel turned to look and saw the cat standing eight feet away in the hallway just off the entrance to the dining room. 

“He’s getting brave,” Ves said with a little smile. 

“He shouldn’t be out here,” II choked. It was very clear to Vessel how much he wanted to try to call the cat over, maybe feed it some of his dinner. Instead, II still sat frozen like he thought the cat roaming the house was a sign of impending doom. 

“Two, darling? You realize I’m the one who left the game room door open, right?” He reached out and took II’s hand again. “I really didn’t think the cat would be brave enough to explore, but I kind of hoped.”

II looked at him then, his brows furrowed. “You hoped he’d come out?”

Vessel shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, its chances of getting adopted from the shelter will be a lot higher if it’s a bit more sociable, right?”

He’d been told that over and over as a kid. He needed to smile more. No potential parents wanted a serious kid. Be happy and smile and laugh, you know other kids have it worse, why are you crying? 

He’d make sure this cat had the deck stacked in his favor. It wouldn’t be left there to age out of the system and have to fend for itself again. 

“Ves?”

II’s voice brought him back to reality, and Vessel smiled. 

“If you can get it to accept a couple pats here and there, it would really help its chances, too,” he said, ignoring the tightness in his voice. He hoped II did the same. 

II watched him for a second before he thankfully nodded and looked back over at the cat. “I’ll do my best.”

II sat on the floor in the game room with his legs crossed and a book in his hands. He leaned back against some pillows stacked into a corner, his own little reading nook he’d created some time ago. As he read, he occasionally looked out over the room to keep track of the cat.

It had been two days since he had started exploring the house. Vessel had helped II catch him and they’d finally gotten him to the vet to get checked over and vaccinated. They confirmed he was a male cat, neutered, about five years old, and thankfully he was as healthy as could be expected for an underweight stray cat. He just needed more food and attention and he’d be perfect. 

II thought maybe he was already perfect. 

He had expected to take the little guy to the shelter immediately after the vet, but II had learned that it wasn’t a no-kill facility like he’d thought. He didn’t even have to ask Vessel for more time to find a better place for him. 

“You’re not taking him there,” Vessel had said, sounding almost on the verge of tears. 

II hadn’t even tried to hide his overwhelming relief. “Thank you,” he breathed, leaning in for a kiss. “I’ll do more research and find somewhere for him to go as soon as possible, I promise.”

He’d kept that promise, mostly. He’d been doing research. The problem was, the no-kill shelters were either at capacity and couldn’t accept any more animals or were a several day trip away. 

II could make the trip to one of those places by himself. But he didn't want to. If he was going to go on a road trip, he wanted Vessel to go with him. He just wasn’t sure if Ves would even want to go. He hadn’t found the desire to ask him yet either.

He sat reading and watching the cat play with a few toys Vessel had brought home for him, claiming he needed some stimulation so he didn’t scratch on their couch. II thought it was sweet, especially when Vessel said they’d donate anything they got for him to whichever shelter they ended up taking him to. 

As much as he wanted to get up and scoop the cat, snuggle with it a little bit, he knew the little creature was still too skittish for that. It was more likely that the moment he stood up, the cat would disappear back under the couch. He was getting a little more confident in coming out around II and Vessel, but even a hand reaching out to him for a soft pet was met with a growl or a hiss. 

Ever since Vessel mentioned something about the cat being more adoptable if he was more sociable, II wished he could help the critter come out of his shell a little more, learn to enjoy a safe cuddle and maybe even seek them out occasionally. 

Kind of like how he’d done the same with Vessel, he realized. 

He smiled to himself and devised a new plan. He thought maybe he might know how to help this little kitty.

Vessel was tired. He’d just finished rearranging some things in the game room to bring in the shelf II had made for him. It was a beautiful unit, sturdy and fit perfectly with the other furniture in the room. 

He ran a hand along the smooth dark wood and smiled to himself. He remembered shopping for one online and II giving him a speech about “Why are you even dating a guy who makes things out of wood if you’re just going to buy a cheap ass bookshelf from Walmart of all places?”

The answer had been obvious to Vessel at the time: II was busy and Vessel didn’t want to bother him. He just needed something a little bigger to hold his growing collection of games. 

Then there was also the fact that II made instruments, not bookshelves. 

II had balked at the first answer. “I’m your boyfriend. You’re supposed to bother me with stuff like this. Ask me why I haven’t built you a new dresser yet or something, jeez!”

His answer to the second reason Ves hadn’t asked was to build him an absolutely gorgeous shelf as if to prove he could. 

Vessel hadn’t doubted him. Once II said he could, Ves knew he was going to get something functional and probably pretty. The reality of it was so much better than he could have ever hoped for. 

He sighed to himself and turned to get the first stack of games to put on the top shelf. He stopped short when he saw two bright green eyes watching him, the cat they belonged to laying across his whole pile of neatly stacked games. 

“Oh. Well hello, little mossy friend. What makes you think you get to lay on those, hmm?” He turned himself so he was better facing the beast. “Those are my games, not your bed.”

Then again, the cat didn’t have a bed of its own. Maybe he ought to fix that soon. 

He tentatively reached out a hand to try to shoo the cat off, but it growled at him instead of moving. 

“Hey, no, none of that. You’re not claiming my games. Go on.” He tried again only to get a hiss this time. Vessel hissed back. 

The cat’s eyes widened and its ears turned back before it quickly scurried back under the couch. 

“That’s what I thought,” Vessel laughed. He did feel a little bad for scaring the creature, but it had started the fight. He had just finished it. He wasn’t going to be ruled by a cat that wasn’t even his. 

He laughed to himself again and got busy putting his games away. Once done, he took a picture and sent it to II. 

It’s perfect!

He had some space left for future games that he filled with a few trinkets he had laying around. He stood up and smiled at his work before he turned to start tidying up the mess he’d made and take the old shelf out to the car. 

He stopped short again, laughter bubbling up out of him at the sight of the cat laying on the empty bottom shelf of the old unit. He took a picture but didn’t send it. Instead, he sent:

You need to come here. Quietly 🤫

He listened for II’s footsteps as the cat just watched him watch it. Its ears twisted as II approached. 

“Quietly,” Ves reminded him, trying not to speak too loud. 

II peeked his head in and Vessel pointed at the old shelf. II immediately grinned. 

“He looks comfortable,” he said with a chuckle. He stepped into the room but stayed near the door. “Think he’ll be sad when you get rid of it?”

Vessel’s heart squeezed. He hadn’t let himself think about that. The cat had gotten comfortable here, had put on weight and had calmed down enough to allow this kind of indirect interaction. 

He swallowed and nodded. He had to take a deep breath to keep old memories from cropping up. “I think it will be, yeah.”

II moved forward, and almost instantly the cat was back under the couch. He didn’t seem to care as he stepped in front of Vessel and reached up to take his shoulders. 

“Ves? You okay? You don’t have to get rid of it, you know that, right?”

Vessel stared into II’s beautiful blue eyes. It had never once occurred to him that they could change their plan. He swallowed tightly again and held on to II’s waist. “What?”

“It’s a small enough shelf we can find another spot for it if you want to keep it.”

Oh. 

The shelf. Right. 

He didn’t want II to know what his initial thoughts had been. Instead he leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. 

“You’re too good to me, you know that, right?”

Of course they couldn’t keep the cat. Even if II probably would be okay with it, Vessel had been against it from before the beginning. It was only still here because Vessel wasn’t heartless enough to let it go to a shelter where it would be killed if no one wanted it. 

If he’d been sent to a place like that he’d be dead five times over by now. 

Just because he felt like he could relate to the cat's situation didn’t mean he wouldn’t regret choosing to keep it, and that would be far worse than sticking to the original plan. He couldn’t waver. He couldn’t give the cat hope and then take it away like that. 

Over the next week, II thought he’d found a home for the cat three different times. Each time the potential new owner backed out for one reason or another. One was because of the amount of bandages on II’s hands from wrangling the cat so they could see him. Another was because the cat couldn’t be caught and hissed at them the entire half hour they tried. The third time was because the people had found a cuter cat. 

Looking at the beast now, he doubted that was even possible. His creamy tan coat was smooth and looked very soft, especially where it darkened on his legs and face. His tail was almost always up when he did manage to find the courage to come out at dinner time. 

And right now, he was downright adorable laying on Vessel’s chest as he napped. 

Vessel had just gotten through one of the hardest weeks he’d had working at the music store he managed. They’d had large orders that didn’t arrive on time, sales that fell through, and not one but three different schools inquiring about equipment rental. He deserved this nap, regardless of how impromptu it may have been. 

In fact, Vessel still had his controller in his hand that rested against the back of the couch. His other hand currently dangled down, his fingers grazing the carpeted floor. 

And the cat laid there on his chest, curled up like the most adorable cinnamon bun in existence. II had already taken a few pictures to show Vessel later. 

“Sleep well, sweetheart,” he said quietly so as not to wake him, then he blew them both a kiss and stepped back. He’d been coming to see if Vessel was interested in watching a movie with him, but he wasn’t about to wake him for that. They could watch something anytime. It was much rarer for Vessel to give in to his need for a midday nap. 

“I didn’t know you had a pet.”

Vessel turned to look at Vanessa, one of the younger cashiers who had been working at The Bassment since he got his promotion nearly four years ago. They were working on nightly inventory together while the rest of his team cleaned up the store to get ready to leave for the day.

“What?” He asked. He was sure he heard her right, but he didn’t know what she meant or why she’d said it. 

She smiled and plucked at his sleeve. “You have cat fur on your shirt. You’ve never mentioned a pet before.”

He frowned at the offending fur. His shirt wasn’t covered in it by any means, but light fur showed up disturbingly well on dark green fabric. 

“I don’t, not really.” He tried uselessly to wipe it off the fur. “Two and I are trying to find a home.”

Vanessa nodded. “So you’re fostering a cat. That’s really sweet of you, y’know. I’d never be able to do that. I’d end up with a bunch of foster fails.” She laughed and continued counting her inventory items. 

“Foster fails?” He had no idea what that meant but it sounded opposite of what he would have expected from such a sweet person like her. 

She smiled up at him. “Yeah, when you fail to find a different home for the animal and you end up adopting it yourself.”

Oh. He laughed quietly. “I thought you meant something very different. But that makes sense, I can see you adopting every animal you come across.” He glanced at her. “Want a cat? It’s cute. It hisses a lot.”

She snorted. “That’s not what you want to say to get someone to take the animal. But no, I can’t. I have mice, and I know getting a cat would mean they’d get eaten. My heart couldn’t handle that.”

He’d forgotten she had mice as pets. When he’d first heard about them, he’d misunderstood and offered to give her the name of a guy who did humane pest control.

“Damn. One way or another we’ll find this critter a home.” He sighed and finished up the last of his items. He watched as she did the same and then took her list from her to take them both to the office. 

“Maybe it already has one,” she said with a wink before walking away to see what she could do to help the rest of the team. 

Vessel sighed to himself and went to the office to put all the paperwork in order and finish up his duties so they could all go home. 

Lounging with II was one of Vessel’s favorite things to do. Sure he liked his games and he enjoyed reading or watching movies, but just laying here on the living room couch with II laying on him like a blanket was maybe his favorite way of spending some quiet time. 

He held II lightly, arms draped over his back, and listened to the music II had put on earlier. It was an eclectic mix of genres and themes; he’d heard everything from heavy metal to new age Celtic to some showtunes over the last few hours. 

He certainly wasn’t complaining; they both enjoyed all kinds of music. Vessel even liked some opera, though II said that was past his limit. 

II laid against his chest with his ear right over Vessel’s heart. He’d commented about being able to hear his heartbeat, and they’d been mostly silent since. 

“Do you think the cat hates me?” II asked suddenly. 

Vessel tucked his chin to look down at the top of II’s head, his curly brown hair tickling his face. 

“Where did that come from?” he asked, bewildered. 

II sighed and shifted so he could look up at Vessel. 

“I’ve been thinking about it, and every time I try to get close to him he hisses or scratches at me and hides. But he’ll come out and relax around you.” He scrunched his nose. “I’m glad he does, for you, but I have to admit I’m a little jealous, too.”

Vessel smirked and leaned in to give II a soft kiss. “Moss doesn’t hate you. It’s probably just thinking if it gets caught again it’s going back to the vet or for another car ride.”

II raised a brow. “Moss?”

He attempted a shrug. “It’s what I’m calling it.”

The smile that bloomed across II’s face was precious. “You named the cat?”

But Vessel snorted. “No, it’s not its name. It’s just something to call it other than ‘cat’, ‘critter’, or ‘beast’.”

“Mm-hmm,” II hummed. “You realize that’s what a name is, right?”

“But that’s not something specific to that cat,” Vessel countered. “A lot of cats have green eyes and are found covered in forest.”

II stretched up to kiss him. “But how many of those cats do you refer to by calling them Moss?”

Vessel grunted. II might have a point. He’d been calling the cat Moss or Mossy for a while now.

“That’s okay," II said with a soft smile. “Someone out there will absolutely love a cat named Moss.”

“I first wanted to call it Hissy Bitch, but that sounded mean.” He ignored II’s laughter; it wasn't that funny. “Whoever ends up adopting it will probably change its name,” Vessel said, keeping his frown to himself. He didn’t really like that thought. 

“Maybe,” II half-agreed. “It’s a fairly approachable name, even if we end up taking him to a shelter. Better than Hissy Bitch.”

That time Vessel couldn’t hide his frown. He knew all about that plight, too. A kid with a name like Vessel wasn’t as adoptable as a kid with a name like Michael or Logan or even Wesley. 

“You’re doing that a lot lately; are you okay?” II asked. He shifted to sit up on Vessel’s stomach and lightly ran his fingers over Vessel’s furrowed brow.

Vessel sighed and settled his hands on II’s thighs. “I’m okay. I just… I want to help this cat have the best chance at finding a good home, but I also know how rigged the system is.”

II cocked his head to the side. “What system?”

“The whole shelter and adoption system,” Vessel said, tightening his grip. “People only want the young ones and the cute, affectionate ones. They don’t want the ones who were brought back by previous owners or who have scars or have gotten too old, and god forbid you have an attitude about anything at all. You have to smile and be happy and outgoing all the fucking time.”

“Ves, stop,” II framed Vessel’s face with his hands, his fingertips wiping moisture away from the outer corners of his eyes. “Baby, animal shelters aren’t like that.”

Vessel sniffled and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. “I don’t believe that. People are people, and if they can put kids through the shit they do, then the animals have it worse.” He sucked in a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m not sure where that came from.”

He knew exactly where it had come from, and it had been building since the moment he let himself compare the situation to a foster home. 

The look in II’s eyes said he knew as well. 

“It deserves a chance,” Vessel said, letting himself open up. He was safe here with II. If he could cry in front of anyone, it was him. “You brought it here so it could have a chance; what would be the point in handing it over to a shelter where it’s just going to grow old and sad and probably die in a cage? He’ll be so lonely there.” 

II leaned in further and kissed him. “Ves, baby, do you want to keep the cat? We can give him that chance. We can love him and give him space to feel comfortable and safe. And if I stop trying to catch him, maybe he’ll come out more often.”

Vessel’s hands slid up past II’s hips to his back where he pulled, bringing II down to hug him tightly. 

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but yes, I want to keep the cat.”

II chuckled, his breath tickling Vessel’s ear. “Then we can consider the cat adopted.”

“Dammit,” Vessel grumbled lightheartedly. 

“Admit it, you love him.” II kissed his cheek. 

“I love you,” Vessel stressed. “I tolerate the cat.”

“Hissy Bitch.”

Vessel snorted. “Exactly.”

II sat back up after another kiss. “Thank you. I think you know I’ve wanted to keep him since the moment I saw him out in the woods, but I wouldn’t have asked you to change your mind if you hadn’t done it on your own.”

“Yeah, I know.” Vessel nodded and tried to relax. “Just please don’t bring any more home.”

II laughed heartily. “I can only promise to try,” he said with another chuckle. “You know how weak I am for lost and lonely things.” He leaned in for another kiss. “I mean, I fell for you pretty hard.”

“I love you, Two.” Vessel was just as surprised by his serious tone as II was. But he didn’t say anything to lighten it; he meant it as fervently as he’d said it. 

II’s surprise quickly gave way to a sincere smile. “I love you, too, Vessel. I love everything about you, all of the darkness and undesirable parts as much as the light and happy parts. I’m honored to get to know the whole you, not just the parts you think are lovable.”

“I think you’re the only one,” Vessel said with a watery smile. 

II shook his head. “I know I’m not, but just so long as you don’t doubt me, then it’s okay you think that. For now.” 

Vessel sat on the couch in the living room with II as a movie played. He had been interested in it, right up until Moss jumped up next to him and started grooming himself. Vessel held out a patient finger, letting Moss sniff him until he decided if pets were okay or not. 

Today was a pet positive day. He rubbed his darkened muzzle against Vessel’s hand and let him scritch his head a few times before he flopped over and raised his paws. 

“Not play time, silly critter,” Vessel chuckled. “It’s movie time.”

II reached over from where he was tucked against Vessel’s other side and gently tapped Moss’s right front paw. The cat immediately grabbed at II’s hand and tried to gnaw on his knuckles. 

It had taken a long two months to get the cat comfortable enough with them that could successfully trim his claws and ease him into a gentler play bite rather than an aggressive, defensive one. II still gasped in pain when Moss gave into his instincts and started kicking with his back feet, trying to eviscerate II’s hand. 

Vessel helped distract him enough to let II escape relatively unharmed. 

“You should know better than to provoke him when he’s like this,” Vessel chuckled. 

II surveyed his hand with a shrug. “Maybe I like provoking my rescues’ more aggressive sides.”

Vessel snorted. “That was terrible.” He kissed II’s forehead. “Accurate, but terrible.”

II just grinned up at him before turning his attention back to the movie. 

It took a few minutes, but eventually Moss settled down, curling into Vessel’s leg and letting out an adorable little sigh. Vessel pet him slowly, focusing more on II and the movie than him. 

Soon, however, Vessel noticed something else. 

“Two?” he whispered. 

II hummed and looked up at him.

“Can you hear that?”

II listened carefully for a moment before his face broke out in a gorgeous smile. “Is he purring?”

Vessel nodded. “He’s purring. Can you believe that?”

It was almost enough to make him tear up. Their little rescue had grown to feel safe enough in their home that he was able to let himself be vulnerable by napping next to them, and now he was showing them how happy he was by purring. 

“Will you admit you love him now?” II asked with a smirk. 

He couldn’t deny it. He’d do anything for the little creature vibrating against his leg. He nodded. “Yeah, I love the cat.”

“He loves you too. I’d say I’m jealous, but honestly this was probably bound to happen. You can relate to him and his plight to get here.” II kissed his cheek. 

Vessel sighed. “Little bastard got lucky,” he pretended to grumble. II just laughed and settled back down against his chest. 

He was learning he didn’t mind the fur and the teeth and the claws because in the end, he’d also had to learn how to trust enough to let down his own defenses. This life he had with II was worth every second of struggle he’d gone through, and he only hoped they could provide the cat a life he’d feel the same way about.