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Charlie, their roommates have learned, is not the best person to live with. If anything in the apartment is missing or fucked up or in the wrong place, it's safe to assume it's because of them. In the month that the three have lived together, every carton of milk left out or towel left on the floor or empty box of cereal put back in the cabinet has been because of Charlie.
So when Stephen comes home and the apartment is cold because the window in the living room is open, he isn't even fazed. He shuts the window before going back to his room to get the notes he came looking for.
Silverware clatters in the kitchen just as Stephen finds the right stack of notebooks. He doesn't remember hearing the door open again, but maybe he just hadn't noticed.
"Hello?" He calls out. When no one answers but the sound continues, he gets a little suspicious and goes back into the kitchen. He figures it's probably just Knox with headphones on or something, but being home alone always makes him a little paranoid.
Then he gets to the kitchen and there is a cat on the counter. There is a cat... on the counter...
"Who the hell are you?"
The cat, understandably, doesn't answer, and continues to lick at the bowl in the sink from Knox's breakfast. Stephen cautiously approaches, but it doesn't seem to notice, content with its bowl.
Upon closer inspection, the cat isn't brown, as Stephen had originally thought. Its fur is dirty and a little matted, but underneath he can see that it's really white. When it shakes its head, some dirt falls into the sink, and Stephen notices there are dirty paw prints leading to the window that had been open.
On one hand, Stephen knows he shouldn't encourage it. On the other hand...
"Here." Stephen opens the fridge and pulls out the milk carton. Once the cat backs away from the bowl a little, he pours some more milk. The cat starts lapping it up before Stephen even pulls away, and he tentatively pets its head.
"You seem nice," he says. "Maybe in need of a bath, but I get it."
The cat leans in to the petting and abandons the milk in favor of attention. Stephen laughs a little and brushes more of the dirt out. He's always wanted a cat, but living in a house with five kids meant they never had any room for pets. Because of that, he became the friend who always stopped to pet dogs and stray cats whenever he saw them. The fact that they were coming to him now was just too perfect of an opportunity to pass up.
"What's your name, buddy?" The cat meows and Stephen knows he shouldn't name it, but he still kind of wants to. "You look like an Alan to me."
Stephen jumps onto the counter. The cat climbs over into his lap as soon as he sits down. He pulls out his phone to look up what foods cats can eat before reaching over into the fruit bowl. "You want a banana?"
He peels the banana and breaks off part of it for the cat before taking a bite himself. The cat's tongue is sandpapery as he eats it out of Stephen's hand, and Stephen can't help it, he falls in love a little.
At that moment, Knox and Charlie arrive with bags of groceries. As soon as they see the cat, Charlie drops their bag on the table and crouches in front of the counter.
"Oh my god look at the little boy kitty!" Charlie exclaims. They reach out a hand to pet the cat and he reaches out a paw to bat at it. Charlie starts cooing at him like he's a baby instead of an animal and Stephen thinks of places to buy cat food.
"Why is there a cat in our kitchen?" Knox asks as he sets down his groceries more calmly.
"Who cares!" Charlie says. "Look how beautiful he is..."
"Someone," Stephen pointedly stares at Charlie, who doesn't at all notice, "left the window open and he must've climbed in. He doesn't have a collar or anything, but I named him already, so we pretty much have to keep him."
"What's this little angel's name?" Charlie says. They've really taken to this sudden turn of events and are already bonding with him.
"Alan." Knox gives him a look like he knows exactly which British code breaker he's talking about, but he doesn't say anything.
Charlie stands up and opens their arms, which Alan willingly jumps into. They stroke Alan's back as they say, "Poor baby's all dirty."
"He left little paw prints all through the living room," Stephen points out.
"Oh my god," Knox says. "You adopted him. You're parents now, and your kid is a cat."
"Hell yeah." Charlie shakes Alan's little paw. "Isn't that right, Alan? Little Alan Dalton-Meeks."
"Why does my name go last? I'm the one who found him."
"Yeah, but you got to pick his first name. Plus, he only got in because I totally left open the window."
"That's not an accomplishment."
Knox only shakes his head. As Charlie walks past him to the living room, he reaches out to pet Alan's head. "Alright then," he says. "You're paying his part of the rent, though."
"Gladly."