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Lynx had just closed the cafe, yet it seemed awfully quiet that evening. Even if it was a particularly busy day at the cafe, the cats wouldn’t usually settle down until they had had their own dinner.
Lynx assumed Tiger was feeding them right now, but he had been gone for a suspicious amount of time. Over the past month, Tiger had insisted on feeding the cats by himself, and he would always be in there for an unusual amount of time until he came back out, closing the door behind him.
However, today Lynx was going to confront him about it. The only problem was…he couldn’t find Tiger. He looked everywhere, but he wasn’t in the cafe, nor the cat’s sleeping area, or even upstairs in Lynx’s condo. He thought Tiger might have left to go to the local shop, but he hasn’t heard the bell since to door ring since closing. He also knew Tiger would tell him before randomly leaving.
However, he had an idea. He would ask Leo! He wandered over up the stairs and into his room, finding leo checking his hair and wearing an outfit that was definitely not his uniform.
“Leo, where are you going?” Lynx asked, his eyebrow teasingly arching slightly.
“i told you i have a date tonight.” Leo muttered, rolling his eyes at his older brother.
“is it with that doctor Pug guy?” Asked Lynx, a sly grin plastering itself across his face as he noticed Leo’s imperceptible stillness at the question.
“who said that was any of your business?” Leo scoffed, becoming visibly agitated as he stopped messing with his hair and turned to leave the room.
“alright, have fun, but have you seen Tiger?” Lynx quickly added, still on his mission to find his boyfriend.
“no, he’s probably with the cats.” Leo shrugged, already closing the door on his way out.
“but i’ve already-“ Lynx started, shortly interrupted by the door closing behind him. “checked.”
Lynx huffed, turning to his last resort which was calling Tiger. Realistically, he should have probably just done that first, but if he was being honest, he wanted to tease Leo about this supposed date he was going on.
So, he pulled out his phone and called Tiger’s contact. It mashed three rings until Tiger picked up, his voice monotone and unwavering.
“hello?” Tiger said, waiting for Lynx to speak up.
“Tiger, where are you?” Lynx asked, stuck in a maze of his own confusion. “i’ve searched the whole cafe, did you leave early?”
“no, just ran a quick errand.” Tiger answered, trying not to snicker. “come downstairs.” He added, before quickly hanging up the phone.
Lynx blinked helplessly, still unsure what Tiger was planning. He has being weird all week, but he decided not to mention it.
It started by Tiger disappearing for a couple hours after every shift, then making up a vague excuse as to where he went. Even if Lynx found that suspicious, he couldn’t jump to any conclusions just yet.
However, yesterday made him feel very uneasy. Tiger had left for about an hour, then came back but he had cuts all over his hands.
When Lynx asked about how he got them, he used the excuse ‘i was playing with the cats’. But Lynx knew that wasn’t true. The cats didn’t tend to be vicious, even if they are in an ecstatic mood, and, at the time, Tiger didn’t have an allergy symptoms. No runny nose. No itchy skin. No watery eyes.
Lynx knew it was a lie.
But he still let it slide. Lynx scoffed at himself as he was walking back downstairs. He didn’t know why he wasn’t calling Tiger out on it, but he felt guilty accusing him of anything he knew he wouldn’t do.
As he reached the bottom, he glanced over to the counter and saw Tiger waiting for him.
“Where have you been?” Lynx asked as he walked over to him, the uncertainty clear in his tone. “you’ve been gone for ages!”
“i’m sorry, i had to help Leo with an errand.” Tiger said, a small smile tugging at his lips as he held Lynx’s gaze, slithering his hand over Lynx’s as an apologetic atone.
Lynx could feel his heart beating louder. He knew that was another lie. Leo had been at the cafe all afternoon, getting ready for his date.
Lynx involuntarily curled his fingers into a bruising fist. He didn’t want to start an argument, but he couldn’t let himself fall for Tiger’s cycle of lies.
“no you weren’t.” Lynx scoffed, pulling his hand back. “Leo has been here all afternoon getting ready for his date.”
Lynx’s stomach twisted when he saw Tiger trying to act casual, yet he could sense the underlying panic as he scrambled to find another excuse.
“i know, i mean he asked me to run an errand for him, for his date.” Tiger managed, that gentle smile still on his face, but Lynx just couldn’t settle on it. Not this time.
“Tiger, what’s going on?” Lynx asked, narrowing his eyes on Tiger’s towering figure. “you’ve been acting weird all week,” He started, trying to remain as unbothered as he sounded, but he knew it wasn’t working. He could tell by the way Tiger was watching him. “is there something you want to tell me?”
“Lynx…” Said Tiger, slowly reaching out to hold Lynx’s hand again. He briefly closed his eyes, knowing he should have went about this differently. “i’ll show you.”
“show me what?” Asked Lynx, furrowing his brows as he waited for an answer.
“why i’ve been acting weird.” Tiger assured, tugging his hand slightly as a hint to follow him.
Lynx let himself be dragged over to the cat’s designated room, puzzled as to where Tiger was taking him as ‘proof’ of his dissimilar behaviour.
They closed the door behind them, making sure none of that cats escaped, and Tiger lead him towards the cat condo. “here.”
“what?” Lynx asked, still confused, his patience wearing thin. It wasn’t like Tiger to lie at all, so why now?
“down here.” Tiger said, leaning down slightly. Lynx’s gaze followed his figure, now noticing a medium-sized hatch hidden away. Tiger flipped the latch on the side open, stepping back slightly to let Lynx explore for himself. “it’s not perfect, but im still working on it.”
Lynx raised a brow, still suspicious, but he trust that whatever was inside was the reason why Tiger had been acting so weird. Lynx lowered his upper body, pulling the half-door open. He was immediately faced with a low glow emitting across his face, a sunset orange lamp tucked in the corner. The little hatch was a box shaped room he had never noticed before. It looked like a small storage container that had been remodelled into a cozy corner.
Blankets were covering every inch of the space, there was plump pillows surrounding all the walls, and built in shelves, most empty, some having some books and decor standing tall like a prize of hidden collections.
“you made this?” Lynx asked, peeping his head back up to Tiger.
Tiger nodded silently, picking at his nails slightly. He knew he shouldn’t have kept it a secret, but he just wanted to surprise Lynx. He didn’t think Lynx would completely misunderstand his behaviour. “for you.” He mumbled.
Lynx smiled softly, the earlier tension in his muscles easing effortlessly. If Tiger had just told him he was planning a surprise for him, he wouldn’t have thought anything of it and let him stay in the cat room for however many hours he wanted to.
“i’m sorry,” Lynx sighed, standing up straight again, his head anchored towards the ground. “i shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions, i was just worried you-“
“it’s okay, Lynx.” Tiger assured, gently lifting his chin up with one hand, grabbing Lynx’s hand and rubbing soothing patterns across his palm with the other. “i shouldn’t have made it seem so secretive.”
Lynx nodded his head slowly, pressing his lips together tightly. Instead, Tiger tugged his hand, pulling towards the hatch entrance. “want to check it out properly?”
Lynx nodded, more enthusiastically this time, letting Tiger lead him into the small area. It was pretty compact, but they could both fit without hassle. Tiger sat down, leaning against the pillows and extending his legs. Lynx followed behind him, sitting shoulder to shoulder with him, his gaze wandering across the entirety of the room.
The walls were pale white, the shelves were still minimalistic, and blankets were swallowing both of them. Lynx noticed a small radio in the corner, quietly radiating calm tunes inside the box. Lynx rested his head against Tiger’s shoulder, no longer stressed out at the thought of Tiger snooping around. He shifted his head slightly to look up at Tiger, still curious about one thing. “why did you make this?” He asked, awaiting for Tiger’s answer.
“because i know you and Leo put your all into this cafe, but i can see it is exhausting sometimes.” Tiger explained, still slowly sweeping his thumb across Lynx’s palm. “so whenever you need, you can come relax in here.”
Lynx could feel his body stilling after every word, Tiger’s words soothing him into a relaxed state. As Tiger’s calloused palm swept across Lynx’s, they heard the hatch creak as it was nudged open ajar. They both looked towards the entrance, finding jumbo welcoming himself inside.
“wow, papa, what’s this place?” Jumbo asked, flicking his tail in awe.
“it’s just a place for papa to rest after a long day.” Tiger explained, smiling softly at the ball of fur that was slowly approaching them.
Jumbo felt the soft fabric of the blanket beneath his paws, purring subtly as he decided this new secret are was his favourite! “can jumbo rest here too?” The youngest of the litter asked, already perching his body above both of his dad’s legs, turning into a loaf.
“Jumbo!” Lynx whined, straightening his posture to face the cat. “you know Tiger is allergic to your fur.” He sighed, nudging Jumbo with his knee, the stubborn cat not budging. “your fur will get everywhere.”
“Jumbo wants to rest with papa’s!” The kitten said, grinning imperceptibly as he knew they would give in to his secret tactic. All he had to do wa have a tantrum, then they always gave him what he wanted! Or, at least, Tiger always caved in…
“i’ll be fine,” Tiger nodded, his nose already sniffling. “he’s not causing any harm, let him stay.”
“you’re too soft on them.” Lynx rolled his eyes, resting his head back onto Tiger’s broad shoulder. His gaze dropped to their linked hands, an easy smile forming on his lips. He looked back up to Tiger, the movement causing Tiger to look down as well. “thank you…for this.”
A uncontrollable smile sprung onto Tiger’s lips, squeezing his hand slightly to silently express his gratitude. Lynx admired his upturned lips, Tiger’s lips looking so perfect with a smile, like it was made perfectly for him. He found himself inching closer, pushing himself onto his lips, carefully slotting them in between his own.
Tiger melted into the kiss instantly, lifting his free hand and cementing it snugly underneath Lynx’s soft jawline. Lynx didn’t seem to protest, slithering his tongue across Tiger’s plump lower lip and into his mouth. Tiger could feel the pace of his blood rushing around his body increasing, wanting to reciprocate the gesture to Lynx, but a loud mewl interrupted them.
“ew, dad!” Jumbo huffed, flicking his tail towards Tiger as a protest. Tiger chucked, the wave of fur in his direction causing him to pull away from Lynx and sneeze.
Lynx smiled helplessly, petting Jumbo so he would settle down and not belittle them any further. “alright, we’re done.” Lynx said, stroking his delicate orange fur.
The three of them settled into a comfy silence, the occasional soft purr from Jumbo resonated between them. Tiger sighed, his long lashes fluttering shut, sniffling up his yearning for Lynx’s soft lips, slowly running his fingers through the delicate hair that belonged to both of the cats beside him. However, he was only allergic to one, but head over heels for the other.