Chapter Text
With a coffee in hand and a grin plastered on his face, Noctis makes his way into “PAWS PRIDE Animal Clinic” to start his first day as a Vet. He had been dreaming of this day since he was a small child checking up and bandaging whatever animal he could find, much to his father’s dismay. He walks through the back of the building, where the dog kennels are situated, and greets his fellow colleagues as he makes his way through. An overly eager puppy bounds over to him and begins bobbing and weaving through his legs while yipping loudly to get his attention. Noctis giggles slightly as he gives in to the puppies demands and crouches to scratch its backside, eliciting excited panting as its tail whips around like a propeller. Sucked into a cloud of furry euphoria, Noctis doesn’t even register the nurse at his side.
“Doctor Noct? Hello? DOC!”
He finally snaps out from his puppy heaven and looks to the nurse apologetically. “Sorry, got a bit distracted.” he says while trying to hold back a pout as one of the volunteers scoops the puppy into his arms and carries it back to its kennel. ‘Aww, come back puppy.’
She sighs with a shake of her head as she and hands him a clipboard. “Well your first patients are here, just got them set up in room 4-B. Try not to get too distracted by them” the nurse’s lips begin to curl up into a grin, with a slight blush tinting her cheeks. “or their owner.”
Noct pays no mind to her last remark as he tucks the clipboard under his arm and scurries off to greet his first patients of the day; shouting a quick “thank you” as he turns a corner. He greets more of his fellow coworkers as he makes haste towards the waiting rooms, and barely resisting the urge to stop and cuddle a new furry friend trying to steal away his attention. He arrives at his destination, taking in deep breaths as he tries to calm his excitement. ‘This is it!’ He takes one last deep breath, channels his friend Ignis’ stiff upper lip, and knocks on the door before entering.
“Good morning, I’m Doctor Noct and-” he stops dead in his tracks and does a double take.
A mountain of a man, six foot something and full of muscle that is barely covered by a dark tank, greets him with sultry amber eyes that you could get lost in and a cool smile. He has long slicked back dark brown with the sides above his ears shaved, a chinstrap outlining a chiseled jaw line, and scar stretching down the left side of his face. The man, who Noct also notices is sporting think black feather tattoos down his arms, looks like the type of guy who would own a large beast of a dog or two. Specifically, the kind with thick neck muscles, a strong muzzle, and large sharp teeth that can grab hold of some unfortunate victim before being ripped apart. But no, in the man’s large and rugged hands lay two tiny mewling kittens, one a short haired tuxedo and the other medium haired and white. Noctis turns a shade of pink as he looks back up to the man’s face and they lock eyes; the young doctor clears his throat and shifts around uncomfortably as his heart begins to race. Surely, he must think him rude for gawking. But his mind is put at ease when the man’s lips form a playful smile. He stands, adjusting the two kittens in his arms, and extends a hand out to Noctis. He blinks at the appendage for a second, before clumsily grasping it back.
‘Way to go me, acting like a doofus in front of a client, Prompto would be so proud.’
“Hey Doc, names Gladio.” the large man says and then presents the two balls of fluff to Noct. “I found these little fuzzy asses abandoned in a dumpster over the weekend. Brought em’ in to get a thorough check up; make sure they don’t have worms or something just as nasty.”
Noctis’ heart skips a beat from listening to the man’s story, most people would have just left these poor babies to die without a second thought. ‘A man after my own heart.’
“That’s so kind of you to take in these precious babies.” Noctis all but gushes as the man turns a shade of red and smiles bashfully. “Now, if you could set them on the exam table I’ll start their checkup right away.” he says as he turns to eagerly collect supplies from the nearby medical cabinet.
As he begins collecting the needed supplies, he overhears the kittens caterwauling persistently and takes a quick glance back to see what has gotten them so upset. They are attempting to climb up the man’s front, most likely missing his warmth, but he softly removes them from his shirt and sets them back onto the table; cooing an apology in return. Noctis clutches the items he has in hands to his chest as his heart thumps faster. He just loves it when people treat their animals with just as much affection as they would a close friend or family member. He quickly remembers he has a job to do and returns to the exam table. Looking between the two kittens as he slips on a pair of latex gloves, he decides to start with the smallest and gently picks up the tuxedo for examination. It loudly protests as Noctis sets it on the table scale to check its weight before moving to the next part of the exam with the squirmy kitty.
“Did you by chance bring in fecal samples for these two?” Noctis inquires as he carefully takes a blood sample from the displeased kitten, but he gets his answer when the man’s eyes glaze over and his lips purse. “It’s okay, just drop one off either later today or tomorrow. That way we can test for any parasites that may be lurking in their little bellies.”
The brunette nods and looks down lovingly at the lone kitten who has taken to slowly kneading its tiny paws into the fabric of his tank top while purring contently. “Hey Doc, how old would you say they are? I got them some wet kitten food, but I wasn’t for sure if I should get them some formula too.”
Noctis finishes checking the kitten’s ears and proceeds to delicately open its mouth to view its gums and any teeth it may have. “It has its canines and the bottom molars are in, so I would put a guess at about four to five weeks. So yes, it would do them well to have the extra nutrients since they would have still been with their mother at this age.”
“I see, poor babies.” Gladio says and looks down at the kitten sorrowfully. He scratches the top of its head, and the kitten begins to purr even louder as it arches up to get more contact. “But no need to worry, I’ll take good care of you both.”
Noctis’ breath hitches as he inwardly melts but luckily the man doesn’t seem to notice. He returns to checking the kitten is his hands and softly cascades his fingers over its upturned belly; which the kitten is not amused by and hisses while attempting to swat the offending digits away. Noctis lets out an amused snicker and sets the grumpy kitten back onto the exam table. He plucks up the white kitten next, without any complaints like its sibling, and gives it a thorough check up too.
“You’re much more behaved than your sibling. Yes you are, such a good wittle kitty.” he says, baby talking to the white ball of fluff. Noctis gives the kitten an Eskimo kiss, and in return receives multiple sandpapery licks to the tip of his nose coxing a gasp from his lips. ‘BEST. DAY. EVER.’ “Aww, kitten kisses for me? Thank you!”
“Yeah,” Gladio begins as he watches the tuxedo get into a crouched position with its butt wiggling. “Mog is a sweetheart like that, unlike this feisty little shit.” he says gesturing to the kitten wrestling with his now captured hand.
Noctis stops cuddling the kitten and gives the large man a dumbfounded look. “Did you say Mog?”
“Yup, I named the tuxedo Cait Sith too.” he says and scowls at the others rising eyebrow. “Oh come on, I have a little sister who was obsessed with that show. I used to watch it with her when I babysat her. You can’t tell me they don’t fit them.”
Noctis looks between the two kittens and then back up to their owner. “True, but there is just one little problem.”
“And that is?”
Noctis raises the kitten up and presents its bottom to the other man. “They’re both female.”
Gladio looks down at the other kitten before turning back to the doctor and just shrugging. “Meh, I still like those names.”
“All right then, Cait Sith and Mog it is.” Noctis chuckles lightly as he begins to jot down the information he has gathered during the exams. “We won’t know the full extent of any parasites they may have until their blood is tested and we get their fecal samples. Otherwise then the tuxedo needing a little fattening up, they appear to be in good health. You should also schedule a follow up with the receptionist to get them vaccinated, and then have her check for openings next month to get them spayed. If you don’t have any other questions or concerns, you and your girls are good to go.”
“Thanks Doc.” the man says and extends his hand for another handshake. “I’ll be sure to make a request for you again, you seem to have a real affection for them and I couldn’t ask for anything better than that.”
Noctis gives him a warm smile and then happily helps place the squirmy kittens into a basket used as a makeshift carrier, and he totally didn’t run his fingers over the other man’s large and shockingly soft hands by accident while doing this. He walks them out of the exam room, continuing to chat and joke with the brunette as they enter the front hall. He says his goodbyes and turns to look around at the waiting clientele. A wide variety of dogs with their owners; old ladies protectively clutching their cat’s carrier; and saddened children with clear plastic containers housing tiny furry rodents; they all wait patiently for their turn to be seen and receive the best care possible. A deep and content sigh escapes his lips. He begins to envision spending his time here getting slobbery kisses from pups, watching kittens wrestle with one another, and the happy look on an owner’s face as they get the finest treatment for their furry family members. ‘This place is heaven.’ But the daydream is cut short as a hand raps against his shoulder causing him to jolt. He turns around to find Gladio standing there with his nose scrunched and his jaw tightly clenched, holding the basket away from himself. It doesn’t take Noct long to register what the issue is and carefully takes the basket from the other man while trying not to retch.
“Well, we got our sample.”