Cat Dads
There is no way to explain the sweet relief of seeing your leg again after 8.5 weeks of it being covered by a cast.
Zhenya’s nose crinkled when he saw Jackson’s leg, “You have skin. Like fish.” And honestly he wasn’t wrong. Jackson had made the same face when the cast was fully removed but it’s apparently normal.
“Scales, babe. And my skin’s just dry. The doctor said it should flake off though, like in the shower.” Jackson said, fixing the boot back over his jeans. Zhenya’s English was really good, but there were some words that he still didn’t know just because it didn’t come up in conversation. Like scales.
Zhenya picked him up from the doctor’s office and now they were on their way to get lunch, which was apparently a surprise. Jackson had been asking since before they left for the appointment but Zhenya was holding strong.
He thought it might be the pasta place they both loved that was down the street from the rink, but Zhenya drove right by that as well. Actually, he drove all the way out of Gryffindor.
“You gonna tell me where we’re going yet?” Jackson asked, looking out the window to see if he could possibly guess. To be completely honest, he didn’t really know the area very well. For as long as they’d lived here, they didn’t tend to leave Gryffindor too often.
Zhenya gave him an exasperated look as he drove, “I tell you, it’s not surprise. We’re almost there anyway, котенок. So impatient.” He muttered, though the corner of his lips quirked up into a smile as his boyfriend grumbled next to him.
Not long after, a smile appeared on Zhenya’s face as he turned into a parking lot, “Okay, котенок. We’re here.”
Jackson was looking out the window as soon as they turned into the lot, his eyes on the sign. It read ‘Cats in Cups’ across the sign with a cute little picture of a kitten in a coffee mug.
His head whipped to look at Zhenya who couldn’t help the giant grin that had spread on his face, “A cat cafe?” Jackson said, unable to help the childlike excitement that seeped into his voice. He had always loved cats. When he was a kid, they always had at least two or three in their house.
“Surprise!” Zhenya said, as he pulled into a spot. “Good surprise, yeah? I bring my котенок to see all the little котенок.” As soon as he put the car in park, Zhenya was pulled in for a deep kiss.
Jackson smiled into the kiss, his hands on either side of Zhenya’s face as he pulled away, “A great surprise, babe. Thank you.” He murmured, leaning in to give him a quick peck before opening his door. Zhenya quickly ran over to his boyfriend’s side of the car, helping him get out.
Putting pressure on his foot again was weird, a bit achy, but it was nice to be able to walk without crutches, “Let’s go see some kitties.” Jackson said, a giddy smile spreading on his face as they made their way inside.
The cafe was empty other than the worker behind the counter when they stepped in, Jackson’s eyes quickly flitting over the room to all of the cats. There were around fifteen or so, some wandering around while others were sprawled on tables or cat trees. It was practically heaven.
A younger woman stood behind the counter, her name tag on the red apron reading Jaz. “Welcome to Cats in Cups!” She said, a wide welcoming smile on her face as she glanced down at a clipboard on the counter in front of her. “My name is Jaz, and I’m gonna guess that you’re Evgeni and Jackson?”
Zhenya nodded, “Yes, that’s us. You can just call me Kuny.” He said as they walked up to the counter.
“Well, welcome! We can get your order in and then you guys can play with the cats.” She said, checking them off on the list.
Looking up at the menu, they both ordered different lattes to try before finding a spot to sit. Jackson plopped himself right in the middle of the carpeted floor, stretching his left leg out as he watched all the cats watch them.
As Zhenya sat down next to him, a small gray kitten found its way into Jackson’s lap. Trailing a gentle hand down the kitten’s back, Jackson smiled, “What’s this one’s name?” He asked, glancing up to where Jaz was carrying over their drinks.
Glancing down at the small ball of fluff, she smiled, “That’s Milo, he’s a scottish fold.”
Milo began making his way up Jackson’s chest, tiny paws carrying him up to cuddle into his shoulder. Zhenya quickly snuck a picture as the small kitten nuzzled into his boyfriend’s neck.
Just as he was tucking his phone away, a large fluffy orange cat nudged at his hand, meowing at him indignantly. Zhenya couldn’t help but laugh as the cat rubbed up against his leg, “Hello there.” He murmured, carefully picking the cat up and cradling her in his arms like a giant baby.
Jaz laughed as she set down their drinks, watching as the giant men turned into puddles of soft at the sight of cats, “It seems Pumpkin has taken a liking to you.”
“I have taken liking to Pumpkin too.” Zhenya said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The cat practically vibrated out of his arms, purring so dramatically.
At this point, Jackson had collected another cat in his lap. Milo was still nuzzled into his neck but in his lap was a massive black cat. Zhenya thought Pumpkin was big but oh my goodness, the black cat definitely had her beat.
Evgeni reached over, letting the giant cat sniff him before gently scratching behind his ears, “He’s so big.” He murmured, watching as he flopped back onto Jackson’s lap.
“Yeah, that’s Loki, our god of mischief. He’s a maine coon with a habit of knocking drinks over as well as chairs. He normally sprawls across our front counter.” Jaz said with a laugh as she made her way back to the counter.
Jackson’s face lit up as he reached down to pet the giant cat, “Loki’s one of my favorite Marvel characters!” Loki leaned into his touch, a deep purr coming from his chest.
Leaning onto the counter, Jaz smiled, “Well, keep in mind: all of our cats are adoptable. It’s a three day process because we give them an veterinary exam and a cleaning, and everything. But then you could take them home.” She said before going back to work, unaware of the wide-eyed looks the two men shared.
“We could get cats!” Jackson said, almost scaring both cats off of him. He quickly murmured soft apologies into their fur, holding them both close. Milo climbed down off his shoulder into his lap, curling up on top of Loki. Neither of them could help back the soft “aw” as Zhenya took another picture.
Upset at the lack of attention, Pumpkin swatted her paw at Zhenya’s hand and let out what could only be equivalent to a heavy sigh. He couldn’t help but laugh as he started petting her again, “So sorry, милашка.” He murmured before glancing up at Jackson again. “You want cat?”
Jackson nodded, unable to stop watching his boyfriend cuddle the orange fluff, “Yeah… yeah I really do. If it was a possibility, I would adopt all of these cats.” He said, gently petting the pile of cats in his lap.
They were both quiet for a while, enjoying their drinks, the cats as well as each other’s company. Just as Jackson took a sip of his coffee, Zhenya turned to him as he held Pumpkin closer.
“Let’s keep them.”
Jackson choked a bit, wiping the coffee that had fallen from his mouth before looking at Zhenya, “W-what? Keep?”
The other man was already nodding, his face hidden by Pumpkin’s fur, “Don’t want to leave her. Or them. We keep them all. Take them home. C’mon, котенок!”
Jackson didn’t need him to beg. Honestly, he hadn’t even needed Zhenya to ask because as soon as these cats had crawled on top of him, he knew he couldn’t leave them behind, “Alright. Alright, yeah. Let’s keep them.”
You would’ve thought they’d won the lottery with the way Zhenya’s face lit up. And Jackson, being the smitten bastard he was, couldn’t help but smile right back at him.
“We need supplies.” Zhenya said, quickly pulling his phone back out.
Jackson couldn’t help his little happy dance as he held onto the cats in his lap, “Just order it and we can have it delivered to the house.” Zhenya nodded as he ordered everything he could find on the pet store website that they’d need. Litter boxes, food, toys, beds and towers.
“Jaz! We need paperwork!” Zhenya said, looking up from his phone.
A big smile lit up her face as she grabbed some paperwork from behind the counter, “I had a feeling we’d need some paperwork, so I started filling it out. Which one are you planning to adopt?”
Jackson smiled, gently running his hand over Loki’s back, “We’d like all three actually.”
Her eyebrows went up in surprise, but if possible, her smile got exponentially bigger, “All three? Oh that’s fantastic.” She quickly grabbed more paperwork and they all started filling it out, one of them filling out each form.
It took around 20 minutes, but they were finally done. They were going to be cat dads.
Jaz smiled, stapling together all the papers before she looked up at the guys, “Alright, you two. We just have to do their exams and such, as well as speak to your references, but you should be able to bring them home in two days!”
They both shook her hand, the giant smiles still stuck on their faces, “Thanks so much for your help, Jaz.”
“Of course, I’m so happy you guys came in and that some of our cats are finding their forever homes with you.” She said with a smile. Both boys gave their last cuddles to the cats before it was time to go.
Jackson pressed a kiss to the top of Milo’s head, “We’ll be back for you three.”
Leaving the cafe was hard, especially when Loki tried to follow them out but they eventually made their way out to the car.
Before they got into the car, Jackson pulled Zhenya to him, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips as he leaned into the taller man’s chest, “I love you.” He said softly, his hands making their way around Zhenya’s waist.
“I love you. Always.” Zhenya murmured, holding Jackson close.
Getting to bring their cats home was one of the best days they’ve had. The cats were a bit skittish with being in a new environment but by bedtime, they had really calmed down. All three cats joined the two men on their bed. Milo curling up on Jackson’s pillow, Pumpkin sprawled on Zhenya’s stomach with Loki stretched across the foot of the bed.
As they all got comfortable, Jackson couldn’t help but smile at his boyfriend, squeezing the hand that was intertwined with his, “I’m so happy to be a cat dad with you, babe.”
Zhenya pressed a kiss to the other man’s knuckles, “You and I, Best cat dads. Always.”