How Frightening.

[Anonymous]

Whoa. All that just for a cat?

Better be a damn cute cat. Cuddly too.

Or just, one that hung around for a while. Both would be good. But wouldn’t it be lonely? Remi pursed his lips and stared at the counter. “Okay. Lets get me a cat.” He scoffed at the idea of a turtle. Sure they were cute and all, but they had to live in a tank, they couldn’t rip up his couch and be a right terror or sit on his face while he slept.

“Turtles are...” Remi wrinkled his nose. A turtle for a pet. Just didn’t sound manly. Well, neither did a cat, but at least cats had claws. Remi looked at Alaric. “You’ll have to help me get the stuff, I don’t know what a cat brush looks like.” It was more of a demand than a request, “We don’t have to do it today, but the next time you’re free.”

[Anonymous]

"Sure. I would be happy to go pet shopping with you. I'll help you pick the cat out too." Alaric gave a small laugh, "I always like the weird cats. The broken ugly ones that no one likes."

They were always so timid and shy and just desperate to love someone. It appealed to Alaric on several levels. They reminded him of himself and he wanted to give them love and he liked the affection they gave him.

"Do you want a cuddly one or a more independent one?"

[Anonymous]

“You can pick?” Remi stared at Alaric. Cuddly or independent? Remi wanted a cat that needed someone. Maybe not a desperately clingy cat, but... He pursed his lips and drank the sugar-sludge before he pushed his hair back and stared. “Huh.”

What kind of cat? “I... want one that needs a home...?” Remi smiled not really understanding what Alaric was saying.

[Anonymous]

That got a laugh from Alaric, "Well, yeah. What did you think? They just hand you a cat and you have no say in it?" He shook his head, still smiling as he took a sip of the coffee, "We'll find one you like. Having an idea of what you are looking for will help."

[Anonymous]

"No!" Remi said, his mouth hanging open. Of course he didn't think he just had to make-do with the cat they threw at him. He pursed his lips and tapped his fingers against the counter. "I just... want a cat that needs someone, I guess."

"Which ones don't people usually get? I'll get one of those. Poor ignored critters." Remi looked away and felt bad for the potential left behind cats.

[Anonymous]

Remi's reaction to his light teasing startled Alaric, and he blinked at the blond, giving a short, awkward laugh, "Oh, uh...yeah. Calm down Rem. I know you didn't think that." His old mentor had just seemed so shocked Alaric would even suggest such a thing. It was a little startling.

"Um, well, most people don't really get older or special needs cats. I donno if you want one that will require that much care. We can see what they have though."

[Anonymous]

“Oh.” Remi nodded and then rubbed his neck, nerves were making him jumpy and he tried to smile at Alaric before he drooped and then held his hands in his lap. Feeling just a little more than awkward. He hadn’t meant to snap like that.

“I... Just want a cat.” Remi winced slightly at the mention of older or special needs. Older meant they would die sooner and special needs meant they’d need much more time. “I... Don’t have much time for it, so I don’t think I could take care of a special needs cat.” But one would be lonely. “Why don’t I get two. Since if I just get one it’ll be all lonely since I’m at work for a lot of the day.”

[Anonymous]

"That sounds like a good idea. Taking care of two isn't that much more work than one. And we'll make sure we get you a nice, low needs cat. If you wont be home much, we should get you a more independent one." He smiled, "It's not scary, I promise."

[Anonymous]

“I’m just trying to think of how to keep it not lonely.” Remi said, tapping at his lips. “When can we go?” He smiled at Alaric, he sort of wanted to go now but Remi didn’t know the first thing about pets so that didn’t seem like a good idea. Gods forbid he get a dog bed instead of a cat bed, that would probably anger to many people for Remi to care to deal with.

He chuckled to himself before he pushed his hair back and sighed. “Well, um... Do you want to go with me when... There’s a good time for you?”

[Anonymous]

"I think that is a really great idea to get two. And I can always visit if you aren't gonna be around." Alaric grinned, flashing those impressive teeth of his again, "I would love to go. I probably wont have time until next week, but I'm sure we can make a time work."

[Anonymous]

A week or so. Remi nodded and pushed a hand through his hair. He felt a little awkward still, not really knowing how to act appropriately around Alaric. Remi really just wanted to lean in and give him a kiss, but if they were being friends first then kissing would be bad. Hands above the shoulders and lips to himself.

“Okay. Next week. Or when ever you have time.” Remi smiled and then licked his lips and stared off into space, “What would we name them?”

[Anonymous]

"We can't pick the names yet." Alaric laughed, "We should see what they look like and how they act." As a kid, Alaric had named all his pets after superheroes, though he didn't think Remi would really want to go with that naming convention.

[Anonymous]

"Right." Remi nodded and pursed his lips, "I think I'm getting a little ahead of myself." He chuckled and pushed a hand against his neck. "Thank you... For your help, Alaric." He bit his lip and let his hands rest in his lap while he idly played with his fingers. "For everything. And getting around this better than I ever could." He was just saying words to say them and to get it out of his system.

He stood up then and put a hand on Alarics shoulder. "I appreciate you being so patient when you haven't had to be. You're..." He paused trying to find the right word, "A good friend. You can help me name the cats when I get them."

[Anonymous]

Alaric flushed a little, ducking his head, feeling a warm rush of pleasure at Remi's words.This was nice, just being able to sit and talk with Remi, no drama or problems or anything. And it gave him hope that things could get to a good place between him and Remi. That their playful back and forth would come back and they could have have fun again.

"It's really okay. It's what friends do." He lifted his head and smiled up at Remi, "Just think, soon you'll be the proud Mama of two adorable cats."

[Anonymous]

The proud mama of two cats. That made him sound like a lonely old woman. Remi smiled and rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out. "I suppose. I've never been a mama before." He supposed it would be different from being a distant father. Remi tapped his index finger over his lip and leaned against the counter before turning to Alaric.

"Do... You have much planned for later?"

[Anonymous]

Alaric frowned, wondering what Remi meant by that. He had a daughter, "What about Izzy?" He shook his head at Remi's questions, "Um, no. I've got a computer I need to rip apart, but nothing that will take me too long. Why?"

[Anonymous]

Remi smiled at Alaric and shook his head after a moment before realizing Alaric always had trouble with gender differences, "I'm her papa." He tilted his head and tried to explain, "The woman is mama and the man is papa. It's just easier for the kid to remember, simple words like that." He wasn't sure what Alaric had ever called his own parents, Remi just knew he had three.

"But, don't bother with that. It's cute when you forget there's a difference between genders. Anyway, I'm Izzy's papa. I'm going to be the cats mama." He smiled and then bit his lip for a moment while he listened to Alaric talk about ripping apart a computer. "Oh. I ... was just... I..." He wanted to keep Alaric around longer. Stall him. Make him come back. But little steps. Baby steps. No tension, no drama. Just calm, cool.

"It's nothing." He looked away, feeling silly. "Just making sure I wasn't eating up your computer-ripping-apart time."

[Anonymous]

"Oh." Alaric paused, thinking, about to ask if Remi was sure because he could swear it was the other way around. But Remi would probably know better than he did, so Alaric just nodded, "Well, then you'll be the cats Papa too."

Remi's odd response to Alaric's answer had the alien frowning, puzzled, "Uh, no. I'm fine on time. I made sure I had a big chunk of time free to come visit. Did you need to get back to work? Nobles probably have a lot of stuff to take care of. I can go."

[Anonymous]

"Well, if I'm Papa. And you're helping me name them, you get to be god Mama." Remi kept his face dead pan and he sipped his sugary cooling sludge after a moments pause. This was drawing out and he was starting to feel a little awkward.

Remi took the chance at parting ways, not because he wanted to, but because he needed to sit back and reflect. Something like that anyway.

"Yeah." His voice was soft and he gave a smile to Alaric, " I still have some crap to do sitting on my desk, might as well get it over with instead of sitting in my apartment in the dark and drinking whiskey." Even though he really wanted to right now. Remi swallowed carefully before moving to put his cup into the sink.

"Thank you, for visiting today to talk. It really means a lot to me, Alaric."

[Anonymous]

"What's a god mama? And sure, I can help name them. Though, you'll be surprised. Names often just come to you as soon as you see them." Alaric was really looking forward to this. It would be fun and maybe he and Remi could spend a day together without something awful happening.

At Remi's mention of work, Alaric stood up, "Right. Thanks for making some time for me. And for the coffee." He smiled at Remi, then moved forward, giving him a quick, slightly awkward hug, "I'll text you when I'm free to go look at the kitties."

With a wave, he headed out the door and back to the mess waiting for him at his workstation.