Paw Prints
"May I ask a favor of you?"
Alfred hated how sickeningly sweet and polite the other's voice was and frowned at the cellphone he held in his hand. He bit his tongue for a moment, stopping the kneejerk 'No' from slipping past his lips. He had to be civil; his boss was so avid about that these days.
"Yea, sure Russia." He answered sounding as chipper as he could. "Why can I do for ya?"
"Well, you see, I need someone to, ah what's the word, babysit for me."
He listened to the phone, arching a blonde eyebrow. Babysit? This time Alfred couldn't stop himself from say the first thing that came to mind.
"You have a kid?"
"Nyet, a cat."
"…You have a cat?"
"Da."
"And it's like…alive?"
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?"
It seemed strange to Alfred that Russia would keep an animal in his house. He just didn't give off the nurturing or caring vibe at all.
"Ah, I don't know, I just didn't think you would have a cat or anything." Alfred supplied lamely. "You just don't seem like the pet owning type." He couldn't help but feel that he was digging himself into a hole, if only a little.
"Well, I guess you thought wrong then." Russia's voice crackled through the receiver twice as sugary as before.
He winced slightly at the tone in Russia's voice. If the Cold War had taught him anything that sweet and light lilt in the others speech was always a bad thing. No good could come of it. Alfred cleared his throat.
"Yea, well anyway, so you want me to cat-sit for you?"
"Da."
"When?"
"Next week, if you can."
In all honesty Alfred really wasn't doing much of anything, just the usual. There was no reason to refuse the other, even though he wanted to. It was hero's duty to help someone in need. Heck, coming here would probably be like a vacation for the poor creature that was living in Russia's house. It would be inhumane to let it suffer, right?
"Yea, sure, I can do it." He answered. "Oh, but I do have a cat of my own, that's not going to be a problem, is it?" Secretly, he kind of hoped it would be.
"No, no problem at all, my cat is very friendly."
A sarcastic 'Riiight' floated through Alfred's mind, but he had to take Russia at his word. Calling the man a liar over a cat wouldn't win him any points.
"All right, then I guess I'll see you sometime next week?" He asked.
"Da, I'll see you Monday morning." There was a moment of hesitation. "And, thank you America."
"Sure, no problem." He laughed lightly into the phone scratching the back of his head awkwardly with his free hand, not having expected the other's thanks. "A hero's gotta do what a hero's gotta do, right?"
A pause, static hisses between them.
"Do svidanya."
"Yea dosewdanya to you too man."
He could hear the other end of the line click and fall silent. Alfred just pressed the end button on his iPhone and pocketed it. Giving a sigh he ran his fingers through his hair, wondering if agreeing had really been the best course of action. What kind of cat would Russia own? Something dangerous he decided, possibly demonic. Clearly, it couldn't be a normal cat; it was living with Russia after all.
Suddenly, he felt a small body rubbing itself against his leg. Looking down he smiled at the little cat that was staring up at him with big blue eyes.
"Looks like you're going to be having some company little guy." He said, giving the cat's head a pat. The little animal gave a meow in reply.
"You're a tough dude, I'm sure you can handle it." He said and smiled. "You're going to have to show that Russian cat the American way, just like any hero, okay?" Alfred asked scratching the white fur under the cat's chin, a loud purr instantly came from the animal. "Attaboy."
Meanwhile in Moscow, Ivan placed the receiver of his rotary phone back into its cradle. He glanced over his shoulder to look at the eyes he knew had been drilling into the back of his head for the past few minutes.
"I know," Ivan said evenly. "But no one else would say yes."
The cat sitting behind him merely swished its long fluffy tail.
"It won't be so bad."
The watchful violet eyes of the animals never left his own.
He gave a sigh, and turned around. Falling to one knee, he held out his hand for the other to accept. The large cat just stared back at him impassively, silently rejected the offer.
"We both know I can't take you with me little one, you wouldn't do well on a vacation to Siberia." Ivan stated matter-of-factly and then smiled at the cat. "Besides America is good with animals," He wasn't sure if America was really good with pets or not, but a white lie wouldn't hurt. "He has a cat of his own."
At that the feline titled its head in interest.
"Da, you see you'll have someone to play with, isn't that nice little one?" Ivan said cheerfully.
The cat seemed to agree with him because it finally moved forward, rubbing its gray head against his outstretched hand. A soft, rumbling purr emanated from its throat. Ivan's smile widened, becoming more genuine.
"See, there, not so bad, right?" He asked as he opened his arms.
The cat appeared to approve as it willingly came into his arms, purring contently as it curled up against the warmth of his chest.
((This story was originally from the Kink Meme. I can no longer find the original story, therefore it will not be updated on that LiveJournal. Sorry for the two year delay. I realize being late is a constant theme with me. Enjoy the rest of the story.))