"Hi, Mace! I love you, please don't be mad, happy Valentine's Day!"
Mason blinked a couple times at the waterfall of words that gushed from the phone in his hand.
"Um, what?" He didn't know what was going on.
He'd just gotten out back to his room; done classes for the day when he saw that Jamie was calling. His happiness quickly turned into confusion as his best friend rambled his ear off.
"Slow down and say it again, please."
"Hii, I love you, happy Valentine's Day!"
"Is it-?" Mason murmured to himself as he checked the date. "Oh, it is. Happy Valentine's day to you too, babe. Wait, didn't you say something else?"
"Uh, yeah, um. About that."
"Jamie," Mason said in a low voice.
"Please don't be mad?"
Dread settled in Mason's stomach. "Jamie. What did you do?"
"I, uh, I may have accidentally adopted a cat?"
Mason, from where he was sitting cross-legged on his bed, let his head fall into his unoccupied hand. "How-" he took in a deep breath. "How do you accidentally adopt a cat?"
"So I had just got some food to make sandwiches for when I don't have time to go to meal hall, when I heard him crying because his head was stuck in a can, so I got him free and he was cold and hungry, so I held him in my coat as I got some of the turkey I'd just gotten and I gave it to him, but when I put him down he kept trying to stay in my hands and he followed me all the way back to my room and when I stopped to open the door he climbed up my leg and has been sitting on my shoulder since."
The rush of words ended abruptly into silence as Mason was left speechless.
"What-? But-" he stumbled around for what to say. "Why, why would I be mad about you helping a cat? I mean, it's not your fault he followed you home."
"Yeah, but I'm not going to just kick him out into the cold! And I'm looking for the price of cat beds and food at nearby pet stores." Jamie said the second sentence softer and Mason had a feeling Jamie half didn't want him to hear it.
"You're planning on keeping it?"
"I said I adopted it! It was an accident, I didn't plan on keeping him, but he won't leave! And look at him," there was a pause and then his phone vibrated in his hand.
Mason looked down to see that Jaims 3 sent a photo (Jamie set his own nickname after they started dating). Mason sighed as he opened it and was met with a very cute picture. It was a selfie of Jamie at his desk with a soft-looking, fluffy, light orange kitten was sitting on his shoulder, looking content to stay there for the rest of the day.
"I knew you'd think he was cute!"
Mason was startled out of his staring at the image by his boyfriend's voice, not realizing that he'd 'aww'ed out loud.
"And look how happy he is!" Mason had to admit the kitten was cute, but he wasn't the one Mason was staring at. In the picture, Jamie had a soft, fond look expression on his face as he looked happily at the small animal on his shoulder.
"Hold on," Mason said as he ended the call, calling over facetime instead. Jamie answered before it stopped ringing.
"Hey!" Mason watched as Jamie's face brightened. Before he got to say 'hi' back, Jamie continued on. "Look at him! Just look. at. him. I dare you to not aww while looking at him! He's so cute and fluffy and soft!" As Jamie rambled on, he brought a hand up to scratch at the kitten's head. "Listen to him purr!" Just then, the kitten yawned and let out a little high pitched squeak and Jamie looked like he was ready to cry. "Oh my god," he whispered. "That was so cute."
"Okay, okay," Mason laughed. "I admit, he's cute. Also, he's practically your twin."
"What?"
"Well, you're both adorable," Mason ticked a finger and Jamie laughed lightly and looked down, a soft blush spreading across his cheeks. Mason loved that even after almost 9 months together, Mason could make Jamie flustered by pointing out how cute he is. "You both have light, blondish? soft looking hair," Mason said, ticking another finger as Jamie laughed a little louder at that one.
"I'm not sure-"
"And three," Mason cut him off, "you both have really blue eyes."
Said blue eyes widened comically. "Oh my god, it's a sign!"
"What?"
"It's a sign! It means that it's meant to be!" Turning to the kitten, Jamie said, "Do you hear that? We were meant to find each other today!"
"Seriously, though, Jaims, you can't expect to keep him."
"What?" Jamie looked heartbroken. "You can't point out that we're twins and still expect me to let him go. Look at him." Jamie brought his phone closer to the kitten, making it fill his screen.
"Jamie, I like him. I do. But think for a second. Are you allowed to have animals in your building?"
"Uhhh, hold on." Jamie put his phone down on his desk and the view Mason now had was of his ceiling. He heard the sound of a drawer opening and papers rustling around. "Found it!"
Jamie picked up his phone again and Mason saw that he was holding a piece of paper. "This here is the agreement form thing that says the rules about being in res. Umm, here! 'Pets are permitted-'" He stopped reading for a second as his eyes widened and he grinned happily at Mason through his camera. "Pets are permitted!" Then he turned back to the sheet. "'Pets are permitted in the residence buildings if; they do not disturb the other tenants in the building,'" he stopped again to scratch the kitten's head again. "You're not going to disturb anyone, are you? No, you're not. Don't even know how you could. Everyone would fall in love with you the moment they see you. Uhh, 'they're permitted if they aren't noisy.' I haven't heard him make any noise louder than that squeak you heard. 'If they are properly cared for,' um, of course! 'If any messes in hallways, stairwells, and outside the doors are cleaned appropriately, and if they are properly vaccinated.' Okay, I'll ask about that when I get him the stuff he needs."
Mason smiled softly as Jamie put down the paper and looked back at him.
"Congratulations," Mason said, finally getting a word in. "You can keep your cat."
"I can keep my cat," Jamie echoed, giggling softly. Then, as if it were just sinking in, he sat up and repeated, "I can keep my cat! Oh my god, Mason! I have a cat now! What should we name him!"
"We?" Mason hadn't been expecting that.
"Yes, we." Jamie giggled like it was obvious. "We are now a family of three and this is our child. What should we name him?"
Mason's heart felt like it was about to leap from his chest while melting into a puddle at the same time from Jamie just casually referring to them as a family and having a child. As though they were married.
"Um." Mason's voice cracked on the one syllable from being emotional and he cleared his throat. "Shouldn't we wait until we know that he is a he first? Like, ask the vet when you get him, or her, vaccinated?"
"Good point. Now to find a vet." Jamie put his phone down, leaning it against his laptop monitor while he typed as Mason found his gaze drifting between his face and the kitten who now had his/her eyes closed. "There's one not too far away from here. Closes at six today."
"That's still lots of time, but you should go early in case they have any open time slots today. Also, I would suggest you stop at the vet before the pet shop in case they recommend a certain kind of food or whatever."
"Good idea! Thanks, babe."
Mason watched as Jamie got up and walked out of the frame. "I don't know where my jacket is, though."
"You're still wearing it."
"What? Oh, I am. Right, this guy/girl hasn't left my shoulder, so obviously, I didn't take it off. I got my keys, shoes on, where's my phone…?"
Jamie was talking to himself, but Mason called out, "Here, where you left me."
"Oh, right." Jamie was back with a beanie on now and could see the grin Mason was trying to keep off his face. "Hey! Quit laughing at me! I'm excited, okay?"
"Yeah, I know. It's just cute."
Jamie blushed. "Shaddup."
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
Jamie just sat there, smiling at him for a moment until Mason said, "As much as I love looking at you, you should go. Like, actually go. We can talk after."
"Alright, alright. Bye. Love you."
"Love you. Bye."
Mason clicked the end call button, cause he knew that Jamie wouldn't want to, and he had to hang up before driving. Not that Mason wanted to hang up on him either. But still.
Chuckling to himself about the crazy events of the day, Mason looked down at the picture on his phone before setting it as his wallpaper. He was still looking at it when a text came in.
Jaims 3: I'm gonna have to tell my mom...
He laughed and flopped back so he was lying on his bed as he let himself daydream of actually having a family with Jamie and not just a kitten that Jamie picked up on the sidewalk.
But what can he do? That's the person he fell in love with.
