AN: This is for the FB Lizzington shippers prompt: Red gets a kitten. I wasn't planning on attempting this prompt, but Jessahmewren said she would write it if I did. So 'tag' you're it, Jess. :) This is also dedicated to you. *hugs*. Thanks for the great idea ladies. Oh, and Fluff warning.
AN2: I also received an anonymous prompt on tumblr challenging me to write a fic where Red finally acknowledges that Liz looks at his lips all the time. So I'm combining 2 prompts in one fic.
"Lizzie, I'm fine. I'm perfectly able to take care of myself. Quit being a mother hen." Red hopped inside his current abode as Liz followed closely after him with a hand hovering at his back.
She looked at Red with a grimace and said, "I know you can take care of yourself, but it's my fault that this happened. Just let me help, or at least get you settled."
He didn't bother to answer as he made his way further into his living room and sat heavily on the couch with a pained grunt. It really was her fault that he'd sprained his ankle.
OOOOOO
They were walking in the park side by side, with their hands occasionally brushing against each other as they discussed the current blacklister that they were trying to track down. They'd tried almost everything to lure him out and were brainstorming ideas for what to do next; it seemed that they were both out of ideas. She had a hard time concentrating on what he was saying because she kept staring at his lips and imagining what it would be like to kiss him, and if they were as soft as they looked. She thought she had been discreet about it, but apparently not, because he called her out on it.
"Really Lizzie, if you'd rather stare at my lips instead of listening to what I have to say, then I can stop talking and let you have your fill before we continue our conversation." He looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
She blushed deeply and looked away, trying to find something else to look at that wasn't his lips, and ended up watching a duck walking around behind him. "I don't know what you're talking about Red, honestly, why would I stare at your lips?"
He tilted his head slightly with a small smile on his face. "Oh, I don't know. Why don't you tell me?"
She'd been working up the courage for months to somehow let him know of her growing feelings for him, and now seemed like the perfect opportunity to tell him.
She took a step closer so they were inches apart and looked up at him with trepidation, then said softly, "I can't help myself. I keep wondering what it would be like to kiss them." She closed her mouth and groaned inwardly; she couldn't believe what she was saying. To Red of all people.
When he didn't say anything after a few moments or move any closer, she shook her head and began to walk backwards. "You know what? Forget I said anything," she said quietly.
"Lizzie." He held up his hands, indicating that she should stop, but she didn't listen.
"Lizzie, stop. Now." He took a step forward with a panicked look on his face.
She continued to back up and gave him a fake smile. "It's fine, Red. I get it. Let's just continue like—aaaaah...shiittttttttt." She had backed up right to the edge of the duck pond and was teetering on the edge waving her arms wildly to gain purchase on solid ground.
He ran forward to try to grab her before she fell in, but manged to step in a gopher hole right before he reached her and turned his ankle sharply. "Dammit," he said through clenched teeth as he watched her regain her balance, then put her hands on her knees to calm her racing heart.
He sat on the ground, ruining one of his best suits on the damp grass while he held his ankle. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but he closed his eyes and tried to think about anything besides how much pain he was in. He'd had many broken bones and contusions, but severe sprains were among some of the worst pains.
Liz stood up straight, then saw him sitting there with a pained look on his face. She quickly made her way over to him and said, "Red, what happened? Are you ok?" She sounded concerned, but he didn't care at this point.
"I stepped in a damn gopher hole trying to make sure you didn't fall in the pond. If you had just stopped when I told you to, then none of this would have happened." He sounded angry, even to his own ears.
She knelt beside him and gently touched his already swollen ankle, "I'm sorry. I was embarrassed by your reaction to what I said and I wasn't thinking straight."
He sighed and ran his free hand over his short-cropped hair. "I wasn't rejecting you, sweetheart, but we can talk about that later. Help me up"
She stood up and took his hand, then pulled him up so quickly that he overbalanced and fell into her chest and threw his free hand out to try to catch himself. He hadn't planned on that hand landing on her breast.
She cleared her throat and looked at him oddly, and he looked down and realized where his hand was. He quickly removed it with a small smile tugging at his lips. "Sorry." He wasn't, but she didn't need to know that.
She heaved a sigh and shook her head. "It's fine. Put your arm around me so I can help you to the car." He did his best to hide his grin; he knew she saw, but chose not to comment on it.
They made their way to the car slowly. He wasn't able to put any weight on his foot, so he put most of his weight on her. He was impressed that she didn't complain one time; she must really feel guilty.
They reached the car and Dembe looked at Red with a raised eyebrow. Red just shook his head and said, "Don't ask."
As Dembe drove them to their destination, Liz helped Red take his shoe and sock off, then winced at how swollen his ankle was. She ran her fingers over it lightly and said, "I really am sorry, Red. I didn't mean for this to happen."
He nodded and put his hand on her back as she leaned over him. "I don't blame you completely. I wasn't watching where I was going." He ran his hand lightly over her back, trying to get her to relax.
She sat back and leaned against his side with a small sigh. They rode the rest of the way in silence, with her leaning her head on his shoulder, and with him elevating his ankle on the center console with his arm around her shoulders.
OOOOOO
"Lizzie, you're going to be late to your meeting if you don't leave now. Dembe will get you there on time. As soon as you're done with your meeting, come back here and we can discuss some things that need to be addressed."
Liz walked over and took a couple of pillows off of the couch, then put them on the coffee table and gestured for him to put his foot on them. He sat back in the couch and put his foot on the pillows just so he wouldn't have to argue with her anymore, then laid his head back and closed his eyes. "Now go, Lizzie. I'll manage just fine on my own." He could practically hear her hesitation. He waved his arm dismissively without opening his eyes. "See you later."
She walked near him and ran her hand down his jaw softly, then walked away and closed the door behind her before he even opened his eyes.
OOOOOO
An hour later found Red bored out of his mind and in a lot of pain. He wished he at least had his iPad, but it was in the next room over and he didn't feel like getting up; he was even getting to the point where he wished he had a TV or smart phone.
He heaved a deep sigh and closed his eyes again; he might as well try to sleep since he never slept well at night.
Just as he was on the verge of falling asleep, he heard an odd sound. He opened his eyes and listened intently, but didn't hear it again, so he shrugged and closed his eyes again.
"Meow." Red cracked one eye open and mumbled, "What the hell?"
"Meooow." He definitely wasn't imagining that sound.
He dropped his foot off of the pillows gingerly, then sat up and listened closer as the cat 'meowed' again; it sounded like it was right outside his door.
He stood up on one foot and hopped slowly towards the door; every jolt of his ankle was excruciating, but he wouldn't be able to get any sleep if he had an annoying cat constantly 'meowing' outside his door.
Red reached the door and opened it, then leaned against the door frame as he searched the porch. He didn't see anything at first, but as he continued to look around he saw a tiny orange and white kitten lying next to the planter full of dead flowers. It barely looked like it was old enough to be away from its mother, and he wondered how it had found its way onto his porch.
He smiled, glad that no one else was around to see how a tiny animal could reduce him to a grinning idiot. "Hey, there. How did you get here?"
The kitten stared at him with sad blue eyes, and Red couldn't help himself as he hopped forward, then bent down awkwardly and scooped it up before it could run away. It was trembling, both from the cold and from fright as he brought it up to his face to examine it closer. It was long-haired with little white ears and paws, and a white chest; it was adorable.
He checked to see what sex it was, and saw that it was a girl, then brought her close to his chest as he stroked the soft, fluffy fur. He heard the tiny sounds of her purring and smiled. He'd always thought that he was a dog person, but maybe he'd been wrong; this kitten didn't seem to mind him too much.
Red hopped back inside and closed the door, then slowly made his way back to the couch. The kitten didn't act like she was scared as she was jostled in his arms, and had even stopped shivering.
He sat back down on the couch and put a finger under her chin and moved it back and forth, then moved his hand over the top of her head and down her back.
Just as he leaned back with the kitten on his chest, a knock sounded on his door. "Yeah?'
"It's Liz. Can I come in?" Her voice was muffled by the door.
"Go ahead."
The door opened and she stepped through and opened her mouth to say something, but froze mid-sentence as she saw what was lying on his chest. She blinked slowly and narrowed her eyes, "Umm, Red? What's that?"
He put his hand protectively over the kitten, "What does it look like, Lizzie?"
She closed the door behind her and stepped closer to him. "That looks like a kitten. Where the hell did you find a kitten?"
"I'm starving, I feel like I haven't eaten in-"
She cut him off, "Red, stop deflecting. Where did it come from?"
He smirked, "It's a she, and she just showed up at my door. How could I let her freeze to death?"
She closed the distance between them and sat down next to him. Her mouth twitched, "She is awfully cute."
"That she is." He didn't say anything more, and they sat in silence for a few moments as she watched him pet the kitten.
"So, what are you going to do with her?" She reached over and ran her fingers over the tiny head. The kitten opened her eyes momentarily, then closed them again.
He pursed his lips and looked at the kitten. "I'm not sure. I've never owned a kitten before. I think it would be fascinating."
Liz shook her head. "Red, you're gone all the time. I don't think you would be a very good pet owner."
He bit the inside of his cheek and nodded. "You're probably right, but I want to try. When I'm gone, I'll take her to this wonderful pet sitter that I used to run money through. She's marvelous with animals, and is such a charmer. In fact-"
Liz cut him off with her mouth over his, surprising him so much that it took him a few seconds to respond. She slanted her mouth and kissed him insistently, open-mouthed and hot until he responded in kind. She ran her hand up his chest, then began pulling at his tie as she moved her tongue in his mouth. The noises he was making in the back of his throat egged her on as she finally loosened his tie and pulled it over his head, only breaking their kiss momentarily. She moved to straddle him, completely forgetting about the furball on his chest. He seemed to forget too as he grabbed her outer thigh and pulled her towards him.
Just as she sat on his lap, and he cupped her ass, they both heard a tiny snarling sound, then a hiss. Liz pulled back abruptly and watched the kitten claw Red in the chest as it tried to gain momentum to jump off of him. As Red yelped in pain from the tiny razor-sharp claws, the kitten jumped down and ran under the couch.
Liz tried to hold her laughter in, but couldn't as she laughed out loud. He shook his head and pushed her off of him so he could inspect his new wounds. He unbuttoned his vest and shirt and saw eight tiny claw marks that were oozing blood. She reached over and pulled a Kleenex from her purse and handed it to him with an amused grin. "Don't say a word, Lizzie, and don't you dare ever tell anyone about this." He began dabbing his cuts with the Kleenex, only looking at her at the end of his warning with a raised eyebrow.
She held up her hands in mock surrender. "I wouldn't dare. Are you still going to keep her?"
He nodded, "Of course. I didn't give up on you when you stabbed me with a pen, now did I? I think I'll name her Lizzie."
AN: Ha..I can totally picture Red being a cat person. This was a lot of fun to write, and I hope you other writers take a stab at this prompt. I would love to hear what you guys think about this, I'm not too sure how it turned out. Thanks for reading. :)