Cosima was not a cat person.
It was something that everyone who knew her was well aware of and something that Delphine had figured out quite early on in their relationship.
"They're terrifying," she had told her once when explaining herself, "And they're only eight pounds so they seem cute and cuddly but they're evil. They could kill you in your sleep in you're not careful. And did you know that cats eat your face when you die?"
Of course, Delphine had found this to be a bit extensive for hatred of an animal, especially one she herself had always found to be exceptionally cute.
"Oui, I did know that cats have a tendency to uh... Dispose of human remains, ma chérie, but you do know that cats are practically incapable of killing a human, right?"
"That's just what they want you to think! Have you ever seen a Maine coon cat? Those things are the size of people!" Cosima had known she was exaggerating, but she didn't want to back down, and she sure as hell wasn't going to.
Naturally, the French woman dropped the issues after that anyway, and it generally hadn't been hard to accept that her dreadlocked girlfriend disliked the furry creatures. Despite the fact that Delphine found them adorable, they weren't her favorite animal, and neither they nor anyone they knew owned one, so it was an easy enough thing to cope with.
Easy enough, that is, until the day when, pulling into the DYAD parking lot, Delphine came face to face with Scott cradling a bundle of fur in his arms.
"Delphine!" he called to her from across the parking lot and the blonde was quick to make her way to him, sensing tension and worry in his voice.
"Scott? What is it? Did something happen? Is it Cosima?" the blonde's thoughts instantly went to her brunette girlfriend who had already arrived at work earlier that morning, and her mind was immediately racing with all the possibilities that she could think of that could have happened to the brunette scientist.
"What? No, no Cosima is fine. Delphine, it's this little guy I found. Look!" Scott opened his arms to reveal the smallest kitten the taller woman had ever seen.
It was covered in caked-on dirt, but Delphine could still see a few patches that were clear enough to determine that the kitten had white fur. His eyes were a bright icy blue, and his mouth a clean pink. He mewed softly, only blinking his eyes open every so often, and rolled in Scott's arms as if trying to get comfortable. Delphine had never seen anything so small in her life.
"Where did you find it?" she asked, her eyes not leaving the bundle of fur and dirt.
"Just outside the building. I was walking inside and I saw him curled up under some leaves. The poor little guy was all alone, and I couldn't leave him there, so I picked him up and then I saw you pulling in. Do you think you can you help me clean him up and run some tests on him?" Scott questioned, obviously worried about the kitten.
"Of course, here I'll take him," Delphine wasn't sure if it was her desire to help Scott or her desire to actually hold a kitten for once in her life, but she wanted to regardless, and as Scott placed the kitten in her arms felt her heart swell as she cradled him to her chest.
"Come on little guy, lets get you all fixed up," she stroked him gently behind the ears and he purred lightly, though his shaking didn't cease and Delphine quickly led Scott inside.
When Cosima decided to make a surprise visit to her girlfriend in her lab, she expected to see the blonde doctor bent over the table, probably reading over some research or examining some new bacteria.
Cosima was ready for that.
She also expected to see Scott, and though she would give him a friendly hello, she would also be quick to make sure his presence was unnecessary and unwelcome, for she had "plans", as she would call them, for her and her lover.
Cosima was ready for that as well.
What the clone was not ready for, however, was to walk in and see said girlfriend and Scott leaning over a table and cooing over a baby demon.
"Bonjour!" she announced her presence as she entered the room with a smile, but her facial expression quickly changed to curiosity when she saw the state that Delphine and Scott were in. The blonde woman smiled and turned to face her girlfriend.
"Bonsoir, mon amor," she greeted Cosima with a light peck on the lips before walking back to the table.
"What's everybody looking at?" the shorter woman questioned as she followed her. When she saw the kitten lying in the middle of the table, she shrieked in surprise and jumped backwards, almost falling on the floor but managing to catch herself at the last moment.
"Delphine, why is that little monster in here?" she cried, backing away slowly and only taking her eyes off the kitten for a few brief moments to glare angrily at her lover.
"Awe come on Cosima, look at him! He's just a little thing!" Scott held up the newly cleaned off kitten up to her, and she scooted back more, keeping her hands up to keep it as far away from her as she could. "Look how cute he is!"
"I don't care how cute it is, it won't be cute for long! It'll grow up to have teeth and claws and it'll scratch you and kill you and you won't even see it coming!" Cosima hissed.
"Cosima, Chérie, I-"
"No don't you "Chérie" me! Get that thing out of here right now!" the clone demanded, not allowing the French woman to finish her sentence.
"Cos, we found him outside all alone, he was shivering! Can't we just take care of him?" Scott pleaded.
"Sure, in your own lab and as far away from me as possible."
Delphine sighed and nodded to Scott to leave and take the kitten with him, knowing that the dreadlocked American would not back down on her stance. He nodded back and picked the bundle up, carrying him off down the hallway.
"That's better," Cosima nodded in confirmation and Delphine rolled her eyes with a small chuckle as she sat down beside her lover on the couch.
"What is it with this hatred for cats mon amor? I mean, I'm not a fan of seafood, but you don't see me attempting to banish it from existence," the French woman giggled a bit and Cosima sighed.
"I just... I just don't like them okay?" Cosima turned away and Delphine frowned, running her hands over the brunette's shoulders.
"You don't have to talk about it, I'm just curious as to why you're brilliant little mind is scared of an eight pound creature, or in our case one who probably weighs about a pound and a half," the French woman explained, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman and pressing her lips against the back of her neck. Cosima sighed and leaned back into the touch.
"When I was little, I didn't have many friends. And my parents felt bad, so they adopted me a cat. It was really mean and I was terrified of it. It clawed me and hissed at people and one time it bit me and I thought I was going to get cat rabies and die. I hated it, and ever since then I've just had a thing about them," she admitted, her face flushed with embarrassment. Delphine couldn't help but start to laugh, a response to which Cosima spun around quickly.
"I'm sorry Chérie," she giggled. "It's just... You're adorable," as she continued she leaned down to peck her quickly on the lips. "I'm sorry," she apologized and the American sighed.
"No I just... I'm sorry I overreacted. I just never got close with cats. Every time I see one, I just feel all those scratches again," she explained.
"Well, this one is just a baby. He couldn't scratch you if he wanted to. You should meet him, he's really the sweetest little thing," Delphine stood and held out her hand in question. Cosima hesitated, but she slowly reached out and took it, and together they walked down the hallway to find Scott.
"Scott? Can we come in?" Delphine called through the door as she knocked. The door opened a few moments later and the man looked between the two of them curiously. Cosima nodded and he smiled, stepping aside to allow them inside. Delphine was quick to approach the small bundle of fur, now fully restored to his glowing white color. His eyes were more open now, and though he still looked small he seemed to be eating well from the bowl of crushed up food Scott had provided on the lab table he was on.
"Hello you," Delphine giggled as she knelt down and scratched the kitten behind the ear. "You're looking well."
"Yeah, he's doing a lot better now that he's all cleaned up and warm," Scott informed them proudly. Cosima hesitantly approached the table, and she stared at the bundle of white fur. He looked up at her and mewed softly, twitching his ear. The brunette seemed tense and looked as if she would jump back at any moment.
"You can pet him you know," Delphine's voice made he jump, and she took a moment to calm her nerves before turning her attention back to the kitten on the table. She reached her hand out carefully, but as the kitten turned to look at her she retracted slightly. It was only when he turned that she again gained enough confidence to touch the bundle of fur.
As Cosima's fingers trailed delicately over the kitten's back, he immediately began to purr and he leaned into the touch. Cosima froze, staring at the cat in fear, then looking to Delphine for confirmation. The blonde smiled and nodded, and the shorter woman resumed stroking the small bundle of fur. A small smile grew on her face and Delphine grinned. She gestured to Scott to get his attention then pointed at the door, and the two slowly exited the room, leaving Cosima alone with the kitten.
An hour later, when Delphine had finished her work for the day, she decided to check up on the kitten that Scott had found. When she entered the room, she was pleasantly surprised to find Cosima asleep on the couch, with a small bundle of fur sitting peacefully on her chest and pawing curiously at one of her dreadlocks. Scott stood nearby, his nose buried in his research, but he smiled when he saw the French woman.
"How did this happen?" she asked in amusement.
"Found them this way. I decided not to disturb her," he laughed and the blonde nodded in appreciation. She made her way over to her lover and grinned.
"Cosima? Mon amor, heure de se réveiller," she whispered, and she watched as the brunette slowly woke from slumber. Upon seeing Delphine's face she smiled and reached a hand out to cup her cheek. Unfortunately for the kitten on her chest, her arm brushed him aside and he tumbled down off her body to the couch below.
"Oh! Sorry Eskimo!" Cosima's words surprised both her girlfriend and the scientist standing off to the side.
"Eskimo?" Delphine looked at her lover in question, who blushed bright red.
"Well... I uh... Sorta named him," she admitted sheepishly. "I hope that's okay!" she added quickly. Delphine giggled and leaned down to kiss her.
"It's wonderful. Hello Eskimo," she couldn't keep from laughing at the name Cosima had picked and she stroked the ball of fur behind the ears. Eskimo purred and nestled into her touch, and Delphine's smile only grew.
Later that night, as Cosima slept with her arm's around Delphine's waist and the blonde's arms around her neck, she was disturbed by the feeling of small paws walking up the length of her body. When she blinked her eyes open, she was met with a pair of bright blue ones and a soft "meow". Smiling, she scooted over to allow Eskimo room to settle down between the two of them.
Even in her sleep, a soft smile grew on Delphine's face, and Cosima felt her heart surging with love for the both of them.
"Congratulations babe. I'm officially a cat person."