"Alfred, is that what I think it is."
Alfred was holding a sopping wet, rather unhappy-looking cat. A thunderstorm was rolling in and it was raining fairly heavily, so he was wet as well.
"Well I guess that depends on what you think it is, Arthur." Alfred's voice and eyes were filled with all the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. Arthur sighed and motioned the pair into his home and out of the rain, closing the door behind them. When he had come to open the door, he'd expected his boyfriend, Alfred. The cat, however...
"Where did it come from?" Of all the questions he could've asked, Arthur was able to form that one the quickest.
"I think it's a he. I found the little guy on my way over here; he was hiding from the rain in a box on the side of the road. I couldn't just leave him there..."
Arthur took a closer look at the cat. It was completely white, save for two Orange spots on its head and backside and its tail. There were also a few black markings above its eyes that looked remarkably like eyebrows. It was a fairly small and scrappy cat, although it probably looked smaller because its fur was plastered to its sides from the rain. Arthur supposed that, when dry, the cat could be pretty cute. He reached out and gave it a pat on the head. The cat simply looked at him with a somewhat annoyed expression.
"What are you going to do with it?" Was Arthur's next question.
"Him, Arthur. Him. I, uh..." Alfred scratched his cheek and looked down and the animal huddled in his arms. It seemed to shiver a bit, as if it were cold. (Though it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it were true.) "I was thinking of keeping him," Alfred said quietly, not making eye contact with Arthur. He looked like a child ready for a scolding.
"That's ridiculous. What do you know about taking care of a cat? Or any other living creature, for that matter." Arthur crossed his arms and looked at him, an eyebrow raised skeptically.
"Come on, it can't be that hard! Besides, what else can I do with him? He already loves me!" he defended, looking fondly at the tomcat he held. Arthur rolled his eyes, but nodded. He knew that once Alfred had decided upon something, changing his mind was not an easy task.
Abruptly, he turned on his heel and moved into his living room, knowing that Alfred would follow. He sat on his couch and gestured to the seat next to him. Alfred sat and loosened his grip on the cat.
Both Alfred and the cat had dried considerably since moving indoors, and the cat looked much fluffier than it had before. Its ears still lay flat on its head. Arthur watched as Alfred ran his hand over its back a few times, petting gently. The cat must have approved of this, as it started purring loudly, although it kept the same unpleasant expression on its face.
"Are you going to name it, then?"
"Of course I am! I just need to think of the perfect name for him." Alfred mumbled, gazing down at it. "I kinda want to name him after you..."
"What? That's just silly, don't-"
"No, seriously!" Alfred cried, interrupting Arthur. "He reminds me of you... I mean, just look at the way he seems all annoyed and grouchy! And the eyebrows? Definitely like yours. So what's a name that fits you, wrapped up in fur with whiskers and a tail?" He ignored Arthur's sputtering about his eyebrows comment and returned to thinking hard about what to name his new cat.
"I got it!"
Arthur stopped mid-sentence and looked at him expectantly, preparing himself for the worst.
"...And?"
"Crumpet."
"...Crumpet," Arthur repeated, brows furrowed in confusion. He was amazed at the seriousness in his voice. "Why?"
"Because you're so... British! Sorry, sorry, English. Either way, it totally fits him, doesn't it?" To emphasize his point, Alfred lifted the cat and wiggled him around in front of Arthur's face. Rolling his eyes again but smiling the tiniest bit, Arthur held up a hand to stop him.
"...I suppose." Alfred beamed.
"Yeah! This is great! We'll be a family; you, me, and Crumpet. I can imagine it now!" He hoisted the poor cat up again and let out a whoop of excitement. Letting out a soft chuckle, Arthur lightly lifted the cat out of Alfred's arms and rested him against his chest, causing Alfred to look at him confusedly. Arthur looked at him, a faint dusting of red covering his cheeks.
"I think this family thing could definitely work out," he said softly, leaning over to give Alfred a quick kiss.
AN: I absolutely adore Nekotalia, so it didn't take much convincing from myself to write this, which is always a good thing. I tried pretty hard with this one, so hopefully it turns out as well as I'm hoping.
There is a sequel coming for this one (can't forget Americat!), and I should have it up in a day or two.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed yourself! And remember, reviews are always appreciated!