Not Yet
Until Further Notice/Until Forever oneshot
Guest wrote: I love all your Klaine stories! If you are taking prompts I would love a oneshot where Jes gets sick and our boys are so concerned about them missing an important meeting to take him to the vet. BUT A HAPPY ENDING PLEASE.
12 and a half is old for a cat. They know that. 15 is the average feline life expectancy and with Jester only being 2 and half years away from that they know that they're still lucky to have him fit and well.
Fit and well up to this moment, that is.
Kurt was the first one to hear Jester cry through the night—he'd woken up to pained sounds and mewls that are rather strange for their usual happy little cat to normally make—and had leaped out of bed and flew down the stairs. He'd spent the rest of the night half asleep on the couch with Jester tucked up to his side, wriggling and whining.
Blaine had found them like that in the early hours of the morning and after coaxing Kurt to go back to bed for a few hours, he tried to give Jes some fresh food and water—just some dry kibble and a few tuna flakes that wouldn't disturb his little stomach.
Unfortunately, his little platinum bowls sat full and untouched as Jes sniffed and upturned his nose at them before slowly padding away to find somewhere comfortable to stretch out.
Later that morning, Kurt stands at the kitchen window while Blaine washes up after breakfast. He frowns and worries his bottom lip between his teeth while watching their little gray fluff-ball carefully wander around the lawn as if each step he takes hurts him.
It's October and the English breeze is picking up outside and jostling the bushes and trees, sending the leaves flying. Normally, Jes would be leaping around trying to catch those leaves or running and diving into the bushes to hunt out the field mice which have found their way through the gates from the barn.
But not today. Today, Jester just sits looking around, blinking slowly as if everything bothers him. Not even Thatcher, his younger, buoyant canine brother has tried to play with him this morning— as if he knows that something's not quite right.
Kurt lets out a long, deep sigh as Blaine steps up behind him and wraps his arms tight around his waist with his chin resting on Kurt's shoulder. "Poor, Jester" he whispers before pressing a light kiss to Kurt's neck.
"Yeah" Kurt breathes and swallows hard. "I've never seen him like this. Has he ever been sick as a kitten, you know before we met?"
Blaine shakes his head slowly and Kurt feels his morning stubble scratch against his jaw. "No. I think—" Blaine pauses, hesitant to continue, "I guess, he's just a little… old now, Kurt." Kurt hums dejectedly." Maybe we should take him for a check up to the vet?" Kurt gulps down another painful swallow and blinks back a sudden stinging wetness from behind his eyes.
It feels like taking their newborn baby for booster jabs. They haven't had Jester to the vet since they first moved to England and they signed him up for his necessary injections and whatnots—and he hadn't been very impressed then. Fear and guilt swims uncomfortably in Kurt's belly.
As much as Jester was Blaine's cat in the very beginning, he's very much now theirs. And Kurt likes to think that he has taken the more key role in Jester's upbringing ever since Blaine brought him into his home.
There's nothing visually or physically wrong with Jester. His eyes are bright and clear, his nose is still a little moist and he still swishes his tail around dominantly. He isn't limping and his ears and mouth are clear of infection—Kurt had checked thoroughly while Blaine gently pinned a very angry, mewling Jester down on the couch.
But he's not himself. It's not like him to not eat or wake up through the night—Jester loves his food and sleep just as much and Kurt and Blaine do. It's not like him to make his presence known in such an odd and noisy way, either.
Kurt thinks about the day ahead of them. As they're both now semi-retired they have a lot more free time and leeway to be able to swap plans around—however they had both planned to fly back to New York tomorrow for a weekend event. Something that can't be rearranged and something that neither of them can or really wants to miss. But the thought of leaving Jes at home with the housekeeper in his poorly state, fills Kurt with dread.
What if something happens while they're gone? What if something happens before they leave?
"Honey, I can hear you worrying" Blaine says quietly into Kurt's ear. "Don't over think this." He spins Kurt around in his arms and kisses his forehead. "I'll call the vets office now, he may be able to make an emergency home visit… and if he advises us for whatever reason not to go to New York then we won't. That's why we have such a fantastic team working for us over there, so that we can be here and not worry and stress about these things." Kurt offers a weak smile and nods. He's still so thankful and happy to have Blaine as his partner in many different aspects of his life, even after all these years.
They can take Jester to New York with them; they've done it before, and Thatcher. But flying with a poorly pet is probably not the best idea. Their housekeeper is wonderful and loves animals—especially the ones that live in and around Kurt and Blaine's stately farm—but still, the thought doesn't settle well with Kurt. A parent wouldn't leave their sick child to fly across the ocean, so why would they?
Blaine leaves him with one last kiss before pulling away to go in search of the phone to make the call to the vet. Kurt slowly turns back around and glances back out of the window in search of his sickly fur baby.
Jester is now stretched out on his belly in the middle of the grass, his neck is extended and his head is dipped low. He's breathing shallowly while he blinks sleepily.
"Not yet" Kurt thinks "please. Just wait a while."
It may have been already well over a decade since Blaine and Jes first came into his life, but it still feels like just yesterday. Kurt's not ready to let go of those fond memories to sadness, not yet.
A little "yip" behind him has Kurt jumping and spinning around in shock to find Thatcher sitting at his heels, panting heavily with wide, oblivious eyes.
"Thatch," Kurt breathes with a hand over his heart and kneels down to pet at the dog's head. "I didn't hear you, you frightened me." Kurt's fingers move down to Thatcher's throat where a royal blue, leather collar is fastened—a collar which normally has a tiny, shiny bell attached to it. The bell has proven handy for these types of specific moments in the past, where they can hear him before they see him and know when and what to expect.
"Where'd your bell go—" Kurt stops and straightens. An awful high-pitched hiss followed by weak coughing comes through the cracked open kitchen window. Kurt turns and heads for the door in a frantic hurry, with Thatcher barking in question behind him.
Outside, he finds Jester with his front paws dug deep into the grass below his claws. His entire body is bent and arched like a bridge. His ears, tail and whiskers are standing up on end and his mouth is open wide with his little pink tongue poking out.
A few more dry heaves and Kurt covers his eyes at the sound of Jester throwing up all over the grass. He leans down to grab Thatcher's collar—there's no way that he needs to get involved with that. Thank god, the mess is nowhere near Blaine's Rose bushes.
When the sounds have ebbed, Kurt peaks through his fingers to find Jester walking away from his mess at rapid speed and is just disappearing through the kitchen door with his tail swinging happily behind him when Blaine comes outside.
"What's- oh. Ew!" Blaine wrinkles his nose in disgust before his eyes focus and widen. "Hey- is that Thatcher's bell from his collar?" Kurt laughs despite the whole situation and nods.
"I guess so." At that moment, Jester reappears from inside and circles around Kurt's legs. Kurt looks down to find Jes peaking up at him, purring with cute, little mewls. "Oh, I know that sound." It's more familiar—it's Jesters 'I'm finished my dinner, refill my bowl now, please' noise.
Relief washes over Kurt as he looks over at Blaine.
"I guess I'll call the vet back, then." Blaine says, grinning while fishing his phone out of his pocket. "And maybe go and start packing for tomorrow?" Just then Jester bounds away from them and leaps into the rose bed at the bottom of the garden. Thatcher is hot on his heels, all tongue and giant paws. "Oh my god, get out of my roses, you two. Damn animals." Blaine yells while storming over towards the crime scene rather comically.
Kurt smiles wider. No, it's definitely not time. Not yet. They still have their adorable, mischievous fur baby for some time yet.
A/N- Thank you to the guest who prompted this. It really cheered me up to revisit these guys :)