Cecil had wanted so badly to go with Khoshekh to the animal hospital, to be there for him the whole time, but unfortunately duty called. The show wasn't over yet. His cat may need him, but his listeners were waiting, and he was nothing if not professional.
The minute the show was over, he hurried out to his car and booked it over to the hospital as quickly as he could. Khoshekh was in one of many cages when he got there, sitting between a parrot with glowing green eyes and something that vaguely resembled a pine-cone with several, spider-like eyes. Cecil hardly spared him a glance. All he could see was Khoshekh, his poor, poor Khoshekh. The cat was awake, but barely so. He blinked slowly, staring at Cecil dull, groggy eyes. He didn't even seem to have the strength to lift his head. Bandages were wrapped around his side and limbs, leaving hardly any of his fur peeking out. Somehow, seeing him covered in bandages, lying on the blanket in his cage instead of hovering four feet off the ground, made him seem so much smaller.
Cecil could feel a lump forming in his throat. He crouched down by the cage, voice cracking slightly as he said, Khoshekh lifted his head slightly at the sound of Cecil's voice, wobbling slightly. The cat let out a weak purr. It was barely audible, nothing like the demonic, shrieking cry he usually gave. It tore at Cecil's heart to hear it.
He reached two fingers through the thin metal bars of the cage, wiggling them slightly. The cat slowly lifted his head, sniffing at Cecil's fingers with a dry, cold nose. The barely audible purring continued as he rubbed his cheek weakly against Cecil's fingers. Cecil began scratching the cat very gently on the cheek, afraid to hurt him further. Khoshekh seemed so fragile in front of him. Something warm burned in the back of Cecil's eyes. He never thought he'd see Khoshekh anywhere other than floating four feet above the ground in the men's restroom. Everything about this was wrong, and he didn't have a clue how to fix it.
he said quietly, his voice catching at the end. This was his fault. If he hadn't led that... thing into the bathroom, then Khoshekh wouldn't have gotten hurt. He should've realized, he should've... He didn't know. All he knew was that Khoshekh nearly died, and it was all his fault. Tears were falling freely now, but he hardly noticed. He just stayed crouched by Khoshekh's cage, gently stroking the cat with two fingers through the bars of the cage.
Cecil wasn't sure how long he'd been crouching there. His legs were growing stiff from staying in that position so longer, and his fingers were starting to go numb. He had no thoughts of moving until he heard that voice behind him.
He started, turning around in surprise. The scientist was standing in the frame of the door, dressed in a professional-looking lab coat that had a couple of stains on it. It looked like he'd come to the hospital straight from work. Cecil started to stand, but Khoshekh let out a plaintive mew when he started to move his hand away, so he just stayed awkwardly crouching, one hand on the cage. He used the other to hastily wipe the tears from his face.
Carlos was leaning against the door frame with his shoulder, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his labcoat. His hair was slightly mussed, and one sleeve was pushed up to the elbow, probably for some experiment or other, but he still looked absolutely perfect. the scientist explained softly. His voice was different from the oaky, caramel tones that he'd had when Cecil had first met him, but this voice was just as beautiful to Cecil as the last.
was all Cecil could manage in response. He couldn't think of anything else to say.
Carlos peered past Cecil, into the cage. he asked abruptly, his tone deliberately lighter.
Cecil nodded, trying to keep his voice composed.
The scientist crossed the room, crouching beside Cecil. Khoshekh glanced at him, eyes narrowing, head wobbling uncertainly. He didn't seem to know whether to trust this new man. Carlos's expression was soft with sympathy, his voice gentle as he said, His gaze darted over the cat's injuries, expression growing graver. Cecil didn't want to know what his scientific mind was calculating about Khoshekh's chances.
He cleared his throat, loudly. Anything to break the silence. The radio host reached for his boyfriend's hand, guiding it to the cage. They both reached their fingers through the bars. he encouraged. Khoshekh watched them for a moment, eyes narrowed, before reaching out delicately with his muzzle, nose sniffing cautiously. He flinched slightly when his nose touched Carlos's fingers, but after a moment of deliberation, he seemed to decide that Carlos was alright. The cat rubbed his cheek against the new man's fingers, purring weakly.
The lump in Cecil's throat hardened. This wasn't how Carlos's first meeting with Khoshekh was supposed to go. This wasn't how anything was supposed to go. His poor Khoshekh.
Carlos's gaze slid from Khoshekh to the side, growing soft with sympathy as he noticed Cecil's expression. he said quietly. Without warning, he reached out with one arm and wrapped it around Cecil's shoulders, pulling him into a tight hug. Cecil stiffened a bit in surprise. Carlos wasn't one for public displays of affection, more out of his own shyness than anything. After a few moments of surprise, he melted into his boyfriend's embrace, one hand with fingers still curled around the bars of the cage, the other wrapped around Carlos's back, clutching at a handful of labcoat as he sobbed into Carlos's shoulder. The scientist made soothing humming noises as he held Cecil, his hand gently rubbing Cecil's back. The radio host knew how pathetic he must look right now, but he couldn't really bring himself to care. The fear and grief he'd held in while he was wrapping up the show all spilled out now, leaving him a sobbing, trembling mess. He'd almost lost his Khoshekh today. Somehow, it felt like there was more loss ahead. Things had changed in Night Vale, and Khoshekh getting hurt was just the tip of the iceburg. Everything felt uncertain. For a moment, he let himself just cry and feel that fear and uncertainty, and grief for the cat in front of him.
After a few minutes, his sobs began to subside, and the hard lump in his throat began to soften. But he didn't pull back from Carlos's embrace. Instead he just rested there, his cheek resting against Carlos's shoulder. he said quietly. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed Carlos there until he'd showed up. Over the last year, Carlos had become his other half. They depended on each other. Just seeing him here, being in his arms, made him feel less lost and helpless.
Carlos said quietly, almost too soft for Cecil to hear. But he did. And it made him smile to hear it. Somehow, just hearing a little thing like that made it seem like things were going to be okay. Together, they could get through this. Carlos's hand reached for the one Cecil had resting on the cage, his warm, calloused fingers curling around Cecil's. The gesture felt strong. It felt defiant in the face of whatever might come next. Cecil had a feeling he would need that strength, for himself, and for Khoshekh. Khoshekh purred again, and this time it was a little louder, sounding more like a soul screaming in torment than the weak sound it had been moments before. It sounded like hope for things to get better.
Please don't judge me for this. It's 2 AM, I wrote this pretty quickly and late at night, so... yeah.
After the last episode, I just had to write this. Poor Khoshekh! I was nearly crying after that episode. Cecil just sounded so scared for his cat. He'd been described as the station cat before, but now there's really no doubt that he's Cecil's cat. It was both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
By the way, for those who read my story "The Soldier Who Stayed," hi, sorry about not updating, but I recently discovered Night Vale and it's kinda distracted me and swallowed up all my time. Sorry about that. I'll try to update soon.