I've been dedicating the past two months to my "Game" challenge, which very VERY quickly went from a short stupid thing with no real plot beyond "lol crossover" to a huge mess with three ongoing plots that tangle up and start meeting with each other and how on EARTH did a Catscratch/Nintendo crossover thing become more complicated than "Strays"? Is it because I've matured as a writer and can't resist? Please help me out here. Point is, that one's been seriously draining – characterization for about 40 characters I've never written before (most will be cut beyond a namedrop, but STILL), three plots to juggle... it's an unholy mess, let me tell you.
So when I got a PM showing an interest in one of my short little one-shot challenges that doesn't need any backstory... oh thank GOD. I am now taking that as an excuse to mess around a bit more and churn out some more simple short fun. For those of you who liked the insane epic that was "Daniel" and "Strays" and want some more of that, well, you'll have to wait a bit longer. But if you were more of a "From Kittens To Cats" and/or "Sure Signs" fan, this one goes out to you.
...let's not talk about "You're A Mean One, Mr. Blik" or "Scrapbook".
Dedicated to Jussy
DADDY BLIK
Challenge: "Unsettling Revelations"
Timeline: After "Strays"
Required Reading: "Sure Signs"
Rating: PG
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
I will never like that damn alarm clock. I will NEVER.
My paw shot out and slammed forcefully down onto the power button on my bedside clock. I really don't know why I have the thing; it was Edna's and I just ended up taking it with me when I moved her bed into my room after her death. It's not like I needed it. Gordon's and Waffle's alarms are both set to the same time as mine, and one of them inevitably comes along to get me shortly after it goes off anyway. If only they didn't... why on Earth do I have to be up at eight in the morning?
Oh well. It's not like it's mattered recently. Katilda's been spending the past few nights here, and after the first time Waffle burst in here unannounced... let's just say I don't think he has any intention of doing THAT ever again.
"Good morning, sleepy head," I heard next to me and felt a finger poking the back of my head.
"D'no wasso great 'bout it..." I muttered half-asleep, burying my head under the pillow. All this did was prompt her to smack me with one of her own. Should have known that wouldn't have worked.
"All right, I'm up, I'll get up..." I said, pulling myself up. After rubbing my eyes and letting out a large yawn, I turned my head. Katilda sat there smiling at me, ever the morning person.
"You better be up. Don't go trying to go back to sleep, either, unless you want to get beaten with a pillow again," she scolded, getting out of the bed herself.
"Anyone else probably would have been thrown out of the house for talking to me that way," I told her. "Don't know what makes you so special."
"Because you love me, of course!" she said.
"And I'm not sure I'll ever figure that one out," I continued teasing.
"OK, how about the fact that your week probably would have been a lot less fun without me here?" she suggested as she took her ribbons off of the stand on her side of the bed and began tying her hair.
There was simply no response to that beyond a complete shift of the topic. "Well, as early as it is to be conscious, my need for food is outweighing my need to sleep until noon. What do you say we go downstairs and grab some breakfast?" I asked her.
"Sounds like a good idea," she answered, pulling the last ribbon tight. "You go on ahead, I'll be right down."
"Why won't you come down with me?" I jokingly pouted. "I'm not good enough?"
"I just have something to do," she said. I have no idea whether she noticed I was kidding or not.
"And now you're being secretive. C'mon, tell me!" I said.
She laughed. "Pee, all right? I have to pee. Is that enough information for you? I'm not hiding anything, I just need to use the toilet!"
"And thank you for telling me that right when I was thinking of having a nice glass of lemonade."
"Yeah right. Like I don't know you NEVER drink lemonade."
"I do for the sake of a joke."
"Well, it wasn't a funny one." Despite saying this, she was still laughing. "Can I go now?"
"Fine. I give you permission to use my bathroom."
Katilda lightly shoved me as she walked past. "As if you give me 'permission' to do anything..."
"Love you too!" I called as she left the room. My eyes rolled as soon as she left the room, but my happy expression didn't falter in the slightest. Any other relationship like this would probably be described as "dysfunctional"...
...and that's just assuming that we're NOT labeled as such.
My stomach churned as soon as I entered the kitchen. Gordon was standing at the stove, wearing his beloved chef's hat. I couldn't see just what he was working on, but somehow, I had a feeling that things were not going to go very well...
"GORDON, YOU HAMHOCK!" I shouted. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT COOKING FOR THE HOUSE?"
"To not use any of my own recipes," he responded simply, moving the pan a little and whistling.
"I don't even trust you to pour my cereal! GET AWAY FROM THE STOVE!" I snapped.
"Oh, but Mr. Blik, I'm just scrambling eggs!" he protested.
"Oh really?" I asked. "And what kind of egg, huh? Goose? Duck? Turkey? Hamster?"
"They're chicken eggs! It's the carton you bought yesterday!" he insisted. "I promise, Blik, if you don't like this I'll never set foot in the kitchen again."
"Deal," I said, sitting at my seat and already wondering what kinds of cereal we had. Still, if this worked out, it had its advantages; Gordon did love cooking, so he'd complain less about not being able to do that, and if he made all our meals instead of Hovis then maybe I could dock some of his pay...
"I don't think hamsters lay eggs, Blik," Waffle informed me, snapping me out of my inner debate on whether Frosted Flakes or or Trix sounded more appetizing and whether we had any of either kind left.
"Thank you, Sir Obvious," I deadpanned, glaring at him. He was already sitting at his own seat, fiddling with his silverware and muttering under his breath for some reason. I've learned over the years that if it's not immediately obvious what the hell Waffle is up to, then I'm better off not knowing.
"So, how did you sleep, Mr. Blik?" Gordon asked as he brought over a plate of toast. I didn't bother asking about that; if he managed to get the bread out without turning it to charcoal or costing us yet another toaster and it STILL tasted like crap, then he was just utterly hopeless. Instead, I focused on his question.
"As if you don't know," I answered simply, tapping my fork against my plate.
"Aye, you're right, I'm pretty sure I DO know," Gordon answered, shaking his head. "And the night before, and the night before THAT..."
"Shut up," I told him. Oddly enough, he listened.
"Where's Katilda? Still in bed?" he asked instead, digging in the fridge for something.
"She's busy." Once again my answer was terse. Early morning was not the time to be having an extended conversation.
"With what?" he asked, pulling out a tub of butter and bringing over to the table.
"Stuff. What is this, 20 Questions? Just go make my egg!"
"Patience, brother, patience! Eggs, toast... what else..." he muttered to himself, rubbing his chin in thought. A few seconds later, he suddenly perked up. I almost expected to see a light bulb above his head. "That's it! Bacon!"
"What kind?" I asked. "Goat? Sheep? Hamster?"
"It's pork!" Gordon snapped. I think he was finally starting to get fed up with me. It took him long enough; anyone who can go much longer than that dealing with a sleep-and-food-deprived me is way too patient and should probably be placed under scientific observation.
Speaking of which, maybe someone should have a look at Katilda...
"Do they make hamster bacon?" Waffle asked. From anyone else that probably would have been sarcastic, but with Waffle you never really can tell, can you?
"Hell if I know. Go back to playing with your spoon, Waffle."
He nodded and went back to sliding the handle of the spoon between the tines of his fork and muttering.
"Good morning, guys!" Katilda yelled down the stairs, sounding even more chipper than usual. I probably would have shouted a crack about her having a really fun bathroom break if I didn't expect Gordon to start ranting about how that's a disgusting thing to discuss over breakfast.
"Morning, lassie!" Gordon called, waving as she entered the kitchen. "You like eggs?"
"As long as they're from an animal I've heard of," she responded as she took her seat. "How long until breakfast is done? I have something to tell you guys."
"What is it?" Waffle asked, paying a lot less attention to his little project with the dining ware.
"I'll wait until Gordon's done. He should hear this too," Katilda said.
"And I am done," Gordon said, holding a plate of bacon in one paw and a plate with a giant scrambled egg in the other. He brought both plates over to the table, set them down, and took his own seat.
"Finally, breakfast!" I said, cutting off a little piece of the egg and sampling it. "Congrats, Gordo. It's edible."
"Why thank you, Mr. Blik," Gordon said in all sincerity, likely recognizing that that's the closest thing to a compliment that he's ever going to get out of me.
"Where's Hovis? Is he around?" Katilda asked, taking a slice of toast and buttering it.
"I haven't seen him," Gordon replied.
"It's a big house. He's probably cleaning something. Who cares? Do you need him here to tell us whatever, Katilda?" I asked her, hoping for a no.
"Nah, don't think he'll care much," she said. Good. "Anyway, I-"
"ROOT BEER!" Waffle interrupted, hopping out of his chair. "We need root beer!" Katilda fell silent as he dove into the fridge and dug out four bottles of root beer. I happily took one from him.
"What, no lemonade?" Katilda asked as I took my drink.
"I beg pardon?" Gordon asked, one eyebrow raised.
"Nothing," I said, blushing. I took a large swig of soda so that I had an excuse to not talk about it any further.
"And ketchup!" Waffle said after placing his own bottle at his place on the table.
"Stop stalling!" I snapped at him.
"It can wait... it can wait," Katilda assured him. Likely preferring Katilda's answer over my own, he nodded and started looking for ketchup.
"No, it can't," I said.
"Do you even have any idea what I'm talking about?" Katilda asked me.
"No, which is why it can't wait. Waffle, hurry UP!"
"Got it!" he said, pulling a red bottle out of the fridge. He happily skipped back over to the table and began dumping the condiment all over his eggs.
"All right, so we're all sitting again..." Katilda said. "What I wanted to say is-"
"My breakfast is happy!" Waffle piped in again, turning his plate around. He had cut his egg into two circles and added dollops of ketchup for eyes. There was also a triangular piece of toast for a nose, and his bacon was arranged to form a smile.
"No one CARES," I told him. "Now let Katilda finish."
"That's cute!" Katilda said, ignoring me. Once again, he preferred what Katilda had to say to him. He turned the plate again and smiled back at his breakfast, seeming unwilling to actually eat it.
"Can we just move on?" I asked. "Gordon, Waffle, I don't want to hear another sound out of you until Katilda's finished!"
"Aye, not a sound," Gordon agreed, grabbing the ketchup for himself.
"And that WAS a sound, Gordo. Not. One. WORD," I stressed to both of them, and glared for good measure. "Now, Katilda, if you would...?"
"All right. The big news is... Gordon, Waffle... you two are going to be uncles soon."
Gordon began to choke on whatever he had in his mouth at the time.
"Really? Splee!" was Waffle's only reaction before once again admiring his 'masterpiece'.
This is when he was seriously starting to get on my nerves even more than usual. "Is 'splee' all you have to say?! Don't you get it?!" I yelled at him again. "Didn't it penetrate your thick skull? YOU'RE GOING TO BE AN... uncle...?" The full reality of it struck me in the middle of my rant.
"Does... that mean... Katilda, if they're... then you're... and I'm..."
All she did was nod.
Her nodding is the last thing I remember before I collapsed out of my chair and fainted.
"Shouldn't you be more excited about this, lad?"
"Excited? EXCITED? Are you kidding?! I can't DO this!"
I didn't wake up again for a few hours; when I finally did come to, I was lying on the living room couch and it was about two in the afternoon, according to the clock. As shocking as Katilda's news was, I refuse to believe that I was out cold due to it for six hours. More likely it was me hitting my head against either the chair or the floor. Perhaps both. Whatever the reason, in those six hours, Katilda got me off the floor and left when it was apparent that I wasn't waking up, Gordon kept an eye on me to see when I'd regain consciousness, and Waffle... who knows where Waffle got off to. I'm just assuming that he finally ate breakfast and managed whatever he was trying to do with that spoon. Wherever he was, he wasn't in the same room, meaning that Gordon saw it as a prime opportunity to start scolding me. Waking up to him scowling in my face really isn't very pleasant.
"She tells you such wonderful news, and what do you do about it?!" Gordon yelled.
"Oh, because obviously I fainted and possibly suffered a serious head injury by my own free will," I said coldly, sitting up and rubbing my head. It still hurt a little. I definitely hit SOMETHING on the way down.
"But what's to faint about?" he asked.
"What's to faint about?! Gordon, my mate is PREGNANT! Do I look like father material to you?!" I snapped, my anger swiftly being pushed aside by sheer panic.
"Now I'm sure it'll all work out..." Gordon started to assure me, lowering his voice. Guess he realized the true reasoning behind my lack of enthusiasm.
"And what if it doesn't?" I asked, throwing myself against the back of the couch. "What if it doesn't work out? I don't WANT to be a dad!" I held my head in my paws. "I can't do this..."
"Do you not want to, or are you afraid to?" he continued to press.
"Can we not play psychologist right now?" I snapped, not lifting my head.
"I'm just saying it's an important distinction..." Gordon clarified. I felt weight on the couch next to me; he must have sat down himself.
"I should have been more careful..." I said into my paws. "And NOW look! What am I going to do?!"
"Well, you could be a grown cat about it and be a father to the coming kittens," Gordon suggested. And once again, I can never tell whether my brothers are being sarcastic with me or not. My brain only processed his vague tone at first; it then hit upon something else rather worrisome. I went completely rigid at the thought.
"Kittens? More than one? You think there's going to be more than one?" I asked, one eye twitching a little.
"Well, typically..." Gordon started, but didn't finish, likely due to my impending breakdown. "But maybe not, it could be one, relax, Blik! Relax!" he hurried out. Fat load of good that did.
"One's bad enough! More than one... you're right... I CAN'T DO THIS!" I shouted yet again, shoving my face back into my paws. "I'm going back to bed. Then I'm gonna wake up and find out this was all some sort of nightmare."
"You can't possibly be this cold about it, can you?" Gordon asked. "Do you seriously not care?"
I sat in silence. Not this again... it was hard enough admitting that maybe having an equal partner wasn't so bad, rather than the whole idea of being pampered by a girl that had itself settled in my mind for the longest time. But KITTENS... did I really...?
"Maybe..." I muttered, finally lowering my paws. "Maybe I... where's Katilda?" I asked. "Do you know where she went when she left?"
"She didn't say. Probably home," Gordon told me.
"I need to talk to her about this. I'm going over there," I said, pushing myself off the couch.
"And if she's not there?"
"I'll have to wait until she is, that's all." And with that, I headed out.
It was all so simple in my head. All I really had to do was go up to the door, knock on it, wait for Katilda to come out, go inside, and talk to her. Not much, really.
Of course, I ended up getting stuck at the "knock on the door" part. I had been standing on her front step for about ten minutes, and I still hadn't managed it. I finally raised my fist about five minutes in, but it had yet to make contact with the door.
"I give up," I told myself, dropping down and leaning against the house. "This isn't going to work... what am I going to tell her, anyway?"
The truth usually works.
"Oh, for the love of crap... you again..." I grumbled, slamming my head against the wall. "What do you want now?"
Oh, nothing, really, said the voice. Perhaps said isn't the proper term, but how else can I mention that I was once again talking to myself? Once I get to that point, word choice should be the least of my worries.
"No, seriously," I asked, for some reason speaking out loud. "Why are you bothering me again? Wasn't that whole mess last winter enough for you?"
How about a thank you for that, huh? If not for me your little lady friend would have ended up taking a bus out of town. Or frozen to death on the streets or something. Never can tell.
"Don't say that," I hissed through my teeth. "Don't you DARE suggest Katilda getting hurt AGAIN."
Well, come on, it's true, isn't it? If not for me, you would have remained a stubborn prick until it was far too late. Why do you let your pride get in the way of all this stuff? It gets annoying.
"If it annoys you so much then shut up and stay out of it," I commanded, crossing my arms and sliding down against the wall.
I think you're forgetting that to a certain extent, I'm you and you're me, so in other words, when your swollen ego gets in the way of what you want... well, of course I'm going to be pretty pissed off.
"And what, exactly, am I stopping myself from getting?" I asked. "Nothing I can think of. Leave me alone."
What about a family?
I stopped talking at that point. I hate when things change... oh, I'll never fall in love! Along comes Human Kimberly. Oh, sure, that bombed spectacularly, and if it didn't, Gordon might have buried me in a ditch somewhere if he didn't just off himself, but still. So then I decide, well then, OK, I'll fall in love, but it'll be someone who worships the ground I walk on, pampers me, treats me like a king, just like Kimberly was doing before...
...dear Lord, let's not think about that...
Anyway, that's what I had envisioned. Then Katilda dropped into my life, quite literally. A brash girl who didn't take anything from anyone, strong-willed with a commanding nature... and like an idiot I fell hard.
'Like an idiot...' The exact thinking I had to talk you out of regarding her...
"I'm trying to think about things. Do you mind?" I snapped at him... or it... or me... or... I don't understand this at all.
But anyway, he-it-me-voicething was right about that. But I did finally snap out of it, she was mine now... but this is how it's going to stay! We're not going to get married or have kids or anything...
So much for that. Well, it wasn't exactly in my plans, so obviously I should want nothing to do with it, right? After all, it never crossed my mind before.
But on the other hand...
"Maybe this could be interesting..." I muttered under my breath, not believing that those words were actually coming out of my mouth.
So you admit it, to an extent. Good boy. Now tell Katilda that.
"I've had enough of you, you condescending-"
"Why are you yelling at my house?"
I snapped out of my little tirade at the sound of a REAL voice that actually came from someone else. What a relief. Katilda was standing next to me, holding a plastic bag. She stared as if she wasn't quite sure what to make of my behavior. Don't blame her, really.
"Yeah. Your house. That's what I was yelling at. Yeah..." I said, standing up.
"As much as I doubt that, OK. I don't want to know, do I?" she asked me.
"No," I said, shaking my head. "No, you don't."
"Glad to see you finally got up," Katilda said, thankfully changing the subject. "You feeling all right? What are you doing here?"
"I'm fine, just wanted to talk to you about something," I answered.
"How long have you been sitting out here? I'm surprised that you didn't go back home when you found out I wasn't here."
"Figured I'd wait," I explained with a shrug, not admitting that I was too cowardly to even find out if she was home or not. "Where were you?"
"I was out getting some stuff for the kittens," she said happily, holding up the bag. "I got some toys, books, all sorts of stuff, not everything we'll need, of course, just some cheaper stuff, though you and your brothers have things left over from when you were kittens, right? We can use that." She grinned widely and pulled me into a hug. "It's so exciting, isn't it, Blik? I never thought of myself as a mother, but now... aren't you excited, too?"
So many things I could have said... I could have said no, that I didn't want this to happen. I could have mentioned I was terrified of all this because it was so unexpected. I could have walked out of this then and there, sure that I wouldn't have been able to do this whole father thing, and left it at that...
"I'm excited too, Katilda," I told her, hugging her back. "Two months, right?"
"Two months," she confirmed. The embrace then stopped. "I should go in and unpack this stuff. You want to come see what I got?"
"Sure!" I told her, a bit more enthusiastic than I would ever admit to anyone who wasn't her.
That sure was a quick change of heart. Did you seriously mean all that?
"No," I said under my breath. "No, I didn't, I'm still terrified... but I have two months to adjust, right? Can't give up YET."
"Did you say something, Blik?" Katilda asked, turning her head as she unlocked the door.
"No. Here, let me get that bag for you..."
Now, if you don't mind, I'm fast forwarding a bit here. What on Earth did you expect? A play by play on every little thing that happened baby-wise since then? It's really and seriously boring, let me assure you. Being dragged by the arm through every department store in Bakersfield to look at bibs and strollers and other nonsense that's more suited to a human child than a kitten isn't exactly a trip to the local amusement park. Katilda was certainly enjoying herself, though. Must be a girl thing. Whatever the case, I have no reason at all to write much about that. Day one, get up early, get dragged all the way across town to some store, spend loads of cash on useless junk. Day two, get up early, get dragged all the way across town to some store, spend loads of cash on useless junk. And so on and so forth until eternity. I do wonder if Katilda would have been like this if she didn't know I had billions to burn... and I also wonder what was going through my head that I actually let her do it.
It's just what people in love do.
Then people in love are idiots.
Well, if you're going to be an idiot, you may as well be a happy one.
Got that right. I'm probably the happiest idiot alive...
...I did NOT just write that...
Never mind.
TWO MONTHS LATER...
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
WHY have I NOT thrown that thing out a window yet?! I slammed my paw down onto the power button as usual and pushed myself.
"I'm getting up, Katilda, I'm getting up..." I grumbled. "No need to smack me awake or anything... ...Katilda?"
I looked over at her place in the bed. Her spot was empty. I must have been in such a deep sleep that I didn't even notice she had gotten out of the bed, although the ribbons still remained on the table.
"Katilda?" I called. "Where'd you go?" Not sure what I expected to accomplish with that, since really, she could have been anywhere in the house, but it was worth a shot. I did end up getting an answer, but it wasn't from Katilda. A high-pitched but male scream was making its way down the hallway. Once it got right outside my bedroom, the door swung open. Waffle stood there panting.
"MR. BLIK!" he yelled as soon as he got his breath back. "MR. BLIK! KATILDA! IN THE LIVING ROOM! SOMETHING! COME ON!" he rattled off quickly, then made his way off as soon as he had appeared.
"What the hell...?" I asked myself, hopping out of bed and going downstairs to see what the fuss was. "Waffle, what are you yelling ab-"
I got my answer as soon as I set foot into the living room. Katilda was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, nursing three kittens.
Oh my God. Three?
"Hi, Blik!" she said, waving. "Come look!" Waffle and Gordon were sitting on the couch behind her.
I stood motionless for a few seconds.
Three.
"Blik? You OK?" Waffle asked.
"Laddie, you don't look so well..."
I once again crumpled to the floor.
The next thing I heard was a small mewing sound.
"...what?" I muttered as I sat up, clutching my head. I was still in the middle of the floor, in the same exact spot I fell. "Why didn't anyone pick me up?!" I snapped.
"You were only down there for a few seconds," Gordon answered. "By the way... why don't you open your eyes?"
I did so and saw a little yellow kitten sitting in front of me. Her eyes were bright blue, and her ears were longer than an average cat's... not unlike mine, actually. She smiled back at me, her tail wagging. She turned back to Katilda and mewed, positively overjoyed about something.
"Good morning again, new daddy," Katilda told me, smirking. The kitten started to nuzzle my face and purr.
Well. This was awkward.
"Hello, little... um..."
"I didn't name them yet," Katilda said. "Wanted to wait for you."
"We talked about names before, though..." I said.
"Yeah, and decided on two, a girl's name and a boy's name. But we've got two girls here..."
"You didn't tell me you guys decided on names!" Waffle said. He folded his arms and pouted. "You guys don't tell me anything."
"May as well give the lad his name, first of all. Where is he?" Gordon asked. Katilda stood up and sat on the couch so that my brothers could see the kittens. It was obvious which of the two with Katilda was my son rather than daughter; I was willing to bet it wasn't the one with hair down to her feet. He was a very small black kitten with yellow eyes; very similar to me, except for the fact that his ears were a more reasonable length.
"I know who HE takes after..." Gordon said, snickering. "Small, just like his father..."
I silenced him with a glare; the usual routine.
"So what name did you guys pick for him?" Waffle asked.
"Katilda got the idea to name him after our dad, as tradition... even though we NEVER saw him, EVER..."
"But I liked the name anyway," Katilda finished for me. "So, this is little Danny," she said, placing her paw on his head.
"Daniel," I corrected. "The name was Daniel."
"And we'll end up calling him Danny anyway," Katilda said calmly. "So he's little Danny. End of discussion. So, your turn. What's the name you picked?"
"I kinda like the name Marie," I said, looking over at the other kitten with Katilda. She'd inherited both my black fur and Katilda's brown hair, although my daughter's was a lot longer. Her eyes were the same bright blue as her sister's. "She looks like a Marie."
"That's fine. Can I call her Mer?" Katilda asked, grinning wickedly.
"You're just trying to get on my nerves again, aren't you?"
"When am I not?"
"What's her name?" Waffle asked, pointing to the yellow kitten in my lap, seemingly oblivious to my mock-argument with Katilda.
"We have a Daniel already... how about Audrey?" Katilda suggested.
I shook my head. "No. One's a tribute, but two's just uncreative. And besides, I want at least ONE of them to have a name without a shortening... then we can agree on something."
Katilda thought for a few seconds, presumably running through her mental list of names. "How about Beth? Can't shorten that."
"It's a nickname anyway!" I protested.
"But who would hear that her name's Beth and just assume Bethany or Elizabeth or whathaveyou? I can see what you mean with Marie and Danny; OK, sorry, DANIEL; but..."
"Why do I have a feeling you won't back down?" I asked Katilda.
"Probably because I won't," she said. "So, what do you say? Is her name Beth?"
I looked down at my nameless daughter. She had gone behind me and was attempting to use my tail as a toy.
Beth...
Well, hey, why not? It works.
"All right. Beth, Marie, and Daniel," I confirmed, pointing to each kitten as I said the name.
"DANNY," Katilda corrected, pulling the two closer kittens closer. Beth quickly grew bored with her game and ran over to her mother. "You know..." Katilda started, but didn't finish.
"What do I know?" I asked.
"Well..." she said. "I really don't think that a kitten's parents should live in different houses... what do you think, Blik?"
"Katilda's gonna move in with us?!" Waffle exclaimed. "SPLEE!"
"It took THIS to get you to move in here?" I asked Katilda.
"You never asked before," Katilda said. "I'm guessing it's a yes?"
"It's a yes," I replied, nodding rapidly. I got up and sat down next to Katilda.
"This should be a whole new adventure for us, huh, Blik?" she asked, pecking me on the cheek.
"Sure will, Katilda. Sure will." I told her, smiling.
It was mostly to keep the peace. I'm STILL not completely sure about this... but what could possibly go wrong?
Famous last words... well, only one way to find out...
Maybe I'm not sure whether this is what I want or not, but there's no way I'm trading it in for anything.
And for once, that nagging little voice has nothing to say to me. I think it simply agrees.