"Johann! Johann! Save me!"
Johann was jolted awake from his nap by a blur of brown fur that ducked for cover under the bed. He blinked sleepily and stared at the two brown eyes peering out at him from the darkness.
"What?"
"He's coming to get me!" he whispered.
Johann groaned and rubbed at his face. "Who's-" His question answered itself when Ludwig came stomping up the stairs, calling for Gino.
"Verdammt, where did he go," the man grumbled, stepping into the room. He looked around, spotting a cat, but not the one he was looking for. Johann meowed loudly and pointed under the bed.
"Ah, thank you." He reached under until his hand touched fur and pulled a flailing Gino out.
"No~!" he whined. "Why? Why do you betray me, Johann? I thought you loved me!"
The larger tom rolled his eyes. "Sorry Gino, but you're a house cat now, and house cats have to get baths."
"No!" his cries disappeared down the hallway as Ludwig carried him off. Johann chuckled at the dramatics and got himself comfortable again.
It took about a month after the incident, but Gino had finally fully recovered and was back to his usual, bubbly self. He was prepared to go back to the streets once he had healed, but after spending so long with family and bonding with them, there was no chance of that happened. Not to mention Johann had practically begged the smaller male to stay there with him. Though if you asked him about this, he would insist that he had only proposed the idea, and there was no stuttering, or embarrassment, or cheesy romantic lines involved at all!
Gino was still adjusting to the change in life style. He wasn't entirely cooped up inside, as they went out from time to time to roam the neighborhood, often to visit the other cats at Heracles's house. But the indoors confused him, the fact that he no longer had to go out and look for food was mind boggling in itself. Still, the house pet life definitely had its perks.
Except for the baths. He was not a fan of the baths.
Johann was just happy to have someone he really cared about by his side. He had never been looking for love, but it had found him all the same, and he wouldn't change that for the world.
He craned an eye open as his mate took his place beside him in the cat bed, burying his face in Johann's neck. He smelled of shampoo and slightly damp fur.
"I hate baths," Gino complained.
"You'll get used to it." The smaller male muttered something along the lines of 'I don't wanna get used to it,' under his breath, but Johann couldn't be sure. Gino shifted himself so he could be closer to Johann. He laid his head down on the other's paws and Johann draped is own head over Gino's neck, his breath tickling at his ears. Their tails found one another and intertwined, as they did that one night under the stars. It all seemed so long ago now.
"Do you remember a while back when you asked me what kind of life I was looking for, and I said that I wouldn't know until I found it?"
Johann hummed in response. He could vaguely recall that conversation.
Gino sighed happily. "I've found it now." His breathing steadily slowed as he fell asleep. The warm bath water seemed to have that affect on him. Johann gave him a gentle lick.
"And I've found you."
A/N: Well that's it everyone, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed. I had a lot of fun writing this story, and I'm kinda sad it's over. (I may have to write more for this universe in the future XD)
