"Eh? A pet?" Natsu repeated, his eyes squinted in confusion at the sudden conversation," How come?"
"Cuz the therapist told me to, that's why!" Gajeel snapped, turning back to his weights. He regretted asking Natsu about the local shelters as the man continued to pester him with questions.
"Nah, there's gotta be another reason," Natsu insisted, leaning up against the gym wall.
"There's not," Gajeel grunted, beginning his set, looking forward. His eyes met Natsu's in the mirror and he was quick to look away. Even though he was an idiot, Natsu could tell when someone was lying pretty quickly and Gajeel wasn't in the mood to deal with him.
"The Gajeel I know doesn't do what someone tells him to do just because," Natsu continued, feeling quite pleased with himself. It wasn't often that he got a chance to mess with Gajeel.
"Well, ya clearly don't know me well enough, Flame Brain," Gajeel barked, . Immediately, Natsu's eyes lit up.
"What did you call me?" Natsu asked, his fists clenching at his sides.
"Ya, heard me," Gajeel smirked, flashing his sharp teeth, drawing out his next words slowly as he taunted the man," Flame Brain."
"Oh you are so on!" Natsu yelled, running at Gajeel. But one precise blow to the head left Natsu out cold.
"Finally," Gajeel thought to himself as he stepped over the unconscious man," Some peace."
Natsu was right though. He had other reasons for getting a pet.
"If you get a pet, Levy is likely to come over and visit it a lot," Dr. Meredy had whispered to him, causing him to think. Imagining Levy at his house, snuggling on his couch with him and whatever thing he chose. The mere image was enough to convince him.
He had gone online earlier that week, searching up the different pets he could get. But each one seemed to be flawed.
A fish?
Gajeel had scoffed when he saw that one. It wasn't a real pet. He couldn't do anything with it. Too boring.
A dog?
"Too much work," Gajeel muttered, remembering the one time Lucy had brought her own dog, Plue, to work. The thing had barked at everything and even peed on the gym towels.
A hamster?
Something that small would be crushed in minutes. Not something he'd want to tell Levy.
There were the more exotic pets, like a snake or tarantula. Gajeel thought having a snake would be cool, but it defeated the purpose of the pet. Well, his purpose, not the therapists. There was no way in hell Levy would cuddle a snake or anything like that.
However, one creature did appeal to him.
A cat.
Sly, independent and streetwise.
It reminded him of himself a little.
After deciding on the pet, he'd remembered Natsu mentioning how he'd gotten his cat from some local shelter and he'd decided to ask him about it. Now he just had to let Levy know.
…
Gajeel knew Levy was currently in her dance class so he waited outside the room for her to finish up. It wasn't long until the door opened and he was greeted by a panting, red faced Levy.
"Gajeel!" she smiled weakly, reaching out to give him a hug before pulling away. Gajeel frowned and grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace.
"Stop!" she laughed," I'm all gross and sweaty right now!"
"I work in a gym, Levy," Gajeel chuckled, refusing to let her go," Besides, we need to talk."
Levy finally found the strength, though god knows where after that workout, to wriggle away from him.
"Fine," she laughed, before gesturing to the changing rooms," Just let me go get changed and stuff."
…
After Levy came back, they went to the bar to grab some smoothies. As they began drinking, Gajeel broke the news to Levy.
"A cat!" Levy squealed, jumping up and down," Oh, Gajeel, that's so cool!"
"I need to get some stuff though," Gajeel said," I was wondering…"
"You need some help?" Levy smiled and Gajeel felt his heart beat just a little quicker. God, she was perfect. Even now, he'd still lie awake at night, wondering how he got to be so fucking lucky. He only hoped it wasn't a dream.
"Yeah."
"I know a little shop," Levy said, grabbing her gym bag," How about we head there today and then we can go to the shelter on the weekend?"
"Sure," Gajeel shrugged, trying to remain cool as he followed her out to his car.
…
Inside the pet shop, Levy gently guided him around each aisle, helping him select the best items. He was a little unsure about what to do, but Levy seemed confident.
"No, that's pumped up with chemicals," Levy gently chided him, taking the can of wet food from his hands and placing it back on the shelves," This one is much better."
"How often do I need to feed it?" Gajeel asked.
"Around 4 times a day," Levy replied, grabbing two very small bowls.
"Is that big enough?" Gajeel frowned.
"Kittens should eat small portions," Levy explained, before turning to him," Now do you have any toys for it?"
"Toys?" Gajeel repeated, looking a little lost. Jesus, how much did a cat need?
"Just a few," Levy smiled," Maybe we can get those another day. We'll also need a litter box and litter."
Soon they arrived at the final section.
Collars and leashes.
Of course, only a collar applied in this situation.
"What color?" Levy asked him as she looked at all of them. There were dozens of colors and patterns from little bow ties to metal links.
"Black's cool," Gajeel shrugged. Levy then spotted the perfect collar.
It was black leather with orange stitching and a little buckle so that it could be adjusted.
Gajeel nodded and they quickly went to the register where Gajeel tried not to appear flustered when he was told how much he'd be paying.
Heading back out to the car, Gajeel couldn't help but ask.
"How come you know about all this stuff?" Gajeel asked Levy whose step faltered slightly before she turned to him.
"I used to have a cat actually," Levy smiled softly. However, Gajeel wanted to kick himself.
Used to
He didn't want Levy to get upset about memories of a dead cat. He couldn't handle her tears. Even the idea of Levy's doe like eyes filling up as her lips trembled was enough to make his heart feel like it was being turned inside out.
"I actually have his old cat tower in my closet," Levy continued quietly, before looking at her boyfriend shyly," I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, but maybe you could put it to good use?"
Gajeel simply shrugged and grabbed her hand, his calloused thumb rubbing her smooth palm. Levy's face went a little pink at the sudden contact, but she understood what he was silently saying.
…
Later that week, Gajeel went to pick Levy up from her house. He also managed to get the cat tower in the back. Soon they were both ready.
"So where are we going?" Levy asked.
"Cait shelter," Gajeel said, quickly putting the directions into his phone. It was a little remote, but Natsu said that the place was really good. Besides, he'd decided it was better to adopt a cat, rather than getting some fancy purebred or whatever. Easier on his wallet too.
A while later, they pulled up at the shelter. Gajeel was reminded of the lack of funding Natsu had mentioned as he took in the run down building. Despite the chipped sign and slightly dirty exterior, it was clear that the volunteers there did the best with what they could.
"Come on, Shrimp," Gajeel said as they entered. Immediately he could hear the whines and barks of animals in the back. The lobby was small with a few posters giving advice about neutering and vaccinations.
"Let's see if anyone's here," Levy suggested, going towards the desk. Behind it sat a young girl with dark blue hair who was frantically typing at the old computer.
"Wendy?!" Levy gasped, causing the girl to look up at her in surprise. Wendy seemed shocked but quickly recovered.
"Levy! Gajeel!" she beamed, quickly standing to greet them," What are you guys doing here?"
"I thought it would be obvious," Gajeel remarked," I'm looking for a pet."
"I thought you worked at the clinic and gym," Levy said, remembering their first meeting.
"I actually volunteer here," Wendy smiled, gesturing to an image of an elderly native american man standing with an younger woman with white hair," This was my grampa's shelter originally and when he passed away, he placed it in the care of my mum, Grandeeny. I help out as much as I can."
"That's so sweet," Levy murmured, noticing the similarities between the woman in the photo and Wendy. Now that the young girl had mentioned it, the two of them were strikingly similar.
"Now then," the young girl said to Gajeel," What kind of pet are you looking for?"
"You got any cats?" he asked, looking around.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Wendy cheered," We actually have kittens right now, wanna see?"
"Yes!" Levy squealed, jumping up and down. This was perfect. She knew that Gajeel had wanted a kitten, which they had planned for, but Levy remembered how difficult it was to get one. Baby animals were always the most popular in shelters.
"They're in this room," Wendy said, gesturing to a small door. Upon opening it, Levy was greeted by another surprise. Sitting with a baby bottle in his hands was Mest, surrounded by three kittens. In his lap was a small, shockingly green colored kitten, suckingly greedily at the bottle of formula. Next to him was another kitten, a rusty colored one who was currently in the process of tearing his shoelaces to shreds. Finally a tiny white kitten was curled up on his other side, making small mewls as she dreamed.
"They're so cute!" Levy gushed, her hands unconsciously reaching out to stroke their fur. It felt like silk.
"Surprised to see you here," Gajeel muttered as he took in the scene. Seriously, how many people did he know here? It was a small shitty world after all.
"Well, Wendy mentioned the place a while ago and I decided to help out," Mest grinned," Since then, I've been coming on a regular basis to help out."
"Mest is really great with the animals," Wendy smiled, clasping her hands together behind her back," He's like some kind of cat whisperer!"
"So do you have any specific requests?" Mest asked, blushing from the girl's compliment.
"I'd prefer a guy cat to be honest."
"Phew!" Wendy chuckled, before scooping up the white kitten," That's a relief! I'm gonna adopt this sweet girl here."
"So that just leaves the other three," Mest nodded. Levy suddenly became confused, rubbing her eyes as she wondered if she needed her eyes tested again.
"Don't you mean two?" she asked, pointing at the kittens. Mest quickly looked around him.
"One… two…" he muttered," ah, the other one must be around here somewhere…"
As if to answer his question, the ratty blanket in the corner of the room began to move. Before anyone could say anything, Gajeel walked over and pulled back the blanket, to reveal a small black kitten.
The kitten was licking its paws, with no regard to the sudden giant before him. Gajeel was quick to notice it's rather distinctive feature however.
"What's up with it's eye?" Gajeel asked, picking up the kitten. It's left eye was completely shut over, a scar running through it.
"We found these kittens in an alleyway," Mest sighed," We think the mum was a stray who abandoned them and apparently, this little guy took it upon himself to protect the rest."
"What do you mean?" Levy asked, her voice filled with concern. She hated sad animal stories but she wanted to know.
"When I arrived, I heard squeals and yowls. I think the group got attacked by a stray tom and the little one was trying to fight him off."
"That's so sad," Levy murmured.
Gajeel said nothing, continuing to stare at the kitten. The kitten was also staring back, it's on eye possessing an almost authoritative look.
"We'll give you both a little while alone with them," Wendy said, grabbing Mest and dragging him out of the room. The room was quiet, with only the sounds of the other kittens playing with each other.
Levy looked between her boyfriend and the small ebony creature in his hands, seeing the similarities between the two. Both bore scars from darker pasts. A past filled with abandonment, loneliness and fighting to survive.
"He's really cute," Levy smiled, bending down next to Gajeel. She rubbed the kitten's ear with her thumb, causing it to purr in delight," So, what do you think? Is he the one?"
Gajeel was quiet for a few moments before grabbing the kitten and his girlfriend. He quickly went to the front desk, where their friends stood, breath's held.
Gajeel fished a twenty out of his pocket and placed it on the counter.
"I'll take him."
…
Of course, it wasn't as simple as that. They needed to fill out quite a bit of paperwork and had to agree to a visit from either Wendy and Mest to make sure everything was going well. Luckily, the kitten had been neutered and was up to date with its vaccinations thanks to its time in the shelter. Soon enough, they were walking back with a cat carrier in hand. Levy decided to hold the carrier in her hands as they drove to Gajeel's house. She couldn't help but notice that Gajeel was driving a little more slowly than usual. It was adorable, but she decided not to comment on it, knowing that she'd only embarrass him.
They soon pulled up to his house. As Gajeel went to grab the tower from the back, Levy took the kitten in, placing the carrier on the living room floor. She unzipped it and waited.
"Where is he?" Gajeel asked as he lugged the tower into the living room.
"He's still in there," Levy murmured, not wanting to startle the poor thing.
"Should we get him out?" Gajeel asked, dropping down next to her, his hands reaching for the carrier.
"Wait," Levy exclaimed, grabbing his hands," You might scare him. It's best to let him come out on his own."
"Alright," Gajeel muttered, his eyes glued on their entangled fingers. Levy also took notice but didn't pull away.
"I think it's really amazing that you chose to get a cat," Levy mumbled softly, her eyes down. But suddenly, she felt Gajeel remove one of his hands, only to place it on her cheek, forcing her to look into his eyes.
"We chose to get a cat," Gajeel replied, stroking her cheek with his thumb, gently.
"W-we?" Levy stuttered, blushing.
"Sure," Gajeel smirked," I don't know what the heck I'm doing. I'm gonna need your help looking after our kitten."
"Our kitten," Levy repeated, warmly, gently squeezing his hand. Gajeel smiled and squeezed back before feeling a warm paw on his leg.
Wait…
Paw?
"Meow!"
Gajeel and Levy looked down to see the tiny black kitten standing up on it's back legs, it's paws resting on Gajeel and Levy's intertwined hands.
"Welcome home, little guy!"