Tumblr Prompt: "i just found this kitten in the street!"
Stray Neighbor
Saturdays were Annie's best lazy days; no AM classes, no PM classes, no work after getting out of her AM class, and no random nightshifts awaiting her after a long PM class. It was just her, her living room couch, her T.V, and her best friend—AKA her cat Sapphire. The worlds most spoiled cat.
She intended on spending the rest of the Saturday with her ass glued to the couch, digging from a half empty bowl of pop-corn, and watching the Food Network— she liked the specials on desserts, particularly donuts—she wasn't even motivated enough to go to the gym, nor even for a jog around the neighborhood. Nope, not today. Today she was perfectly content with not doing anything whatsoever.
Until her German neighbor banged on her door like he was the goddamn Military Police; and she was just forced to get up from her relaxed position on the couch, dragging her feet across the carpet, and then swinging the front door open, fixing her neighbor with a glare that would turn even Medusa into stone.
On her oblivious neighbor, though, it only served to make him grin wider. Then she realized the reason for that goofy grin on his face; in his hands, he held up a dirty mass of gray fur— Annie squinted at it. Two beady little eyes stared at her curiously, Sapphire hissed from where she was curled against Annie's leg.
"Um—"
"I just found this kitten in the street!" He exclaimed, excitement just pouring off him in waves.
Annie blinked. "O-kay?"
And then he just stood there, with a stray kitten squirming in his hands, smiling down at her, like some weirdo.
"Um," Annie awkwardly shifted from one foot to another, feeling just the slightest bit of self-conscious, since she was still in her lazy day clothes—which consisted of a huge hoodie, and the shortest shorts she could find. It basically looked like she wasn't wearing anything underneath.
"Do you wanna'," She jabbed a thumb behind her, "Come in, or—"
"Sure!"
"Oh, okay." Annie moved to the side to allow her overly-happy neighbor in, street kitten and all. When she shut the door behind her, locking it, she realized what a big, fat mistake that was. Because now he was standing in her kitchen, with a stray kitten, looking at her with wide, emerald eyes, and, smiling.
She wrung her hands together, assessing him, the way Sapphire was assessing that kitten. His smile seemed to falter somewhat under her weighted stare, but didn't give away, Annie was almost disappointed. This wasn't the first time she had let her wild next door neighbor in; In fact, this was the third time. The first being a New Year's Eve party, the second being, two weeks ago, when he drunkenly knocked at her door at 3AM, picked her lock with a chewed toothpick, and then passed out on her living room floor. He probably didn't remember that though.
"So—"
"So!" He opened his mouth but then shut it, prompting her to continue.
"Do you want a drink? Or milk, I've got milk, you know, for…" Annie gestured to the dirty fluff ball that was struggling to escape his grasp, Sapphire must be intimidating the poor thing.
"Oh! Yeah, yes. Yeah, sure, Thank you!" He nodded five times, all the while trying to keep the kitten from falling onto the kitchen floor, the little thing was a fighter.
So, Annie proceeded to forget all about having the laziest day of her life; and served her weird neighbor's kitten a saucer of milk, placing it on the counter so Sapphire wouldn't attack it. They both sat on the squeaky stools of her kitchen, watching the kitten's whiskers get soaked in the milk, and then stepping into the milk, leaving paw-shaped milk tracks on counter. Sapphire meowed irritably from her half-full food bowl.
"So," Annie began, drumming her fingers on the counter top, her neighbor idly stroked the kittens fur as it fed. "Where'd you find him?"
"I think it's a her."
"Where'd you find her?"
"The street?"
Annie rolled her eyes, "Okay, what street?"
He shrugged, gently pulling the kittens ears, "She was roaming around some garbage outside, thought she was a rat at first, scared the hell out of me."
"And you…just decided…to bring her…to me." She tilted her head curiously. Annie wasn't angry, bothered, yes. But not angry. Just more confused than she had ever been in the three years she's been living in this apartment complex, with this odd young man as her next-door neighbor.
At this, he sheepishly ducked his head, folding his hands in his lap, the kitten started to purr. Sapphire meowed more insistently, and Annie told her to shut up.
"I just, uh—I thought," he scratched the back of his knuckles, avoiding her gaze, "I thought you'd like her."
There was some nagging feeling inside Annie's head that was telling her something was up—he was up to something, but she didn't know what. There was another feeling in her gut, fluttery and light, like she'd swallow a small bird, or maybe butterflies.
"You wanted to give me a kitten?"
"Not, ah—no, I mean," He looked so conflicted, "Yes. I did. I knew you had a cat so I—I just figured, you'd like another one?" His voice turned high-pitched at the end, bashfully, and if Annie didn't know any better, she'd say her neighbor was becoming awfully nervous around her now. How peculiar.
She leaned forward, elbows on the counter, the kitten now wandered around, pawing at the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm not really sure if I want to take care of another cat. Mines has already staked her claim on me anyways."
His face fell, "Oh."
There a pause from him, and then, "I—um, Can I ask you something?" He asked her.
"You already did."
"Can I ask you something else?"
She very nearly smiled, "Go ahead."
"Are you…seeing anybody?"
Annie blinked, icy blue eyes that were watching the kitten knead at her loose sweater sleeves, now focused on him, her brows scrunched together, confused. "Huh?"
He swallowed, once, twice, straightened the collar of his jacket. "J-just…curious."
From her food-bowl, Sapphire let out the whiniest meow she could muster. And Annie all but flew out of her seat, digging into the cabinets beneath the sink, and trying to fish out the bag of kitty kibble. Her neighbor watched her, and Annie hoped he didn't notice that she was taking her sweet time to feed Sapphire.
"Need help?" He offered.
"Nope. I've got it."
Eventually she found the bag, fed her cat, and now had to face her fidgeting neighbor. They both sat on the couch this time, Annie on one end, her neighbor on the other, practically hugging the arm cushion, the kitten curled into a ball on his lap. The couch wasn't very big, being that it was a loveseat.
"So." She began.
He cleared his throat, "Yeah."
"…The cat was just a ruse, huh?"
After choking on his spit, and coughing for about a minute, he managed to sputter out, "Y-you knew?!"
Annie smirked, sitting crossed legged on the couch, her sweater bunched up her pale thighs, and her neighbor's eyes instantly went to the newly exposed skin, before he snapped his head to look elsewhere, like her wall. Annie could see hot red tint his ears, his Adams apple bobbed and down, nervously.
She reached for the remote that was near his hand, he practically jumped off the couch with the kitten when she accidently brushed her fingers across his knuckles. "You practically gave it away, Jaeger."
"I just—I wasn't," He sighed, defeated. "I'm not weird for doing this right?"
"Oh, you're definitely weird." She raised the volume of the T.V, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "Maybe next time you wanna' hang out, try not to look for excuses, especially ones that involve picking strays up off the street."
