Lion Keeper DM x JD
2009- HU Lion Keeper AU-
I'm sitting in the playroom with one of the cubs lying across my legs. I have been working here at Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens as a big cat keeper for a few years now but I am the youngest in the team. I love being able to play with the cubs here. I only get to do this with the cubs because they get abandoned by their mum at some point. The cub I was playing with was abandoned not long after he was born. "Why am I surprised you're in here?" Chris asks when he walks into the playroom. I love the animals that we look after here and it was always my dream besides being a musician to be a big cat keeper. I did attempt to be a musician and it didn't quite work out the way I was expecting it too and I found out that it was too stressful and I had to throw in the towel.
"I love spending time with the cubs," I reply. The little cub on my lap rolls over and then stretches while he stays fast asleep. It was adorable because he was terrified of us when he first opened his eyes and now he recognizes who is who and he goes to whom he trusts. "There is a guy on the keeper for a day program so enjoy the last few minutes of peace," he tells me. Part of the keeper for a day is about an half an hour where they come to the playroom and meet the cubs. They will always come to see the baby animals that we have here. It is one of the things which appeals to people when they want to be a keeper. They love the little cubs because they look so cute. Well, all cubs are cute until they grow up to be big cuties that can rip you to shreds.
I think it was ten minutes after Chris had left Amy walked in. The guy behind her who is being keeper for the day was a lot different then I was expecting. He has a lot of tattoos and he was one of those people who have gauges and plugs in his ears. "Here is Danny; he is the youngest in our big cat team. The cubs love him just as much as we do as you can see," she tells him. I smile at the guy and he smiles back at me. Kiro, the cub on my lap rolled over again so he is back in the position he was in before. "Hey Danny, I'm Jorel," the new guy says. I know he is only working for the day but I hoped he would stick around or meet up later. He looks kind of hot and I knew we would get along straight away. Well, I hope he would get along with me. He seems like he would be a really nice guy and a good friend.
"Hey Jorel, what made you think about being a keeper for a day?" I ask him. He is really different to other guys we have had here and it is not a bad thing or not because of the tattoos or gauges he was. I also feel like I have seen him somewhere before. Maybe he has been on the television before or he is famous, they often do this to show how nice they could be and how willing they are to do other jobs. "I want to see what other careers are out there in case my band fails and I want to try something else," Jorel replies. That had made me really interested, this guy seems to be doing quite well financially and he was even prepared if the eventuality comes that it doesn't really work. I did want to know what band he is in and if I have ever seen him perform live in concert.
"That's fair enough, which band are you in?" I ask him. It could have been a stupid question but I really wanted to know, if he was in a band that I hadn't heard of before then I could check them out later on in the day and see what I think. "I'm in the band Hollywood Undead," he replies and that name instantly clicks with me. "That's cool, I've seen you perform live a few times," I reply and he smiles at me, I doubt he recognizes me though. I usually ask why people want to do this. It helps me know what to tell them about zoo life. We rarely get adults doing this anymore, it is usually children that get to do it as a birthday present or because of Make a Wish foundation that we see do the program which is fun. I also love doing it with children, especially Make a Wish children. It can be magical when we make a very sick child's day and make them happy.
"Right then, I'll leave you in the capable hands of Danny and I'll be back in half an hour," Amy tells us and leaves us to our own devices. Jorel decides to have a look around the playroom while I was petting Krio. He wanted to see what cubs we have here before he looked at me. "This is the room that we call the playroom. This is where we help rear any cubs who have been abandoned by their mothers until they are old enough to rejoin their kind." I tell him. We have a lion, two tigers, a leopard and an ocelot cub in here at the moment, all at different stages of life and development. None of them are old enough to be with their kind just yet and even if they were then they weren't ready just yet. We might have to wait another month for the tigers to be ready.
We do have a couple of other species of big cat here and more cubs like lions, tigers, leopards and ocelots but they are managing to raise their cubs' just fine. "So who is on your lap?" he asks me as he comes to sit down next to me. "This is Kiro, he is three months old and I found him when he was about an hour old and his mother didn't even want to clean him." I answer. Kiro decided that he wanted to wake up and then he stood up on his hind legs to lick my face. I was his favorite keeper and that was clear to everyone because I was the one who found him. Jorel has a small sad smile on his face as he pet Kiro for the first time. It is always sad when a mother abandons her cub or cubs but we are so lucky to be able to take care of them.
Kiro decided he liked Jorel too and he started liking him once he was done sniffing him. "I am surprised at how friendly he is to you and me," Jorel says. Kiro came back to me after he was done getting to know Jorel. "They are being raised here by humans for now until they are old enough to go back so they'll be a bit friendly," I tell him. Kiro climbs onto my shoulder and stayed there because he loves that spot. He isn't so keen on the ocelot so he usually hides when they get too close to each other. "So he sees you as some sort of a father figure then," Jorel says when he sees how close we are to each other. "Yeah, I did hand rear him for a little while." I reply. Kiro nuzzled me and gave me another lick because he wanted to.
The rest of the half an hour was spent playing with the cubs while we were getting to know each other. He is a great guy and just as he had to leave when Amy came to get him to take him somewhere else, he left something in the back pocket of my cargo pants. Jorel also gives me a wink as he leaves with Amy. I was left to sink to the ground in a blushing mess. Sure he was a bit flirty when he was talking to me but that doesn't mean anything right? That doesn't mean he likes me or does it? I am so confused by all of this. I wanted to know what his intentions are but he wasn't going to let me know what he was planning to do. I'll have to find on what's in that note and see where I go from there with him. I was alone in a blushing mess for about five minutes.
Chris came in and grinned when he saw me on the floor in the blushing mess. "That guy got you blushing real hard didn't he?" he asks, knowing I am not that into chicks anymore. I now kinda swing both ways, let's just say my last relationship didn't end well. "Yeah, I don't think it will come to anything though," I answer. I've not checked my pocket and I don't want to just yet. I'm tired of people trying to get into a relationship with me and then dumping me when they feel like it and they are tired of me. I have had my heart broken too many times and I don't think I can cope with it being broken again. It would kill me this time and I won't come back from it being broken this time. It took Chris so long to help me recover from the last time.
I decide to clear my head by going to see Simba, my one-year old cub that I also hand reared. He has a very strong bond with me even though he is fully integrated to his pride now. He is also named after my nickname; all the big cat keepers call me Simba. They do it because of my love of lions which got me the job. It doesn't help that his dad is Mufasa either and Simba is obviously their first born. It was way too tempting to have a pride of lions and to not name them after the lion king characters would be horrible. I went into his sleeping area in the den and he came running in from outside towards me. He is always happy to see me when I visit. It makes my day just a little bit brighter no matter what day I am having in the first place.
It feels really relaxing to rub his fur and to get my hands lost in the mane he was growing. His purring was also therapeutic and helping to relax me and calm me down. It was like he knew I was coming and I needed this. I stayed with him for about twenty minutes before I went back to the staff room. Chris was there and so was Amy. Jorel was nowhere to be seen, but I know he is probably with another keeper somewhere. I stand on a stool with Simba written on it to get a glass out of the cupboard. It's a gift from the keepers to take the mick out of how I can't reach that cupboard because of how short I am. It didn't really faze me anymore I had become so used to it by now since I have been working here for long enough that I didn't really care. It was quite helpful for me to reach the cupboard.
"Dude, you have got a note in your pocket," Amy tells when I get down from the stool. I take it out of my back pocket, remembering Jorel had put it there but I didn't see him write the note or anything while we together. I just stared at it until Chris told me to open it. Both Chris and Amy want to know what it says. It has Jorel's name written neatly on the top. Then there was his phone number. It also has this message: "Hey, you're pretty cute! So, call me maybe?" So he did like me then I guess. Well, I might not be the only person he has given this note to. I'm still nervous about it all though, he might like me now but I know how easily this can change. Sometimes feelings can change like the flip of a switch and he can go from liking me to hating me.
"That keeper for the day, Jorel Decker has given me his phone number," I tell them and Amy looked at me with pure jealousy. I can understand why she feels this way, he's a very hot guy and all the ladies would want him in their pants. Chris grinned, but I knew he wants me to be careful with Jorel. "So Simba might have found his Nala?" Chris asks, teasing me. I sit down and hide my face as I started blushing again and Chris can't pinch my cheeks like he wants to so badly. He enjoys teasing me whenever he gets the opportunity and whenever possible. He knows that I don't like it but he loves my reactions to his teasing. He gets such a kick out of it at my expense, but I always forgive him in the end and he never makes me angry for too long.
I might be able to give Jorel a chance. "I don't know what if he is like everyone else? They always end up leaving me eventually," I tell Chris. It makes me think back to the time I was married, yeah I was married once. She was a very beautiful woman and we loved each other so much. It all ended way too soon when she died in a car crash when she was eight months pregnant with my child; I was going to have a little girl. They both died instantly in the crash. "I don't know, this guy seems to be different. He seems less likely to leave you," Chris tells me. He puts his hand on my shoulder to reassure me and comfort me. I am now struggling with the memories which are trying to resurface. Memories which I thought I had buried a while ago.
Amy hugs me from one side and Chris hugs me from the other side. "Just breathe Danny, I know it is really hard right now and you're hurting, but we know you'll be just fine," Chris says. I was crying so hard out of nowhere as I was remembering my wife who is gone now. It took about five or ten minutes for me to calm down. The memories of my wife are so painful now she is gone. I'll get over her completely eventually and move on with my life. I look at the note that Jorel had left in my back pocket. Maybe I should text him at least, see what is going to happen. There is no harm in just talking to him, he is a nice guy and I feel like we could be friends. My feelings of us getting along were right but I wasn't too sure on romantic relationships yet.
Me: Hey Jorel, it's me Danny from the Big Cat section at the zoo. I found your note in my pocket and I thought I might as well text you.
Jorel: Oh hey Danny. I was hoping you would text me at some point. I think playing with you and the cubs was the best part of the experience so far, it was so much fun. I was thinking we should get to know each other more.
Me: Yeah sure, what do you want to know about me?
Jorel: Stuff like, age, hobbies, interests, where you live
Me: Okay so I am 23 years old, my birthday is November 21st. I am a keen artist and musician. I used to be in the band Lorene Drive and I am interested in being a musician again at some point but being a lion keeper has always been a dream of mine. What about you?
Jorel: I am 25 years old and my birthday is May 1st. I am a keen musician too as you know. I think I saw you perform at one point too. I was looking at being a big cat keeper like you because I have a cat called Tiger and I am interested in animals.
Me: Nice, I guess we can't really remember seeing each other until now. I finish work at five so I can text more then. My break is over now, back to work.
Jorel: Okay, talk to you later
Me: Talk to you later.
Chris was grinning when I looked up from my phone after he told me it was time to go back to work and to stop texting. It was lunchtime for Amy and Chris and they decided it was my lunch time too. They both know that I had talked to Jorel. "This still might not come to anything," I tell them. Yes, I talked to Jorel but that doesn't mean we're definitely going to date any time soon. "Might not come to anything, you never know what might happen," Chris tells me. It's still our lunch break so Chris was lying to me about break being over. That means we have five hours left of our work day. I wasn't feeling hungry today so I didn't bring a packed lunch with me. Amy wasn't too fond of my eating habits at the moment when I am stressed.
"Danny, don't you want to eat anything?" Amy asks me as she gets her lunch out of the fridge in the staff room. "I am fine, I will eat later," I tell her. Chris sends a packet of potato chips my way without me protesting. He gave me the look which reads: You'll eat now. I reluctantly start eating the chips before they force me into doing it. I went to feed the cubs after that because they need their lunch too. Kiro ran over to me as soon as he knows I was the one who opened the door. "Hey Kiro, hey buddy," I tell the little lion cub as I put the food down for all the cubs to eat. They are all stating to eat meat now but cubs as young as Kiro still need milk as well and he will get that later. For now he can eat meat with the other cubs.
Kiro really wanted to snuggle up to me after he had eaten his lunch. I sit down and let Kiro climb onto my lap like he loves to do. Kiro started a little purr when I tickled him and rubbed his belly. The purring started almost straight away when I touched his fur. It was very therapeutic, one of the many benefits I had of being a big cat keeper. I feel less stressed when I am at work than when I am in certain situations at home or outside going to the shops. I love it when I get to take the cubs' home with me because it is like bringing the therapy home. I won't get to take a cub home for a while; all these cubs need to learn how to be a big cat. That is a vital skill for them to learn at this stage in their development, if they are to survive in the wild or in the pride they need to try and learn to hunt all though that is their mother's job mainly.
I think I might stay in here a bit longer. I want to make sure that they can all eat and learn a little bit about what was to come when they learn how to hunt. I also couldn't resist the opportunity to play with the cubs again. I am a little rough with them and I actively encourage them to play with each other as well so that they can learn how to be lions, tigers, leopards and ocelots. This will be helpful got when they go back to their prides and they play with other cubs like them. They need to be as little like humans as possible for when they go back. That's always a risk when you hand rear any animals. They should be as wild as possible in case we can ever release them to the wild where their kind originally comes from.
Jorel came back to the cubs after I had been playing with them for an hour. "These are too cute to ignore," Jorel says when he plays with the ocelot cub and I think he hinted at me with the cute comment. Kiro is still a bit afraid of the ocelot. I watch as Kiro runs off my lap as Megan started to chase him around the playroom. He was terrified of her; she is a little bit faster than he is because she's older and more used to being on her feet. "Kiro, you'll never get a girlfriend if you keep running away," I tell the three month old. Jorel laughed at my comment and it made me smile and chuckle. The other keepers told him he could do what he wanted for a little while. That's why he came to spend more time with me and the little cubs.
Despite the cubs being a good selling point for the zoo keeper job role, no one usually comes back to me when he or she gets free time. They tend to go and eat or do something else during this free time that they have. Then again I know Jorel is quite interested in me so he would want to spend more time with me and the cubs were a bonus for him I guess. Kiro came running over to hide behind me and crawled up my back and onto my shoulder. I tickled his chin when I saw his little face appear next to mine. "Hey little buddy," I tell him. He might be another Simba to me. That wouldn't really matter to me in the slightest because I love them. Jorel seemed to have a bit of fun with little Megan, she was letting him tickle and rub her belly.
All good times have to end at some point. Another keeper came to get Jorel from the playroom to take him to the next activity he has to do. He gave me a little pout when he had to leave again but he can see me again soon I am sure of it. We will also probably text each other later on today. If we weren't friends at the end of the first visit then he we are now. Kiro was very reluctant for me to leave him at that moment. So I decide to stay for a little bit longer to make little Kiro happy. He's very attached to me to me so it's going to be hard when he has to go. They are likely to have to send him to another zoo when he is old enough to join the breeding program. There needs to be more lions and other big cats in the world and we are helping that.
That won't be for another year or two yet. He'll be used to being in a pride environment by then and he'll be able to adapt to that live when he gets out of the playroom. It will not make it any easier on me and the other keepers when he does have to go. You bond with these animals and you love the animals that you are looking after. Kiro attempted to roar at me but he couldn't do it yet as he was too young and it made me laugh. "You will roar eventually my young buddy," I tell him. He had attempted to roar again and because the same little mewl came out I laughed again. Simba acted exactly like this when he was the same age as Kiro which was absolutely adorable. I felt so glad that I could do this again and have this bond with another lion.
Amy was in the staff room with a drink when I walked in after I had spent some time with the cubs and letting them play and fight with me and each other. "Hey Simba, how was feeding time?" she asks me. I went to go and get another drink. "It was good, Megan chased Kiro around again and Jorel came back for a little while," I tell her. She smiled at me, especially when I mentioned Jorel. She still has a crush on him, you could tell or maybe she was happy for me. "Kiro needs to learn not to be afraid of girls before he goes to another zoo. He needs to make babies with a lady," she tells me and we both chuckle. I stay with Amy for the rest of the work day because we needed to check on the pregnant lioness Sarabi and she was confident with me being there. I have helped give birth to so many cubs in my career and I was dubbed the big cat obstetrician. This is Sarabi's second pregnancy with the first being little Simba and I hope she can look after this one.
I had another conversation with Jorel as soon as I got to my apartment after work. My time in this apartment is running out and I know it. I think the landlord is going to go bankrupt as I am one of the only people who pay their rent on the regular basis we are supposed to do. If he goes bankrupt then he is going to have to sell everything. That means I'm going to end up homeless by the end of this year. While I was texting Jorel I was looking for some one or two bedroom apartments that I can afford and that tick all my checkboxes. I need to be able to keep the cubs when I need to and try not to irritate any of the neighbors. I hope the neighbors would like the idea of coming at meeting a cub without having to pay; it made my current neighbor happy.
I was exhausted to the point that as soon as I got into my bedroom I crawled under my blanket and I yawned a couple of times. I ended my little conversation with Jorel, telling him I was going to bed and I had to get up again at five o'clock in the morning to get to work. It was currently half past eleven at night so I would get five and a half hours sleep roughly. Jorel said that was fine by him and he has work in the studio in the morning so he should go to sleep too. It didn't take me too long to be able to fall into a peaceful sleep, feeling happy that I had made a new friend and that he was going to be a lifelong friend in time. Who knows we could even have a romantic relationship at some point in my life.
~two weeks later~ Danny p.o.v~
Yesterday, marks two weeks since I have been kicked out of my apartment quite forcibly by the bailiffs who understood my position and were quite sympathetic towards me. I have been sleeping in my truck ever since and then I had to get takeout for dinner and I bought easy to make breakfasts which I will make in work. I think my boss knows because he lets me sleep in the staffroom or in a special sleeping area which was there for when we need to stay overnight. I was still talking to Jorel and we met up a few times outside of work. He told me he was looking for a new roommate and I am tempted to take that offer. I am getting along with Jorel quite nicely now so maybe we could move in with each other.
I have today off work so Jorel had invited me to spend the day with him at the studio. He's with his band today so it was my lucky chance to be able to meet them for the first time even though I had seen them perform a few times. I get to know all the guys during that morning and everyone but Deuce was starting to become friends with me. I got on with most of them straight away which was nice. "Danny, where do you live?" Jordon Terrell asks me after lunch. This is where it gets a little bit awkward. "I currently live in my truck and occasionally I will go to stay at work," I tell him, being completely honest with them. Jorel seemed shocked by what I just told them all. "Why?" he asks me after a minute or two of thinking and processing that.
"Landlord went bankrupt and he had to sell the block of flats that I lived in," I tell him. It has left Jorel wondering what he could do. I thought I felt the other's judging me because of this but they aren't living my life right now so they don't know how I feel about everything. "You can come and stay with me for a while Danny," Jorel says when he looks at me and decides what he wants to do. I felt relieved by his offer; I couldn't find anywhere to live which is suitable for me until now. I am sure Jorel and his landlord won't mind any cubs when I get them. It wasn't looking likely that I would find a new home anytime soon despite my searching. To either rent or buy a house especially in Los Angeles is very expensive and a lot of places I have looked at are too expensive for my budget.
Jorel had helped me move in to the apartment later on during the day. It didn't take us too long to get all the things I was allowed to take into the house since I didn't have a lot of things. We were sitting in the living room with a can of beer each. "To a brand new start," Jorel says with a cheer as we had a toast and made our cans touch. "To a brand new start," I tell him, feeling a little happier then I have been doing for months now. "Thanks for this Jorel. I really appreciate everything that you have done," I tell him, we hadn't worked out any arrangements like how much I will pay in rents or bills so I was prepared for anything that he asked me to pay him within reason. I know Jorel won't let me pay too much towards the bills and things.
Jorel decided that he was going to show me to my new room and let me try and settle in. He made me sit down while he brought my stuff from my truck into the house and into the room which will now be mine. It was a very nice thing to do but I hadn't expected him to be this nice or caring towards me. People often do it to me when they find out that I am a young widower. I don't like it because they feel really sorry for me because of what happened to me. If they didn't know I am a widower then they would not be this over sympathetic with me. Jorel noticed that I had suddenly become quieter since I have been in my new room. He crouches down in front of me and he has his hands on my shoulders. "Hey, are you okay Danny?" he asks me.
"Yeah, I am fine. Just a little bit stressed that's all," I tell him. I was going to start to unpack before I go to bed tonight since I have not a lot of things to unpack. "Okay, don't forget that I am always here if you need me or just want to talk," he says before he leaves for me to go and unpack in peace and quiet. I know he is going to be making dinner in a little bit. I had all my things unpacked and sorted out within an hour or two. I had a picture of Theresa that I always keep close to me. Jorel walked in when I was looking at the picture and he was curious to know more. "Hey, she's very pretty. Who is she?" he asks me when he looks at the picture, I look to him, I was wondering how on earth I was going to talk about my ex-wife to him.
"Theresa was very pretty. I was married to her until she died two years ago and she was eight months pregnant with my daughter," I tell him, deciding to be completely honest with Jorel since he has helped me out so much so soon. He wasn't being over sympathetic with me like I was anticipating he would like so many people have done before. He gave me a pat on the shoulder. "Aw Danny, I am so sorry," he tells me. I hug him and he hugged me back straight away like he was expecting me to need a hug and it was very comforting. I just needed that hug. "It's not your fault Jorel, it was a drunk driver who is now serving life in prison," I tell him. Then we walk downstairs for dinner. Jorel was making me laugh throughout dinner and he was making me feeling happier about the whole thing. He was making me feel the exact same way that Theresa made me feel when we were together and happy.
It was very good that I can feel like I can finally move on from Theresa and I could start again with a relationship. I now feel and think Jorel could have a chance with me now. He'd be able to teach me to love again, I know he can. I did the washing up for Jorel after dinner was over and he seemed very grateful for it. "Hey Danny, come and watch TV with me for a bit and unwind. You could need the relaxation time," Jorel says once he put all the dishes away. I deiced that maybe I should relax for once in my life. I have never really had a chance to properly relax like this before so it was a good thing. I let Jorel put whatever he thought I'd like on the TV. He put on a Netflix show which I was very interested in.
Jorel had made me feel so welcome it almost felt alien to me. "Hey Danny, would you ever feel like you would be ready for another relationship?" Jorel asks me later on that evening after we had finished another episode of the TV show ends. I look towards him and for like a brief moment I tilt my head to one side. "Yes, I have been thinking about it for a while now. I am ready to move on now; it has been two years since my last relationship ended so I have to look to the future and what lies ahead for me," I answer, taking a minute or two to think through my answer completely. It isn't really an easy question to answer but I was telling him the truth. I do now feel like I can try and have another romantic relationship and maybe Jorel could be the guy that could be the one who can help me start over again with love.
Jorel takes me to my new room and sits down next me on the edge of the bed. He also smiles at me." So you want to try and be in that romantic relationship with someone?" he asks me, sounding hopeful. "Yes, and I have someone in mind to be in that relationship as well," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow in question, like he was asking who on earth I was talking about. Well, he was about to find out. "I think that maybe, we could try having a relationship? I feel like we have those feelings with each other and I can't really deny them," I ask him, the romantic feeling between us is definitely there. Jorel's eyes lit up when I confessed to him. "Of course we can try Danny, I love you," Jorel tells me which was a big sigh of relief for me.
I grinned, we will make this work I can feel it. "I love you too Jorel," I tell him and he stands up to face me. He pulls me up to my feet and wraps his arms around my waist like a couple would at a dance. He was smiling at me still and I looked up at him since I was a little shorter than him. He put his finger and his thumb under my chin and gently pressed his soft lips to mine. I stood up on my tiptoes to close the height gap and deepen the kiss. It was magical, a pure magical moment. I have never really experienced a kiss like this in my life so far. I really loved my first kiss with him and I am sure that we will have many more kisses like this in the future. We were grinning by the end of the kiss which was good because it would be bad for our relationship if we didn't like the kiss.
"Wow Jorel, that was amazing," I tell him, slightly breathless from the deep kiss that we just had. Jorel was grinning like a Cheshire cat or cat that had gotten the cream. "Well, I am glad that my little lion keeper that you're happy," he tells me. That kiss made me know that this relationship would work. I like the new nickname he has given me, I prefer it to Simba. He climbed into bed next to me when I yawned a few times. I still have work in the morning at 5 am so I wanted to sleep as much as I could. I am going to enjoy this new relationship I really am. Jorel is going to give me a new lease on life and I will love and enjoy every minute of it. I love Jorel Decker and he knows that. I also know that he loves me even though we have only known each other for two weeks or more. It might be crazy but for us it works.
The end of another one shot is here. I hope you enjoyed it. I was playing around with this idea for a little while now and I think I am happy with how it all turned out. I might not get everything completely accurate but to be honest with it being a AU one shot accuracy doesn't really matter.
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