Day Ten: Animals

(Note: The original prompt had to do with animal ears, and I wasn't sure how to make that work, so I switched it up a bit. Hope you like it!)

After a few sunny days of bliss, the skies opened up. Cas' plans to take Dean on a picnic in the park was foiled, but Cas got creative and he planned a picnic inside.

Dean was waiting for Cas to come home. He had some sort of surprise for Dean. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a little bit excited to see what Cas had planned.

Dean lay in his bed, enjoying the warmth of the blankets and the rain pounding on the window. He was drifting in and out of sleep when he heard the door click closed. Dean peaked through his eyelashes at his door, waiting for it to open. Dean lifted his head from his pillow, "Cas?"

His bedroom door opened and Cas peaked his head in, his hair soaking wet.

Dean chuckled, "You know, they have these things called umbrellas, I heard they work really well when it's raining out."

Cas smiled, but didn't enter.

"So uh…whatchya doin'?" Dean asked.

"Um," he looked down at something in his arm, which was blocked by the door. Dean wondered if it was the surprise for him. He felt a little guilty for the excitement that rose up inside him. It's not like Cas hasn't been giving him full body massages or anything…

"Well?"

Cas looked nervous as he pushed opened the door. Dean's excitement dropped a little when he didn't see anything in Cas' hands, but then he noticed that whatever Cas had, it was tucked away under his jacket.

"Don't be mad," Cas said.

Dean's brow furrowed, "Why would I be mad?"

Cas walked over to the bed, sat down on the edge and pulled out the mystery object; except, it wasn't an object, far from it actually.

It was a ball of orange, fluffy fur. It mewed.

"I was going to surprise you with an inside picnic, blanket on the floor and everything. I was on my way to the store when I found her in a box. It said 'free kittens' on it, but it looked like it had been there for a while. The box was rotten and soaked, and she looks so malnourished. I couldn't leave her there…" Cas trailed off, nervous for Dean's reaction.

Dean stared at the kitten, then at Cas, "Umm…"

"I'll get rid of her, I'm sorry. I should've asked before bringing her here." Cas scooped up the kitten and cradled her against his chest.

It wasn't that Dean was upset; he was just…not expecting a cat to come out of Cas' coat.

Cas went to stand up, but Dean put a hand on his thigh, stopping him from rising, "Wait, Cas, I'm not upset. I just, you surprised me with it."

"I'm sorry. Is it possible that we can we keep her?"

Dean considered it. Neither of them have ever had a pet before, so he wasn't sure how to take care of one. There was feeding and cleaning and cat pans and loving and attention…Dean looked at the kitten closer. Its fur was a semi-dry matted, mess, and it was obvious this cat was not properly taken care of. The pads of her tiny little feet were scabbed and bleeding in some places. Dean's chest constricted with despair, how could someone leave a kitten outside like that?

The kitten's eyes were closed while it purred in Cas' arms. Dean reached out and ran a hand over her head. She opened her eyes and looked at Dean. She had big green-yellow eyes and she opened her mouth in a silent meow.

"I'll take good care of her, I promise," Cas whispered. Dean looked up at Cas who was looking at the kitten with affection.

Dean sighed, "I know you will, and I'll help."

"Yeah?"

Dean nodded, "Yeah but if we are both going to take care of her, you gotta let her meet me." Dean took the kitten from Cas' hands.

"Careful," Cas said.

Dean held her in front of his face. They stared each other until she lifted her paw and attempted to bat at his nose.

"Feisty, huh?" She blinked at him, a purr radiating through her tiny body.

"We should clean her up. That matted fur must be hurting her. I bought a few provisions."

Dean looked at Cas, skeptical, "What kind of provisions?"

He followed Cas out into the kitchen, kitten in hand.

"I got kitten shampoo, a bowl, a brush, a small thing of cat litter, and two types of food…I don't know what kittens eat when they're this young."

Dean shook his head, "Neither do I. She's probably going to need to take a trip to the vet. She might be hurt or sick and we can't tell." This made Dean's heart sink a little, "I don't know if we can afford it, Cas."

Cas gave the kitten a sad look and sighed, "I knew it was too good to be true. I-I'll take her to a shelter and return the stuff." Cas took the kitten out of Dean's hands.

Dean couldn't take it. He couldn't handle seeing Cas this distraught. Cas had already made a connection with the kitten, and the kitten loved Cas. She nudged him with her head and purred loudly.

"Wait, Cas, we'll figure something out. Maybe someone knows a vet that could take a free look at her and determine if she'll need a lot of care."

Cas still frowned, "I don't want to make this hard on you, or me, so it's okay, I'll-"

"No, Cas, really, I'll call Merlin. His uncle is a doctor, he might know someone who can help."

"You sure?"

Dean nodded, "Positive."

Cas finally smiled.

"There it is, now go get her cleaned up, I'll call Merlin."

Merlin said he would call Gaius right away. So while Dean waited for a call back, he went into the bathroom to see how the kitten's bath was going.

"I don't think she enjoys being scrubbed clean."

Dean looked over Cas' shoulder at the kitten. She was wet and soapy, her eyes wide with fear. That's when Dean noticed Cas' hands. They had tiny little scratches all over them.

Dean chuckled, "Here, let me help." Dean held the kitten while Cas washed away the soap and brushed out her fur. A few of the matts had to be cut out, leaving thin spots of hair, but for the most part, she looked much healthier.

They cleaned the pads of her paws and fed her some of the milk replacement Cas got. Cas was sitting on the floor, watching her eat, when his phone rang.

"Merlin, hey, so what's the news?"

Cas looked up at Dean watching his face to interpret what was going on.

Dean nodded and smiled, "Do you have a number?" Dean grabbed a notepad and pen and scribbled down a number. "Thanks, Merlin, I'll give her a call." He hung up the phone.

"Well?"

"Merlin's uncle is good friends with a vet; she's willing to take a look at her. I'm gunna call this woman. Maybe you should set up a cat pan or something for her."

Gaius' friend, Alice, agreed to make a quick stop that night to examine the kitten. So while they waited, they played with the kitten. They drug shoe string along the floor and Cas laughed as she chased after it, occasionally catching it between her paws.

While the kitten was the cutest, cuddliest thing ever, she could be a terror at other times. She really enjoyed using Dean's leg as a scratching post, and was skilled at climbing up his leg to reach his shoulder.

All three of them had fallen asleep on the couch when there was a knock on the door. Dean scrambled to get off the couch to reach the door.

When he opened it, he was greeted by an older woman with a long, blonde braid in her hair.

"Hello, Dean, is it?" She held out her hand.

Dean took it and responded, "Yes, hi, come in."

Cas rose up from the couch, the kitten tucked against his chest. He too held out his hand.

"You must be the knight in shining armor who rescued this precious little thing, oh come here," she cooed as she gently took the kitten out of Cas' hands. She brought it over to the counter and began to run her hands along the kitten's limbs and body.

Fifteen minutes later, she turned to the boys, the kitten in her hands. "She seems healthy, aside from malnutrition and her paws, which did you two already take care of that?'

Cas stepped forward and nodded, "Yes, I hope we did okay?"

She smiled and handed Cas the kitten, "You did wonderfully. I would suggest taking her to at least get the basic shots and to be neutered of course."

"How much will it cost?" Dean asked.

Alice contemplated it for a second, "Anywhere between $150-$200."

Cas looked to Dean, a nervous expression on his face. Dean returned it, but he turned to Alice, "Thanks Alice, it means a lot that you came."

"No problem, dear. If you have any questions about taking care of her, just give me a call."

Dean and Cas showed Alice to the door. Once it was closed Dean turned to Cas.

"We don't have to keep her. That's a lot of money," Cas said before Dean could even open his mouth.

Dean held up a hand to stop him from talking, "No, Cas, we'll keep her."

"But-"

"We'll get summer jobs to help pay for it. It's not a big deal, I'm sure we can find something." Dean put his hands on Cas' shoulders and rubbed his hands up and down his arms, "We'll make I work, okay?"

Cas nodded, "Yeah…okay." He smiled.

"Plus, we all kind of bonded, there's no way I could get rid of her now," He said, scratching the kitten behind the ears.

"So, does that mean we can name her now?"

Dean chuckled, "Yes, what were you thinking?" Cas walked over to the couch and sat down. He let the kitten walk around on his legs. Dean joined him and the kitten jumped into his lap.

"Hmm…I don't know. I've never had to name anything before. There are so many choices, but we have to pick the perfect one because she's special, she's ours." Dean smiled at Cas' comment, his heart fluttering with affection.

Cas considered it for a minute, "Well, I found her on Harley Street….I don't know if you'll like the idea, but we could call her Harley?"

Dean wasn't sure why, but his already fluttering chest burst with joy. He loved the name and this was such a special moment for him and Cas. This kitten was theirs. They would name it, they would love it, nourish it, and it would be he and Cas giving this cat a home.

"I love it." Dean picked up the orange fur ball and held her up to his face, "Hi, Harley, I'm Dean and this-" He handed Harley over to Cas, "-Is the guy who saved your life. We will both love you very much, but remember, I saw Cas first; so if you try to take his side of the bed, there will be Hell to pay." He bopped Harley on the nose and she tried swatting at his finger.

Dean wasn't expecting it, but Cas grabbed both sides of Dean's face and pulled him in for a kiss. They broke apart and Cas leaned his forehead on Dean's, "Thank you, Dean, this means so much. I promise I'll take good care of her, and you."

"I know you will," Dean said, placing a hand on Cas' cheek. "Now let's go make some dinner. I'm starving."

Dean made chicken and rice and watched as Cas got Harley acquainted to the apartment. He set up her litter box and food dishes as Harley followed him around like a shadow. She was curious about everything, batting at it if it moved, or shaking her rump and pouncing on it if it didn't.

Harley was a perfect addition to their lives. Plus, it made Cas happy, and anything that made Cas happy, made Dean happy.