Disclaimer: I don't own the Warriors series!
Title: Ace in Space
Summary: Maplebloom comes out as ace to her mate, Hawkheart. He's very supportive.
...
Hawkheart was big, even for a tomcat. He'd explained that he was something Twolegs called a 'hybrid', a mix between a normal cat and some form of 'bigger cat' that Maplebloom had never heard of. He was practically twice her size; long, draping cheek fur and thick spots along his pelt. Your typical silver and white tabby, Maplebloom had found him intimidating as a 'paw, fearful he might accidentally squish her tail. Now she reveled in his size, curling up in his chest with a purr.
"Y'ever think about kittens?" he rumbled. The air was warm around them in spite of the Leaf-fall night. Leaves fluttered around them in spectacles of birds.
"Hmmm, maybe a little," Maplebloom meowed. "Do you?"
"Yeah," Hawkheart cleared his throat. "A lot, actually."
Maplebloom's ears fell half-mast. She'd expected the conversation eventually. Hawkheart was such a softie, and she'd watched him give badger rides to so many kittens. This wasn't the first time her own discomfort had ruined a relationship, either- just the first important one. Everyone expected her to have a litter- her mother especially- and it felt like saying no was its own form of crushing dreams. "Hawky, I just-"
"Adopted!" he rushed to add. "Adopted kittens, I mean. They don't have to be mine. I'm not even sure if I could have kittens of my own."
Maplebloom saw the yearning in his trembling whiskers. "But you want to."
"I want to have babies! The how doesn't matter to me." He shuffled his paws. "But, uh, I'm guessing you don't?"
"I don't mind kittens," she edged out. "It's just... I'm a little bit broken, I think. I don't want to- to do that stuff. Sex is... weird." Maplebloom crinkled her nose. "It's not good or bad, I guess, but I don't... I don't want to do it. Ever."
Hawkheart hissed low in his throat and set his chin on her head. "You're not broken. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Some cats don't understand. They think I'm just being mouse-brained, or I'm lying to myself." Maplebloom's tail lashed at the thought. The way some warriors ardently argued about it being 'unnatural' was, at its core, really scary. Almost as if they thought she was a monster. "But I'm not! I'm sorry, Hawky, but it's not gonna change."
"Don't apologize," he insisted. "I don't want you to change. I mean, I know we all change as we get older, but not like this. It's okay."
Maplebloom pulled away, mouth open with a retort, only to see his eyes. They were glittering with love and respect- like they always were. He wasn't trying to convince himself or her; he honestly didn't care. She swallowed, suddenly overwhelmed by the rush of acceptance.
"So," he prompted. "Is adoption okay? Not- not today, but maybe someday?"
She worked her jaw, trying to find the words to speak. It was like he sucked all the air out of her lungs, leaving a great love behind. Maplebloom padded forward and headbutted his chest.
"Yeah," she said, voice wobbly. "Yeah, that sounds great."
Author's Note: For a friend! Just an ace kitty getting loved by her longtime bf.
-Mandaree1