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Your evening, calm and brisk, walking through the forest with Malleus, your feet trodding against soil and snapping thin twigs, takes a turn when you hear the tiniest- the faintest meow in the world amongst the surrounding brush.
You stop dead in your tracks, head whipping around- and though you can tell Malleus heard it as well, by the twitch of his ears, you ask anyway, “Did you hear that?” In a low whisper, in case it happens again.
And it does happen again.
“I did.”
And again .
You snap your head to the left, where you hear the slight rustle of leaves. “It’s a kitty.”
“I assumed.”
Malleus watches wide eyed as you hunch yourself over, walking silently- more silently than he’d even see a human even walk , towards the bush. The grass barely crunches beneath your shoes as you crouch to try and peek inside the thicket, obscured by the night's darkness. “Psst psst psst-” You whisper, rubbing your fingers together to tempt whatever lays inside, but no meow back is heard. Your eyes shine in the moonlight as you look over your shoulder at him, “Aren’t you gonna help?”
The Fae shakes his head somberly, “I don’t believe animals find my presence all that… comforting.” He’s reminded of all the times he’d encroached on Silver's naps when they were younger, his menagerie of forest animals scattering in the wind once he got too close.
You tut, waving him closer, much like you did the kitten. “I’m sure that’s not true, c’mon!”
And who was he to deny his little human their wish?
Like a breeze, he drifts towards you, dropping into a pose similar to your own, heels planted firmly on the ground and his knees bent. You gingerly grab his hand and bring it to the edge of the bush, showing him how to rub his fingers together like you had before. “Psst Psst Psst,” You mutter, fully concentrating on drawing out the cat.
“Psst… Psst?” Malleus tries along with you, his head tilted until it knocks into yours. A rustle of leaves quickly reveals the small, fuzzy head of a tiny black kitten. It’s little, triangle shaped ears twitching at the noise. Your breath hitches in anticipation as it stumbles through the brush, its small body barreling towards you both. It lets out meow after meow as it comes closer, little paws thumping against the ground, one after the other. Finally, it reaches you, its little head rubbing up and over your hands, body weaving between your legs.
“Oh my god…” You mumble, stars in your eyes. “We have to keep it.” And just as you declared this revelation, you carefully scoop up the small kitten into your hands.
“You already have a cat.”
“Grim’s not a cat.” You object. The little fluff of fur, dark as midnight and eyes blue from youth, blinks up at Malleus curiously, before reaching its thin neck towards him. “See! It-” You briefly bring its butt up, “She likes you!”
The cat… liked him?
A gloved finger comes up to the top of the kitten head, before gently brushing against it in a pet. The small thing begins to grumble, its little form shaking from its purr. Malleus’ cheeks burn as you coo, huddling closer to him in the cold. Your body pressed against his beneath his cloak. Her fur is soft as you bring her up to your cheek, sharing your warmth with her and the Fae. “Oh she lovessss you,” You tease. The kitten is… rather cute.
Bringing his arm up around you, you huddle closer to the Dragon Fae, his gloved hand pressing you closer to him. The poor thing looks like nothing more than skin and bones in your hands, and despite that it purrs so loudly for you both. “Silver will know how to take care of the babe.” Malleus says resolutely, and in a flurry of fireflies, you both find yourself standing in the middle of said boys room. Said boy who is very much still sleeping. “Silver.” He says, and a purple eye slowly begins to blink at you both from beneath white lashes. He grumbles slightly in acknowledgment. “It appears we’ve come into possession of a cat.”
“A kitten.” You correct.
“A kitten.” He amends.
A lazy hand points to a small cart in the corner of the room, “... Should be a bottle ‘n some formula in there.” And that sentence is punctuated with a light snore as the boy slips back into unconsciousness.
You waste no time, securing the small kitten against your chest with one hand as the other rifles through drawer after drawer. Finally, a small metal can of kitten formula is procured- right next to puppy and goat milk, and a small nipple-tipped bottle. Soon, however, you realize you’ll need both hands.
“C’mon Mal, come sit.” You’re one of the few creatures in this world who would ever speak to him in such a way, and yet he rewards you, sidling up, practically behind you and pulling you closer to him. Sat half on his lap and half on the floor, your legs tangled with one another's, you extend the small kitten towards him. “I swear she won’t bite.”
Malleus is only slightly afraid he’ll drop her, but she never stops purring as you pass her into his hands, if anything, the kitten only sounds louder . Her little limbs flail and her paws dig at his gloves as she attempts to burrow further into his warm hands, and in the blink of an eye Malleus’ gloves have magicked themselves away. The kitten's fur is softer than any pelt he’d ever touched, and her nose was cold and wet against his palm.
You use a small water packet to mix up the formula, small crystals in the powder instantly heating it to the correct temperature- but you test it on the back of your hand just in case. Gently, your fingers brush against the Fae’s, caressing the kitten they hold to reposition her, and you present the nib, pushing it slightly into her mouth. The hungry kitten latches on instantly, little nails scratching against the glass bottle as she suckles. Her tiny ears twitching back and forth. “Here you go…” You murmur, and Malleus is entranced with how soft you look in this moment, a slight smile gracing your face as the hand not supporting the bottle cups his.
Your smile is soon directed at him, as beautiful as a full moon and as bright as a star, “She’s like our little baby!” You laugh, eyes cinched with mirth. Malleus hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath this whole time, and he tilts to connect your forehead with his, gazing down on the small animal you both held in your hands- together .