Chapter 5
5
C hris wasn’t sure, exactly, how this had all happened.
Somehow, he was living with Doc Leo. It wasn’t bad, if he was honest. The man worked hard, and for the first three days of his enforced leave, Chris got his shit—which consisted of a few pictures, a few medals from fallen heroes he’d trained, and clothes—and he helped out at the vet’s.
He also watched a few movies and made a lot of eggs somehow. He liked eggs. They were… easy, filling, affordable, and a bunch of other adjectives too.
So now it was a weekend, and he found himself staring at the window, trying to figure out what to do next.
Leo got up and ate the eggs he’d made for breakfast along with some toast and fruit and read a book on the couch or worked on his laptop while he did laundry.
All without asking Chris for a thing.
But about lunchtime, Leo closed his laptop. “Get some shoes on and grab a hoodie, we’re going out.”
“What?” They were? Why? He could go out, but he wasn’t just going out because Leo said so, right? “Where do you want to go?”
“To find you a friend. Your boredom is loud, boy.” Leo stepped into boots and pulled on a lightweight leather jacket.
“We’re not sure I’m a sub, remember. I’m not sure I’m into it.” He slipped on his sneakers. He didn’t want to stay home.
“I’m sure.” Leo grabbed his phone and his keys. “Ready?”
He had his wallet, his cap, and his phone. “I am. Let’s do this.”
Whatever this was.
“Good boy.” Leo held the door for him and locked it as they left. The weather outside was lovely, just a little spring chill but lots of sunshine. Leo pulled a pair of silver mirrored-lens sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on, then took his hand. “Beautiful day.”
“It is.” He’d never walked with a man, holding his hand. It was… actually okay. Confusing—not because of the whole being queer thing. He wasn’t in the closet. He wasn’t shy about PDAs.
It was just so… dear.
He wasn’t used to that.
Leo held his hand easily as they turned a corner onto a shady avenue block. It was a lot cooler in the shade, and Leo tugged his collar up higher and gave him another weather report. “Windy on this block.”
“Is it supposed to rain?” He hadn’t checked his phone, but he wasn’t sure he could do it one-handed.
“No. This is just how this block is. It doesn’t get any sun this time of day. We’re almost there.”
“Okay…” He wanted to know where there was. He needed to know.
They turned another corner and crossed the street, and he realized he had no idea where they were. Brooklyn was so different to Manhattan, where all the streets were orderly and numbered. Brooklyn was a maze.
But he knew where he was now. They’d stopped at an animal shelter.
Leo opened the door and the man behind the counter smiled. “Leo! What are you doing here? Have you come to see the kittens? We found them a nursing mama, and they’re doing great.”
“We have. Stu, this is Chris. He helped me look after them.”
“Hey, Chris.” Stu shook his hand. “Come see them. Follow me.”
“Dude, yes. They’re all okay?” He glanced back at Leo, tickled shitless. This was so fucking cool.
“They’re so good. They’re probably huge compared to when you saw them.” Stu led them through a winding maze of kennels and cages and into a quiet room. “Here they are.”
“Lord have mercy. Hey, babies.” Look at them, growing up to be little fuzzballs instead of skinny kits. They were starting to be bright-eyed and fuzzy.
And active? Whoa.
“I have to get back out front. Stay as long as you like.”
“Thank you, Stu.” Leo moved in closer after Stu left. “They’re so much bigger, huh? So cute.”
“Oh my—they’re amazing! Thank you. I was wondering how their baby bodies were.” He sat right down in front of the cage.
Leo sat with him, and they pulled out the kittens one by one, letting them scramble around. They were too little to get very far, but if one got an arm’s length or more away, they’d stick him back in the cage. “How do you not smile, playing with these guys?”
“Right? They’re beautiful.” Little black-and-white kittens with the brightest eyes, puffy little tails.
“We sent another litter over a while ago, and those are ready to go home. Would you like to see them? Or hold off and get one of these guys?”
“I—” He glanced at Leo. He loved these guys, but what if Leo wasn’t interested? And was it mean to just have one? Wasn’t two better?
“Having trouble deciding? We’re going home with at least one, so take your time.” Leo set the kitten he was holding back in the cage.
“These guys need homes. I’ve been with them longer.” He was nothing if not stupidly loyal.
“So you want to wait for a couple of these? Or bring one from the other litter home today and come back for one later?”
“Is that kind? Do they love each other already?” He figured Leo would know.
“Not really. They recognize each other by scent as safe, but that’s about all. And they have very short memories, so they don’t miss their siblings until they’ve been together a long time. We can wait; these guys need about four more weeks. Maybe five. But it’s not like we can take all eight.” Leo chuckled. “No. I mean it. We definitely can’t.”
“No? You don’t want a whole litter of pointy-ended beasties?” He almost managed a straight face.
“Two. Two and that’s all.” Leo peered into the cage. “But which two?”
“If we’re getting two, then we should each pick or pick together?”
Leo shrugged. “You pick, and I’ll be happy with them.”
“That doesn’t seem super fair…” He knew which two he liked best. They were exact opposites—one black left paw, the other black right. One black tail with a white tip, the other white tailed with a black tip.
“I promise you; I could not choose. Trust me, it’s the best course of action.” Leo chuckled. “Just tell me.”
“Those two. The reverse twins.” That was easy.
“They’re adorable. Good choice.” Leo reached for one and flipped it over. “Hm. Too early to tell what you picked. Maybe in a week or two.”
“We’ll get them fixed, so it doesn’t matter, right?” They didn’t need more kittens.
“Only matters if we have two girls. They tend to be territorial. But it’ll be fine because they’re sisters.” Leo petted the kitten’s head. “Good choice. We should tell Stu.”
“If you’re sure. I mean, it’s your apartment, right? Your ass on the line.” And he didn’t want Leo to get in trouble.
“I’m allowed to have pets. I just haven’t had any because I lived alone and wasn’t home enough.” Leo traded with him. “Pretty kitty.”
“Aren’t they both just… so sweet.” The kitten sank her teeth into his finger. “And pointed.”
“Kittens are particularly pointy.” Leo put his kitten back and gestured for him to do the same. “That’s probably enough stimulation for them for now.”
“They’re beautiful.” And soft. And sound asleep in the cage.
Leo took his hand again and led him back out front. He got a better look at the animals this time, cats in smaller cages and dogs in the larger kennels. Everyone waiting for a home.
“All done, guys?”
“For now. We’d like to claim two of the kittens.”
“Really? That’s fantastic! Which two?” Stu looked right at him this time, as if he knew Chris was the one choosing.
“The inverted twins.” He’d taken a picture, so he showed it off. “These two beauties.”
Stu nodded. “Very cool. They’re adorable. I’ll mark them for you. I’m guessing a month or so before we can let them go. Maybe six weeks. We’ll see how they progress.”
“Thanks, Stu.” Leo shook Stu’s hand. “We’ll probably be back weekly to check in.”
“Great. Look forward to seeing you.”
Leo nodded and they left, back out into the sun. “Hungry?”
“I am. Would you like to go have something?” Chris would happily buy.
Leo stopped on the sidewalk and looked at him, reaching out to brush the hair out of his eyes. “There’s an all-day breakfast place in the neighborhood if you don’t mind a little walk.”
“It’s a nice day.” And he loved waffles. Loved them. “Let’s talk.”
“Sure. I love talking. I hope that was a nice surprise for you, seeing the kittens.” They started walking again, and Leo took it slow, which was good because he took two steps for every one of Leo’s.
“It was cool as hell. Thank you, seriously. They’ve gotten so big!” Chris found himself just smiling like an idiot.
“They grow so fast. It really is amazing. Have you had cats as pets before? Dogs?”
“Lord yes. I grew up with dogs and cats, mice, hamsters, goats.” He chuckled. “It wasn’t a ranch, but we had a couple acres.”
“I bet that was nice. I’ve only ever lived in apartments. We had a dog for a little while when I was young, but when we lost him, we didn’t get another. I think I decided to be a vet at a very young age because I wanted to spend more time around animals.”
“Oh, that’s cool. I’ve always heard that veterinary school was harder than medical school.” He’d taken training to be a vet tech, and he’d trained in the service, which suited him to the bone.
“I wouldn’t know. I loved it. I still love it.”
He got that. He wasn’t anything without his job, without the dogs.
“Neil called me yesterday.” Leo didn’t look at him, just squeezed his hand a little tighter as they walked.
“How’s he doing?” What bullshit had Isaac said about him exactly?
“He seems fine. He asked the same question about you. He says you’re not returning his texts. He wanted to find out if you were okay.”
“He needs to hang with his men and not worry about me. It’s important.” And he was fine as frog hair.
“Sure. I’m glad you’re so concerned about him. I think you should return his texts.”
“I’ll text him and tell him all is well. He’s a worrywart.”
“He’s your friend, isn’t he? He’s not being nosy; he wants what’s best for you.”
“He is. He just gets overwhelmed. He’s got a diner and two men. He needs to focus.”
“You’re not his Dom, boy. Master Isaac will see to Neil’s needs. But maybe he wants a friend.”
Did Neil have time for more friends? “I’ll text him. I’m not interested in worrying him, not at all. He’s a good guy.”
“Good boy. He certainly seems to care about you.” Leo stopped and pulled open the door to a busy café.
Not a boy. He went in, sucking in maple-and-bacon-scented air.
Leo steered him through the crowded tables to an empty one against the far wall and pulled out a chair for him. “No menus, just read the chalkboard up there.”
“Waffles and bacon?” Surely that was up there, right? Waffles, bacon, butter, and syrup. With milk and coffee.
“Yep. Easy, right? They bring this syrup flight; it’s so cool.”
A server stopped by, set down two mugs and filled them with coffee. “What are we having, guys?”
“Waffles and bacon, if you please.”
“You got it.” The server reached into his apron pocket, dropped a handful of cream and sugars on the table and left.
“No nonsense around here.” Leo picked up a creamer.
“Woo. I’m a fan of food—waffles and bacon are my favorite breakfast, but I can accept a bagel or an egg sandwich. Whatever.” Chris just wanted to eat good food.
“I’m with you. Breakfast is my favorite meal.” Someone swung by and set down a long wooden carrier with six different jars of syrup in it and took off without missing a step. “See? Blueberry, strawberry, peach, caramel, light amber, and dark amber.”
“Dude…” Caramel syrup was a thing? He put a drop on his finger and sucked it clean.
“Don’t do that.” Leo blinked at him, and he was sure he saw the Dom swallow. “I—it’s—unsanitary.”
“I didn’t stick my finger in it.” He tried the same thing with the peach syrup, feeling the air around them tingle.
“Boy.” Leo’s smooth, low voice dropped even deeper.
“Mmhmm? You want some? It’s yummy.” He put another drop on his finger.
Leo picked up the syrup flight and moved it out of his reach. “I said stop that, boy.”
“I offered to share…” He barely resisted sticking out his tongue.
Barely.
“In return for which, I will offer to take you over my knee.” Leo winked at him. “Naughty boy.”
“Naughty? Moi?” He gave Leo his best innocent look ever.
“Don’t tempt me, Chrissy. I’ll play every game but this one.” Leo’s blue eyes flashed at him.
Okay, he didn’t know what that meant. Not for him or Leo. “I’m not a Chrissy.”
“Neil introduced you that way, and I think it suits you.” The waffles arrived, huge stacks with a big plate of bacon. Leo picked up his fork and knife as if that was the end of that conversation.
“Huh.” That was… huh. Okay…
Good thing he liked waffles.