Chapter Three #2
“Thanks.” Bas dipped his head as he strolled toward the back. He paused before pushing open the door. “Should I knock?”
Noah giggled and nodded. “It’s usually a good idea. The kitchen is safe, but the office could be…interesting.”
Mates. Because Dean and Logan were mates and couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
It was like that with all the couples and throuples he was around.
They had no problem showing their affections, whether in the privacy of their house, in the yard, forest—hell, Bas had seen them in town kissing and holding hands.
At least Bastian hadn’t seen any homophobes or heard of any trouble.
The entire town seemed to be LBGTQIA+ friendly.
Pride flags and rainbows stickers were often found on the business windows and inside the shops.
That gave Bas more to think about.
He didn’t even know if Hudson was gay. Or attracted to men. He didn’t have to be gay after all. He could be bi, demi, pan…there were multiple ways to identify that might mean that Hudson dated men. Bas would have to keep his fingers crossed.
* * * * *
Hudson
Walking through the park, Hudson smiled and waved at the friendly people in town that he was getting to know better. He loved living there so much. In Boston it had been hard to connect with anyone outside of work since the residents had always been in such a hurry or ignored him.
The slower pace suited Hudson perfectly although he often wondered how Carter would manage without all the chaos of the city. Carter might have been burnt-out from the job, but he had also thrived in the big city.
Hudson loved people but it was harder for him to find friends that he wanted to hang out with unless it was another firefighter. Carter made friends with every person he met.
Even in his new town, Hudson only hung out with his brother, EJ, Easton, or one of the other firefighters. He saw groups that looked like they’d be fun to do around, like the guys that ran the bakery or bookstore, but Hudson found it hard to just walk up and introduce himself.
With his size, he often intimated other people until they got to know him better. Once they realized that Hudson was…soft, as Carter said, then Hudson sometimes found himself being bullied. Even in the firehouse back in Boston there had been some assholes that had been mean.
He never let other people’s opinions dictate how he lived his life, but it was hard not to get his feelings hurt. And when he was around people that he knew he would never be friends with, Hudson couldn’t even tell his brother since Carter tended to be overprotective.
Spotting the tree, the tree that his little furry friend had been in, Hudson practically skipped over to it.
It was a nice tree, he supposed. Tall, offering much shade under the thick branches and full leaves. If Hudson was a cat, he reckoned that it would be the tree in the park that he’d pick.
Standing with his head back so he could look way up, Hudson nearly fell back on his ass when he caught sight of the gorgeous brown fur with spots. Was Bas really a margay like the internet search had indicated?
And Bas was really high this time. At least three or four branches higher than the day before.
From his spot, Hudson could only see one leg, but he knew that it was his friendly feline.
“Oh no,” he whispered. Looking around, he tried to see anyone who might be able to offer him assistance. Hudson wasn’t even sure if a ladder would reach the cat this time. They might need to get the fire ladder truck.
What if Hudson called for the truck and in the time before it arrived, Bas fell?
“Bas,” Hudson hissed.
The cat didn’t even twitch.
“Bas!” Hudson called a little louder. He didn’t want to scare the small creature.
Okay, Hudson thought the leg moved. Just a little.
“Bas! Are you stuck? Bas!”
The leg disappeared and Hudson nearly yelled before he was staring at Bas’s cute face as the cat stared down at him. If a cat could scowl, then that was the expression on Bas’s face.
“Are you stuck?” Hudson asked again. “Do I need to call for help?”
Okay, asking the dang cat his opinion probably wasn’t the smartest thing that Hudson could do but he was at a loss how to help Bas.
Bas yawned, showing those sharp teeth.
He seemed tired.
Hudson hated to wake him, but a cat really shouldn’t nap in a tree! “I’m going to get help,” he decided and shared with Bas. “I’ll get the ladder truck here from the fire station. It’s just across the street. Just don’t fall!”
Wow, margays, if that was Bas’s species, had very expressive faces. Bas seemed annoyed. Maybe he wasn’t stuck? The internet search had informed Hudson that margays were awesome climbers. They practically lived in trees.
Of course! Bas wasn’t just a regular housecat. He was considered an endangered species. Hudson was going about this all wrong. Not that it helped his heart when Bas gave a massive stretch.
“Can you just come down?” Hudson pleaded. “I’m really scared that you’re going to fall.”
Very slowly, Bas began the trek down.
Hudson hovered below Bas just in case.
It seemed to take forever. Hudson was scared to look away.
“Hey, Hud! I thought we were meeting at the diner.”
Hudson waved his hand frantically at his brother, never looking away from the cat getting closer.
“What are you doing?” Carter asked, joining Hudson under the tree.
“Bas was up there again!” Hudson couldn’t help how his voice shook.
Bas stopped looking from Hudson to his brother. His little lip lifted, showing a fang in Carter’s direction.
“He seems fine to me,” Carter said. “A little cranky, but aren’t most cats’ assholes?”
Hudson didn’t think so. Sure, cats weren’t known to be as affectionate as dogs but that didn’t mean they didn’t need or want love too. “Stop!” He smacked Carter’s shoulder. “He’ll hear you.”
“He’s a cat,” Carter deadpanned. “What do I care?”
Bas yowled and if Hudson wasn’t wrong, Bas did not appreciate Carter’s assessment at all.
“It’s okay, buddy,” Hudson cooed. “Come on. Come to me!”
Beside him, Carter huffed. “I thought we were having lunch?”
Bas chose that moment to leap from the tree.
“Bas!” Hudson reached out and found himself with his arms full of kitty.
Bas purred as he rubbed all over Hudson’s chest, chin, and face.
Hudson spluttered, spitting fur from his mouth as he hadn’t expected the rubdown from his furry buddy.
“At least he seems to like you,” Carter said, leaning closer.
Bas stopped trying to cover Hudson in all his dang fur to turn his head and hiss at Carter.
“And not me.” Carter jerked back just in time to avoid a paw swiping at him.
“Hey,” Hudson said quietly as he bounced, trying to get Bas’s attention. “Just ignore him. You’re such a pretty boy, yes you are, but I’m going to need to wash my clothes after this. Maybe twice.” He was covered in fur.
Bas gave another one of those low rumbles that wasn’t quite catlike as he started to rub against Hudson’s chin again.
Hudson turned his face, which just gave Bas better access to his neck.
Dang! Bas sure was acting funny. “Do you think he’s happy I rescued him?” he asked his brother.
“Didn’t he climb down by himself?” Carter asked.
He huffed. “That’s not the point!” Hudson had totally rescued Bas. Twice. The little feline fell asleep in the trees and Hudson made sure that he didn’t fall out. That was a rescue!
Carter opened his mouth, probably to argue further, but Hudson spotted Noah running toward them. He tightened his arms around Bas. He wanted answers this time. Hudson didn’t like confrontations, but these guys weren’t taking proper care of Bas.
“Hey!” Noah slowed his jog.
“Hello,” Hudson responded tensely.
Carter glanced between Hudson and Noah before rocking back on his heels, probably catching Hudson’s unpleased tone.
“I see our little cat found you again,” Noah said.
“He was up the tree again,” Hudson told him.
Noah shrugged. “Yeah, he does that.”
“It’s not safe,” Hudson said firmly.
“Wait!” Noah’s eyes were wide. “Are you mad at me?”
It wasn’t Noah’s fault. Hudson knew that. He just hated that such a sweet cat wasn’t being properly cared for. “No.” He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s just really not safe for him.”
Bas finally stopped rubbing all over him. Hudson was thankful. He could feel the fur covering every inch of his neck and chest. It was uncomfortable.
“He’s a really good climber,” Noah told him. “He won’t fall.”
“Bas is a margay, isn’t he?”
“How do you know that?” Noah bounced as he asked.
“I looked it up on the internet.” Hudson was proud of himself. He’d figured out Bas’s species. “He’s endangered. I’m not sure how he got here but he should be watched and cared for properly.”
Noah was staring at the cat, who was still watching Hudson with those expressive eyes. “He’s not really mine?” Noah offered.
“I would like to talk to his owner,” Hudson insisted. If Bas was going to be running around, then Hudson wanted to meet the man who had claimed the feline. Was Bas smuggled over? Should he even be there? “I have questions.”
“Uh, okay.” Noah swallowed hard. He appeared extremely uncomfortable. “You know the big property out by the state park?”
Wait! Really? “Where the cult lives?”
Carter groaned and shook his head.
Noah’s eyes flashed with anger. “We are not a cult! Is that what people think? That we’re just a bunch of weirdos—”
“Hold on!” Carter stepped between them.
Noah turned on Carter. “Is that what you think, officer? That we’re a cult? Are you investigating us? After everything we’ve done for this town!”
As Noah got more worked up, the bakery door opened and two men raced toward them.
This was bad! Hudson hadn’t meant to upset Noah.
It was just what he’d heard. At the firehouse.
The other guys would talk about the men that lived by the state park on a ton of private land and how they mostly stayed to themselves.
Hudson couldn’t remember who’d said they might be a cult, but he did know he shouldn’t have repeated it.
“What’s going on?” Dean, the man who owned the bakery, demanded.
Dean’s gorgeous boyfriend, Logan, was glaring at them. Logan was usually so sweet and nice that Hudson almost wanted to cry. He’d been such an idiot.
“Miscommunication,” Carter replied. “It’s fine.”
“Fine?” Noah whirled to his friends. “They think we’re in a cult!”
“A cult?” Logan asked quietly. “Why?”
Hudson wanted to run away when he found everyone’s attention on him. Instead, he held Bas up to his face, using him as a shield, and he spoke quietly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. It was wrong and I’m…just deeply sorry.” Hudson hated when people were mad at him.
Noah sighed.
Logan stepped forward. “Hey! It’s okay.” He scratched under Bas’s chin. “I’ve lived here the longest out of us three and I can see that it might looks strange to outsiders.”
Bashfully, Hudson nodded.
“We all just come from places where we haven’t always been safe,” Logan explained gently.
Hudson lowered Bas a little so he could see Logan’s pretty face. Logan seemed so sincere.
“I haven’t been dating Dean long, but I’ve always known I was gay.” He swallowed hard. “My family couldn’t accept that and sent me away.”
Hudson gasped. “That’s terrible!” He couldn’t imagine what he’d have done if Carter had done that when Hudson came out. Of course, Hudson had known his brother wouldn’t have an issue since Carter was bisexual himself.
Logan nodded. “I was barely an adult. It was very scary.”
“I’m so sorry!” Hudson told him.
“When I met Axel, this big protective man, that was also gay, I knew that everything is going to be okay,” Logan said. “The rest of my friends have similar stories. We stick together because that’s where we feel safest.”
Hudson understood and nodded. “I won’t tell anyone your story. I’ll make sure that no one thinks you are a cult though. I really shouldn’t have said that. I was just so surprised that this little guy came from there.”
Logan glanced at Bas and smiled. “Yeah, he’s one of ours.”
Dean patted Logan’s shoulder before drawing him back. “Is there a problem with…Bas?”
Oh yeah, even though Hudson felt like he’d done wrong and was sorry, there was something important that he couldn’t just let go.
“I would like to speak with Bas’s owner.
He’s an endangered species and I have questions for him.
It’s also dangerous for Bas to be running around free.
” Hudson tried to sound professional yet firm.
Dean’s lips twitched like he wanted to laugh.
Hudson didn’t find any of this funny and was about to say so when Noah spoke up.
“You should come by the house!” Noah said.
Dean and Logan both whipped their heads toward Noah.
Noah grinned. “You’ll need to speak with Bastian. He’s in one of the cabins but just ring the bell on the big house. Someone will get him for you.”
“Bastian?” Hudson repeated. This dude named his cat after himself? Weird.
“It’s a family name,” Noah offered.
“Oh okay.” Hudson looked at his little furry friend. “Don’t worry. I’m going to make sure that you’re getting properly taken care of.”
He would swear for the rest of his life that his little buddy sighed at him.
“It’ll be fine.” Hudson kissed the top of Bas’s head.
Noah and Logan giggled.
It was probably time to hand the little guy over to the people he belonged with.
“No more climbing up that high!” Hudson said sternly. He booped Bas’s nose. “I almost had a heart attack.”
Bas’s tongue came out and Hudson got a small lick.
Aww, Bas really did appreciate him! Hudson knew his furry feline friend appreciated his efforts.
He passed Bas over to Logan, who was the closest. “I’ll stop by later this afternoon or early evening.”
Logan cuddled Bas to his chest, receiving a yowl in response.
“Sure! No problem,” Noah told him. “We’ll see you later.”
As the three of them turned back toward the bakery, Hudson watched them go. Bas peeked over Logan’s shoulder.
Hudson waved at his little buddy.
“Maybe I should go with you to talk to this Bastian,” Carter said.
Hudson laughed. “It’ll be fine.”
Carter was already shaking his head. “You don’t know anything about him.”
“I know that he has the sweetest kitty ever,” Hudson argued.
“Sweet?” Carter scoffed. “Only to you. He didn’t appear to like Noah or Logan much either.”
“He knows that I only want what’s best for him,” Hudson guessed.
“Sure,” Carter drawled. “We’ll go with that.”
“Lunch?” Hudson offered. Although he needed to find a restroom and wash up. His hands had to be filthy, and he was covered in cat hair.
“Maybe we should grab something at home,” Carter suggested. “I’ll make sandwiches as you clean up. Then we’re going to talk about you going out to that property. I want to make sure you’re safe going all the way out there.”
“Okay.” He would listen to Carter’s lecture, but Hudson’s mind was made up.