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"Foggy I have news for you! I have a surprise, can you come around?"
"Good surprise? Or an 'I'm bleeding to death surprise?'"
"A good one!" Even through the phone, Matt sounded giddy with excitement, and Foggy wasn't entirely sure what this good surprise could even be. Regardless, he headed to Matt's, many possibilities swirling through his mind, a considerate number of them involving him injured.
Raccoon. That was all Foggy could think as he walked into Matt's apartment, and he saw his partner hugging an animal. Raccoon. Rabies. Avoid.
"He was a stray! He's a bit bitey, but you always said I should get a pet. Cat seemed fairer on both him and me."
"Did you get him from a rescue centre?" Foggy stayed nearer the door to the apartment, hesitant to step anywhere near Matt's new pet.
"Found him! He was rummaging through a dumpster, gave him a mighty scare when I fell into it. He's a bit of a chunk, will have to get him on proper food."
"Do you think we ought to check if he's chipped or not? He doesn't look underweight or anything." Matt was so utterly convinced this was a cat, and Foggy started to worry if he had in fact hit his head on his trip into the dumpster. "He might have a home already."
"He stinks like he's been on the street for a while."
"Maybe he has! But maybe there's a kid out there who's been missing their pet for a little while."
He wasn't expecting Matt's face to crumple in quite the way it did.
"I know. He's very cute but he might have a home already. Would you like me to take him down?" If he could get the creature into a box or something. He was a little worried about Matt, but he seemed coherent enough, hyperactive if anything. Had he been drugged on patrol? Or was this just what he looked like truly happy?
"Maybe."
"Is that all the excitement you had on patrol last night? Nothing else I need to worry about?"
"Just him! I haven't thought of a name for him yet."
"Hold off on that until we find out if you can keep him."
Somehow he got him into a box, holes stabbed into the side for air flow, and the top securely taped shut. He walked out of Matt's apartment, whilst the raccoon threw itself at the side of the box the whole way, and headed towards the nearest vet. He stopped, when he was far past the distance he knew Matt could hear, and ducked into an alleyway, to release the creature he was sure didn't want to be a pet.
"Go! Go on buddy." For a second he and the racoon locked eyes, and then it scurried into the distance, leaving the temporary carry case abandoned on the ground. Next step was to call Matt, where his lie couldn't be heard through his heartbeat over the phone.
"He had a home, the vets are going to arrange contact and get him reunited. You did a good thing bringing him in." He hoped the raccoon would stay away, and that Matt wasn't going to bring some other street animal into his apartment. Foggy felt awful for lying, and vowed to come clean in the future.
The fact Matt had wanted a pet was a big thing though. A cat. Foggy could sort that. In a much better way than finding one on the street.
Matt's voice had held the strains of someone trying to sound happy, but missing the mark. He'd wanted the company. Foggy wondered if having someone to come home to would keep him safer as well.
Another phone call, and he was heading back to Matt's place.
"My turn for a surprise, come on let's go."
"A good surprise?"
"Yes. You'll love it."
They walked some distance, still a sleepy Sunday morning, the city relatively quiet. Foggy paused outside a building, waiting as Matt tilted his head, listening to what was inside, working out where they were.
"A rescue centre?"
"Kittens." Matt's eyes went wide, visible even behind his glasses, and Foggy could almost see him trembling with excitement. "Booked us an appointment to meet some of the ones up for adoption, if you're still looking for a pet."
"Oh. Yes."
"How long have you been thinking about this anyway?" They walked into the centre, booking in and soon finding themselves in a corridor filled with rooms of cats and kittens, a resounding sound of meows and purrs from those hoping to be adopted.
"A little while. You kept mentioning it might be good for me, and then when I found that guy it felt like the universe or someone was saying it was time."
Discussion turned to what Matt was looking for, if he wanted an indoor or an outdoor cat, if he wanted one that was more cuddly or more aloof. He looked overwhelmed, suddenly here and presented with many choices. Eventually, enough questions asked, they narrowed it down, and the rescue worker took them to a series of rooms.
"Would you be open to a bonded pair?"
Matt pauses for a moment, thinking it over, and then nods. "They'd keep each other company whilst I'm out, right?"
"Yeah! These pair have been here a little while, black cats tend to get looked over. Want to come in and say hello?"
"Please, what are their names?" She unlocks the door, letting them sneak in to the two cats who scatter to the corners.
"Club and Spade. They were brought in with two gingers, Diamond and Heart who have already found their homes, but these two have been here a little while."
Matt crouches down to sit on the floor, waiting to see if the cats wanted to come over and say hi, not wanting to push them. Foggy mirrors him, sitting cross legged and watching the two cats as they slowly crept out from their corners, quiet mrps of curiosity as they got closer to the people in their room.
Gently, one of them put a paw onto Matt's leg, and then another, and Foggy watches Matt's face light up even further than he ever thought possible. The cat climbs into his lap, curling up into a perfect ball and purring up a storm. Slowly Matt reaches a hand down, and starts to stroke him, head tilted as the other cat walked over to investigate. Foggy clicks at him, and he lets out a small meow before climbing onto Foggy and mirroring his brother's position.
"Oh gosh." Matt's voice is quiet in awe, and Foggy is honestly not sure the last time he saw him this happy.
"They're so good. What do you think?"
"Yes. Please yes."
The adoption process passes in a flurry, and then they're temporarily leaving the cats behind whilst they go shopping. Matt continues to be giddy with excitement, hand trailing over beds and toys to choose the softest, or the strongest, or the ones he thought would treat his new boys the best. There's an intense discussion on the best food, Matt pulling the shop owner in to ask, because he wants to make sure they are looked after well.
It's with very many bags and boxes that they leave the petstore, briefly stopping by Matt's apartment to drop off their purchases, and then returning to the rescue centre, carry case in tow.
The paperwork and payment goes by in a flash, Matt entrusting the reading to Foggy, the flustered rescue worker apologising profusely for not having anything more accessible.
Herding kittens is about as Matt expected. It was a team effort to get the pair into their carry case, and the door closed on their indignant mews. "Not for long boys." It's an uneven weight, carrying a case with two cats inside, and Matt concentrates on Foggy's steps as they walk back to his apartment.
It takes them a few hours to find their bravery and leave the case again. To slowly sneak around Matt's apartment, finding places to hide, shelves that they could climb. Matt and Foggy sit on the couch and simply talk, letting the boys be curious, and explore around.
"I know they're both black cats, but do they look any different to each other?"
"At a distance, no, where they're laying right now you would think they were identical. Club has a little splodge on his chest, almost in the shape of the club symbol, three overlapping dots. Spade is pure black, although he does have a few salt spots, just odd white hairs. They both have bright yellow eyes."
Seemingly knowing he is being talked about, Spade stretches and yawns, sliding off of the bookshelf the cats had claimed as their own, and padding over to the couch. Matt hangs a hand down, making pspsps noises as the cat comes closer, and rubs up against his hand. "Hi little man. Do you approve of your new home?"
Some time later, both cats have clambered up onto Matt, curling up in his company. Foggy wriggles his phone out of his pocket, and snaps a photo. "Going to send this to Karen."
Surprise! Matt finally did it, meet Spade and Club.
[Img attached: Matt, looking half asleep on the couch, two black cats asleep on his lap. He is resting a hand on each of their backs.]