Cat Hunting ((Alfred))

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur was pleased that the train was empty. He didn’t really want to have to deal with everyone staring at them and the cats. As it was, he could relax, resting in his seat and watching the cats. Iggy was curled up, staring around the train uneasily. Arthur glanced down at him, then scooted his cage closer to Mr Wiggles, so the two friends could be closer to each other, and was amused when Iggy did scoot in closer to the other cat. “He’d better not be, or he’ll have to sleep outside.” He said, eyeing the bigger cat. Of course, that wouldn’t be an option immediately; the girl at the shelter had reminded Arthur that he’d have to keep them inside for a couple of weeks until they got settled.

“What room shall we put them in for the first couple of nights?” Arthur asked. “I was thinking the living room, but I don’t know if Mr Wiggles will want to sleep with me.” He frowned a little. Really, Alfred was right, it was a ridiculous name. They needed to change it soon. “Mind you, as soon as they’re happy I’m going to let them have the run of the house, but it’ll probably be a month or so before I undo the cat flap for them.” He frowned, thoughtfully, leaning over to stroke Mr Wiggles through the bars, smiling at his soft fur. It was strange to think that they were going to be his now, but quite nice too. As little as he liked to admit it, Arthur did get lonely occasionally, and while Alfred’s company was nice, most of the time he wasn’t there. Half the time Arthur couldn’t reach him by text.

[Alfred Jones]

Alfred settled as well, thinking along similar lines about the empty train. He smiled as the cats were pushed in closer together and Mr Wiggles attemted to paw through one of the crate holes to his friend, meowing. Rolling his eyes slightly at what Arthur said then, he chuckled. "If you really wanna deal with his fur getting muddy as all hell, then be my guest man. I'm not helpin you bathe him if you do that." he replied, giving him a playful smile.

Pondering that though, the younger of the two considered this, watching as Mr Wiggles leaned up into the stroking with a soft nervous purr. "It'd probably be better to be an enclosed room, and we should move a couple things in the room of yours that has your scent on it...Mm...Well, to be honest, cat's can develop a spraying habit at any point so if they feel like this is their territory they're going to want to spray all over your furniture until they feel safe." he stated, glancing at him, curious as to if he had a better idea of where to put them. He didn't mind giving up his would be room, he'd just sleep on the couch or something.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Arthur eyed the cat at that, shuddering at the thought of him with his fur all tangled and muddy. “We’ll see. If there’s any cat in the world that likes being bathed, I bet it’ll turn out to be that one.” He said, looking down at Mr Wiggles as Iggy attempted to lick the paw that had been reached out to him and ended up licking the bars. Chuckling at the face that the ginger cat pulled, he leant into Alfred a little, relaxing. “They’re better friends than I thought they were when we first saw them.” He commented, pleased about that. “Do you think they actually came from the same place? I thought they’d just been put together to try and moderate each other’s behaviour.”

Frowning at that, Arthur glared at the cats. “You’d better bloody well not start spraying.” He warned them, but continued to stroke Mr Wiggles, not really cross with them. “How long will you stay?” He asked Alfred. “If you’re going to stay for a day or so I’ll just put them in my room. It won’t take too long until I let them out into the rest of the house and that way I’ll be able to be with them over night.” Otherwise he’d put them in Alfred’s room, but he’d much rather that Alfred decided to stay for a bit. It’d do him some good to spend a couple of nights off the streets.

When they arrived at his train stop, he picked up Iggy’s case again, along with the food and led the way off the train, before glancing at Alfred. “Want to take the tram home or walk?” The disadvantage of his new house was that it was further away from the train station, but over all, Arthur thought, that wasn’t a bad price to pay. It was still only twenty minutes walk, but with the cats to carry that would seem a lot longer.

[Alfred Jones]

"He does kind of look like a cat that'd enjoy water..." Alfred agreed, amused as Iggy tried to lick his paw, awwing softly. "They're cute, aren't they." Was added, smiling to himself as he watched the two interact, nodding befor ehe hummed. "I actually grabbed the files that talk about how they came in, when we get to your place you can have a look." he said with a smile.

Still, the warning just made him snicker--you couldn't completely control a cat! Pondering, he hummed in thought and then stretched. "Well...I guess I'll stay until you can handle them well enough, I think." he decided, reaching down and playfully holding on Mr Wiggles paw, amused when it kind of curled around his finger like he was holding onto it. "Aww...~"

Grabbing his bag and Mr Wiggles case, he glanced back at him and hummed. "Walk. Give me the bag of food, it'll be easier on you that way." He had a backpack after all, so technically he had an arm free and it didn't seem like he was all that tired from carrying the big cat, who had started to yowl and meow at being taken further away from Iggy.

[Arthur Kirkland]

“Right until his fur gets water logged and he sinks, anyway.” Arthur chuckled. They were cute, though, and Arthur was content to watch them as Iggy curled up again as close to Mr Wiggles as he could manage with the cages. He was looking forward to getting them home and seeing how they reacted there. He wondered if they slept curled up together, because that would be adorable. “Oh? Did you have a look at it before we left?” Arthur asked, glancing at Alfred curiously. He’d look forward to reading it, it might have more information in about the pair, though he was also worried about finding out what had happened to them before they ended up in the shelter.

Pleased enough at Alfred’s offer, Arthur nodded. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want, you know.” He said. “The roses I planted against the wall are starting to grow.” Mind you, he knew that Alfred was agile enough to use the frame he’d put up for them to grow against to climb in and out of the window if he wanted anyway. He just hoped that he’d secured it well enough for it to hold Alfred’s weight. He’d been working by guess work when he set it up, and he didn’t really trust himself to test it.

Arthur frowned at Alfred and shook his head. “You’re carrying the heavier cat and your backpack. I can handle this.” He told him, shortly. He wasn’t really in the mood to be treated like an invalid. It was bad enough that he’d convinced him to put on weight, he wasn’t going to let Alfred belittle him as well. Wincing as Mr Wiggles started to complain, he looked at the cat. “Oh, shh. We’ll be home soon.” He told him, but he did shift Iggy’s case to his other hand so they’d be closer, as he started to lead the way. “What do you want for dinner?” Arthur asked Alfred, giving him a smile. “We can get a takeaway if you want.”

[Alfred Jones]

"I dunno, he looks kind of strong. I bet the guy can swim." Alfred decided, humming contently as he smiled at the two cats apparently settling better with them being visible to eachother. Well at least they were happy. Looking at Arhtur, he slowly nodded then, he knew Arthur would say that. But he didn't want to impose on Arthur, he'd done enough for him already...

For now though, he smiled. "We'll see. They have? I wonder how high they'll grow." He'd take a look at the frame as well to make sure it was okay, both for him and the roses. Still, he mentally sighed at Arthur refusing his assistance. He was like a stubborn old man! He almost laughed at imagining Arthur as an old man though--the only thing he had to do was give him grey hair and some wrinkles.

At least being able to see Iggy calmed Mr Wiggles, ahd he settled, watching Iggy while looking a bit pouty to himself. "Hm...That sounds kinda good. What sounds good to you? Chinese maybe?" he asked, leading him a bit as he tended to do whenever they walked together, though he was kind of touchy about making sure that Arthur wasn't fully behind him out of habit.

[Arthur Kirkland]

That was true, and Arthur stared at the cat. “I suppose we’ll find out sooner or later. I was thinking of putting a fish pond in the garden, and no doubt he’ll fall in as soon as there’s water in there.” He’d have to put some kind of net over it to protect the fish. He wasn’t sure about Mr. Wiggles – he’d either be a fantastic hunter or an awful one, but Iggy gave Arthur the impression that he’d be able to catch fish easily (and no doubt would start bringing in other things as soon as he was allowed out).

“I’m hoping they’ll grow up over the front.” He paused, and then looked at Alfred. “Sometimes I have dreams about an old fashioned house by a lake, you know, with a thatched roof and a wooden frame, and it’s got ivy and roses all over the front. It’s quite nice, really. I’ve found some pictures of houses like it online, so I guess that’s where the dream comes from.” He paused. It was a pity they didn’t have anything like that any more. They’d lost a lot of history under the rising sea. Still, they’d just have to make their own history, Arthur guessed. And hopefully one day it’d go back and people would be able to see how the world used to be.

Thinking about it for a moment, Arthur frowned. He wasn’t really sure what he wanted. His tastes for some things had yet to come back. “If you want Chinese, let’s get that.” He agreed, finally. He let Alfred lead, but he was aware that he didn’t like anyone directly behind him, so made sure to stay by his side. “What do you think you’ll get? I’ll probably have sweet and sour pork.” That sounded palatable. “I’ve got some new films at home as well, so we can put something on.” He’d taken to buying films from the old world when he saw them so he had a decent store together for when Alfred was around. It seemed to work pretty well, although there were a few that Arthur was looking forward to watching and was having to hold himself back so he could watch them with Alfred.

When they reached the little house, Arthur put Iggy down on the front step so he could unlock the door, and then let them in. It looked a little more like a home now; Arthur’s coat and shoes were by the door like they had been in his old house, and there was the original painting that formed one of the covers of his books hanging up on the other side of the wall. Arthur toed off his shoes, then eyed Iggy again. “Where are we going to put them, then? My room?” He asked, picking the cage up again and moving to one side so Alfred had room to come in as well.

[Alfred Jones]

The thought of the large cat just falling in a pond made the taller blond let out a small noise of amusement, and he nodded in agreement to that. "Man, just imagining him with his long fur smelling like fish pond..." he wrinkled his nose in amusement. Maybe they shouldnt let them out and the two should just be house cats.

"Ah that'd be cool..." he said, imagining it for a moment before his thoughts were taken over by what Arthur was describing. "Huh...Sounds really pretty, Arthur. Maybe you lived there in another life, eh?" He nudged him a bit jokingly, smiling at him as he pondered the house himself. Maybe Arthur had seen a painting or something like that.

"Well it should be something you're actually gonna wanna eat, Arthur, otherwise that kinda defeats the purpose.' He teased him lightly, arching a brow at the older man before he perked at him at least thinking he could eat that. "Hmmmnn.....Not sure. You have take out menus right? I'll have a look at that." He decided, but then hummed happily. "Really? Awesome! We can eat and watch movies while the cats settle down."

Watching as Arthur took care of the door, he slipped in after him, toeing his shoes off at the door before he headed in, looking around in thought. "It's lookin' a lot better than it did, at least. Good job~" Giving a teasing smile, he set the fat cats carrier down and then slipped off his backpack, setting that down to the side where it'd be out of the way for now. "Mmm....Yeah, that'll probably be good since it smells like you. We should get the litter box and food and stuff set up before we let em out though."

[Arthur Kirkland]

“Maybe.” Arthur agreed when Alfred suggested that the house he’d seen was one from a past life. “I’m not sure that I believe in reincarnation, though. It seems a bit wistful to me.” And scary, thinking that you could be someone else. Deciding not to point out that there was very little that Arthur actually wanted to eat, Arthur nodded at the question. “I’ve kept a couple. I’ll find them for you when we’ve got the cats sorted.” He promised. It was normally easier to order in than try and cook, so Arthur had made sure he had a couple of menus ready as soon as he moved in, wanting to make sure he kept up his weight gain for Alfred’s sake. So far it was working.

Arthur watched Alfred look around, and he blushed happily when Alfred praised his place. The teasing smile made him frown a little, though, not sure how serious he was now. Then again, he was pretty proud of what he’d done. This place still didn’t feel as much like home as his flat had done, but it was definitely getting there. While the weather was good, though, Arthur had been focusing more on the garden. He wanted to get his vegetable patch started before the summer properly began. “That’s true. Do you want to take the pair of them up and I’ll get the litter tray?” He suggested, but didn’t wait for an answer.

The litter tray, bowls and toys that he’d brought before hand were in the sitting room, and he grabbed the bags, hefting them upstairs. He managed it in one go, just about, though he was pleased to put them down when he got upstairs. “How do you feel about trying to put their scratching post together?” He asked as he took the litter tray out and laid newspapers down before filling it. Iggy was watching everything anxiously, his tail flicking nervously. There were too many new sights and smells for the cat to be entirely comfortable and he mewled for Mr Wiggles. Arthur looked up at the nervous cat and sighed, looking at Alfred next. “Do you think they’ll be happy here?” He asked, as he folded up the bag of cat litter and put it to one side for now. It had to be better than the rescue centre or wherever they’d come from before that, right?

[Alfred Jones]

"Yeahh it's kinda weird but it is interesting. Like, I read somewhere that if you have a large birthmark that's where you died in your last life. Weird, right?" He said with a grin, looking at the older male. Still, he nodded contently at him having a couple at least, slightly more selection than just having one. Plus Alfred knew which places had better food.

Of course he wasn't serious, Alfred was liking that the place looked more like a home rather than an empty shell that used to house people. Still, it was pretty bare...He'd have to get Arthur some paintings and stuff to liven the place up or something! Looking to Arthur as he asked that, Alfred was about to suggest that he take the cats up as it'd be a bit easier, but didn't get to...Ah well. Heading up, he peeked inside Arthurs bedroom, shifting a bit on his feet before finally he slipped in and, setting the crates down for now, took a seat on his bed while he waited for Arthur to join him.

Looking up when Arthur entered, he eyed the bowls and then hummed quietly before checking in on the cats, frowning at Iggy looking so nervous."It's okay little guy...I can do that!" he murmured, giving the cat a smile before he looked up at Arthur. "Yeah, I think they will. It's just that since it's new they gotta get used to it. Some pets do faster more than others." he said with a smile, then he motioned for Arthur to close the door. Once it was, he then opened the crates, letting the two come out on their own while he moved over to get the scratching post out.

"Damn, you really didn't spare any expense on em, did ya." He teased, noticing the price tag of the rather large cat tree before he got the box open and started putting it together. Luckily they provided a small screwdriver for it. Mr Wiggles was watching the various things going on, and the smells, and he squirmed around with a loud meow for Iggy into they were set down, which he then began pawing at the crate door. When it was opened finally, he stayed for a moment, and then slowly he poked his head out, looking around curiously and then mewing, looking up at Arthur and Alfred first before he pounced out, going right after one of the bags that was swaying slightly from a breeze in the house.

[Arthur Kirkland]

“What if you don’t have a birthmark? Does that mean you died of old age?” Arthur asked, laughing lightly. He’d heard that as well, and thought that it was quite frankly ridiculous. He didn’t think that he believed in rebirth at all. It weirded him out a little just to think about it. “If you were reborn, then, where do think you were born?” He asked, casually. “I mean, from the old world. I think I would have liked to have been born in 19th century England. Back when it was a big power.”

Arthur’s bedroom was understandably more lived in than the rest of the house. His bed was big and comfortable, but neatly made, and the shelf against the wall was full of books, one out on the bedside table where he’d been reading it the night before. Fortunately there was still plenty of room for the cats, and noticing Alfred’s motion, he closed the door so he could let them out. “I don’t think Mr Wiggles will take long to get settled, and hopefully he’ll help Iggy settle down.” Arthur said, watching the cats. Iggy peeked his head round the door when it was opened, and nervously mewled again, watching Mr Wiggles as he bounced around. Gradually, though, he did slip out and started to explore, sniffing around and then coming over to see what Alfred was doing, trying to climb up the tower before it was finished.

“Useless cat.” Arthur muttered, watching Mr Wiggles. Reaching in the bag, he found a ball and rolled it towards the cat for him to play with instead of the bag. “Well, we’re saving them from who knows what, so I thought that it would be nice to spoil them a little.” He said, smiling at him. With Mr Wiggles distracted, the bag was left to roll around by itself, and with Iggy’s attention on Alfred, he didn’t notice as it rolled onto him. He squeaked, flailing and scratching at it, but only getting more caught up in the bag.

[Alfred Jones]

"Hmmm....I guess! Or maybe you were poisoned or something like that." he said thoughtfully, smiling as he looked at him before the question made him blink. "Hmmnn.....Definitely the USA, I think. Preferably one of the good times though I think, just because that way there'd be more to see. "

Laughing at the cat as he pounced the bag, Alfred smiled at him, and then Iggy as he came out and actually started trying to climb the tower. Amused, he scooped the cat up carefully kissing his head. "Not ready yet. You can sit here with me though." he told the cat, settling him next to his lap so he could watch and lean on him, petting him a few times before he got back to work.

Mr Wiggles perked as soon as he saw the ball, watching it and he crouched down for a moment before taking off after it, attacking it and flailing his large paws around. Alfred just blinked a bit at the other then, laughing softly as the poor cat strugged, but he sat back to see if he could work it out himself. Of course, the larger cat had noticed and his ears perked, watching before he meowed and pounced in, biting on the bag and trying to actually pull it off of the other cat--though of course because of how tangled Iggy was he ended up dragging the other cat a little instead, so when that didnt work he ended up trying to paw it off.

[Arthur Kirkland]

Snorting at that, Arthur shook his head. “I don’t think so.” Somehow that didn’t seem right. “It’s rather odd to think about, though, don’t you think?” He pointed out. “A little depressing.” He didn’t want to think about how he’d died! Somehow America did seem like the right place for Alfred to be. “What, you want to be a cowboy or something?” Arthur asked, laughing, thinking about what little he knew about America. “I think that would suit you.” Alfred in leather trousers and not much up suddenly sprang to mind and Arthur quickly brushed it away. Sure Alfred had an attractive enough body, but he was Arthur’s only friend, and he’d made it clear that he had no interest in any kind of relationship, so Arthur wasn’t going to make him uncomfortable.

Arthur was moving over to help Iggy when Mr Wiggles beat him to it, trying to save the other cat from the bag. However, with out hands, and with Iggy’s flailing, they just ended getting more and more tangled. Sighing, Arthur moved to help, ripping the bag to free both cats and then hefting up the heavy fluffy cat. “Idiot hero. That’s what you are.” He said, fondly, kissing Mr Wiggles’ forehead and then setting him down again so he could go and comfort Iggy. The other cat still looked a little startled, his tail fluffed up and his ears back.

Balling up the bag, Arthur threw it away so that they wouldn’t get caught in it again. “Actually. Hero sounds like a good name?” He said, looking at Alfred as he sat on the bed, watching the other man. “What do you think?” It was better than Mr Wiggles, anyway, but there were a lot of names that were. Iggy seemed to think so, anyway, as he slunk over to the bigger cat and curled up against him, hiding his face in his fur.

[Alfred Jones]

"Yeah I guess. But you gotta die sometime anyway, so who cares!" He said cheerfully, but the suggestion made his eyes widen. "Ooh that'd be cool! I bet I would be awesome at that!...I've never ridden a real horse but I bet it's fun." he added too, the thought following that idea contently. Arthur's current thoughts were of course not noticed at all, and he smiled at Arthur brightly then. "I really wanna try it now.."

Mr Wiggles meowed loudly, trying his best, however Arthur had to help and he squirmed a bit, shaking himself. He was a bit staticy now! However, he seemed pleased with himself, closing his eyes and purring at the kiss there before he trotted over to his companion, licking his head and ears softly before he curled up around him and as he pushed his face in against him he started grooming him to calm him down. In the very least he seemed to think he was the hero.

Alfred watched this with a smile, watching the two cats and then looking at Arthur before he hummed in thought. "I like it." Was the decision, amused at the two cats though he reached over to gently stroke Iggys tail so the fur would stand down. "Seems to fit him well enough." He added with a small laugh, but then returned to his building, finishing after another minute. "Annnd there!" Sitting it upright, he admired his work, and then flicked one of the dangly toys, smiling. "Where should it go for now?"

[Arthur Kirkland]

"I haven't either, really. I remember once when we were little there was someone giving pony rides on the beach, but it turned out they were a Lowlander, so my father had them arrested." Arthur said, and then realised that it was probably the first time that he'd ever actually mentioned his father directly to Alfred. Hopefully he wouldn't ask any further. "I wish I'd at least gotten the chance to ride it. Some of my brothers did." He said, frowning just a little. Like Alfred, he was thinking that he wanted to try it. It seemed like something that everyone in the old world had gotten to do, and yet Arthur had rarely even gotten close to a horse. Most of the horses here were pack animals in any case, used to pull carts rather than to ride on. "If you've never ridden, though, what makes you think you'd be so good?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Yelping as the kiss gave him a bit of a shock, Arthur licked his lips, trying to get rid of the feeling. Typical. With such fluffy fur he should have guessed that it was staticy. He watched as the two cats cuddled up though, a fond smile forming. They were cute. And lucky to have each other. Iggy mewled quietly, but allowed Hero to groom him, nosing into his fluffy chest to reassure himself and glancing back at Alfred, then flicking his tail. The cat would recover from his shock soon enough. Arthur nodded, thoughtfully, and then stood to look at the cat tower. "Not bad." He said, putting his hand on Alfred's shoulder. "Hopefully Mr W-- I mean, Hero, won't break it." Arthur eyed the fat cat, and then smiled. "It should help to keep them amused for a bit as well." Leaning over, he rubbed his fingers over the scratching post part, feeling the rough material. "And out of the carpet, hopefully."

Pulling away then, he offered Alfred a hand to get up. "Shall we order dinner?" He asked, guessing that Alfred was hungry after the trek home. Now that the cats had everything they needed it should be all right to leave them for ten minutes while they decided what to eat and made the call. Arthur didn't want to leave them for too long, though, and he glanced back at them, then went to move the blanket from the rescue centre out so they could lie on something that smelt familiar if they wanted to.

[Alfred Jones]

A brow arched as Arthur said that, wondering about what that had been like before he hummed. "Sounds like you dad's kind of a butt." He decided, but he said nothing more about it, just an admittedly childish observance. "That's disappointing though...Maybe someday we'll get to ride a horse too." he said, grinning. Didn't hurt to be hopeful, right? At least in the case of something that might not be completely out of their grasp. Alfred would have loved to ride in a car too now that he was old enough to understand the mechanics after all but that was a very low chance.

Snorting as he heard the yelp, the younger blonde glanced over and grinned more, amused. "Shocking, isn't he." Okay he couldn't resist the horrible pun, it was just so perfectly set up for him! However, he smiled as well when he saw the two cuddling up, pleased that they really were as good of friends as he'd been thinking. By now Hero had finished grooming his head and neck down, and had moved on to his back as well as he could without moving, trying to curl up fully around the other cat to 'protect' him from whatever might try to attack them again.

Glancing back at him at the hand on his shoulder, he just arched a brow amusedly. "He's a big boy but I don't think he's that big." He offered for comfort, but accepted the hand up, nodding eagerly at the suggestion. Still, as Arthur got the blanket for them, he smiled. "You're a good daddy to 'em already." he teased gently, but then led the way down, heading over to the drawer that Arthur kept his take out menus in and then after some thought, selected one and chose what he wanted--it was a meal thing too so it was cheaper and would still have what they both wanted.

Once that was taken care of though he smiled at Arthur then. "So then, Arthur, any books you've been workin' on?" He asked eagerly--he'd actually gotten in to one of the books that he had written and it was obvious to him at least that there was going to have to be a sequel to it with the way it had ended. Not to mention the childrens books were probably a nice outlet for him as well and Alfred liked reading and looking at those just as much as the novels.

[Arthur Kirkland]

“Well, that’s putting it mildly.” Arthur muttered under his breath, but it wasn’t something that he particularly wanted to discuss in detail. Ever. Especially not with Alfred. Still, he could remain hopeful that they would get to ride a horse one day. Or at least pretend to be. Arthur wasn’t particularly optimistic as it was, so it would be difficult to say anything truthfully. Alfred’s awful pun almost gained him a pillow to the face, glaring at him and refusing to respond to it. The cats were a good distraction, though, and Arthur wanted as Iggy curled his tail around Hero’s, curling in closer to the bigger cat. They were cute like that. And it was a relief to see them getting on much better.

Letting Alfred lead the way, Arthur sat on the bottom stair while Alfred decided. “I’ll have some of yours.” He decided, when Alfred announced he was going to have one of the meals. He didn’t mind paying for that much food for Alfred, but it seemed sensible to just eat some of it rather than ordering something for himself that Alfred would just have to finish anyway. He made the order and then put the menu back and stretched, planning on leading the way back upstairs to where the cats were.

“Oh. Well, there’s the one I was stuck on before. Remember? I’ve almost finished that now.” He gave Alfred a small smile, pausing. “I can fetch one of the proofs for you if you want to read what I have. I’m going to completely rewrite most of the last quarter or so, but you’ll still get an idea of what’s going on. Or if you wait a month then you can read those changes too.” He’d put his main writing desk in the living room for now, for which he was grateful. He wouldn’t want it in the bedroom with the cats in there as well. Of course there was a second one in there, but that was mostly for writing his column rather than sitting and writing for any length of time.

((Told you so. *kiss*))