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 Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:11 pm
(Back dating this a bit.)
He knew it would happen, it was only a matter of time, but goldfish from carnivals and fairs never lived long. He was surprised they’d lived this long...and he was upset to see the three dead when he woke that morning, even if it was expected to happen at some point. They were cheap goldfish...they always were, it was a running joke in some way.
The bowl they were in sat on his desk, near to his computer, but now he was picking it up and hoping not to slosh water over the side as he made his way to his own bathroom in order to dump out the three floating fish. It was, he figured, odd that they all died overnight together. But perhaps whatever had gotten one had gotten the others? Or one had died and contaminated the water and killed the others quickly.
But now there was going to be the empty space on his desk and he was stuck alone, as far as a companion in his room went. Not that fish counted for much, because they really didn’t, but there was still an empty feel to his room.
As luck would have it, or maybe not, some of the water did splash as he dumped the fish and water into the toilet. The rocks he kept from falling into the porcelain bowl, somehow, but now he needed to get them into the trashcan in his bathroom and then take the trash out. With the rocks tossed into his garbage he set the bowl into his sink and went to tie up the bag and shuffle it off to the kitchen - to put into the bigger trash bag. He’d toss out the trash, it needed to be tossed out, but he first had to clean the water off his floor.
While in the kitchen he went to put on a kettle of water to boil, for tea. It was morning and he didn’t want coffee this early.
He was desperately trying to get back into a normal routine around the house. His alarm when off three times before he finally grumbled and stumbled his way out of bed. The semester couldn’t come to an end soon enough. A little break was all he was asking for. A month to just have to worry about work and have time for dates again. As he shuffled out the door he made his way into the kitchen. A kettle was already set up on the stove, but he wanted something stronger. He pulled a cup down from the cabinet and slid is under his keurig, then popped in a little cup of cinnamon coffee. He went to throw out the old cup that had been inside and that’s when noticed the color rocks inside their thin bathroom bag.
So they had finally gone to fishy heaven. Jason had never been a fan of fish, he didn’t quite get the appeal of having a pet that you could only look at as it swam around in it’s little bowl. Sure, they could be pretty, but just not his thing. He knew it was only one more thing that Xi had to deal with though, on top of everything else.
While his coffee brewed he turned back down the hall to find Xi cleaning up a mess on his bathroom floor. “Those were some tough carnival fish, sorry to see them go.” He was surprised they all must have gone at the same time. Then again, if he ever brought a carnival goldfish home it was usually gone within the week. You could do everything right by those darn things and they just didn’t last. Which was sad, they were little lives after all. “Do you need any help?” He offered his friend some comfort at least.
Looking up, from where he was kneeling on his bathroom floor, he nodded his head slowly. “Mmm, knew it would happen. I wasn't much for fish but I had won them.” And he’d done his best to try and keep them alive for as long as possible. A filter and air set up in the bowl and changing everything often. He had gotten good food for them, rather than cheap flakes, and he had tried. He supposed it had counted for something, seeing as they’d lived longer than most ever did.
“I think I’m ok...but my room feels a bit empty.” Shrugging a bit. It was true, in a sense, but his room was anything but empty in reality. With a nice queen size bed, covered in blankets, pillows, and plushies, he really had a rather full room. It looked comfortable, which was the point, and well lived in but that came with time and deciding this was home and the bedroom he had was his...that he wasn’t going to be moving out and that he could settle into the room and make it his.
“Maybe something else….to replace them - something less fishy. Fish are good...for eating. Not for pets...even though they are pretty. Koi are nice...but they live longer.” And are stronger fish. And while he could do some other type of fish he really wasn’t up for them, not like he had been right after getting the three from the carnival.
“The important thing is you took good care of them while they were with you.” Jason nodded his head a bit, understanding the responsibility his friend had felt toward them. He supposed that them not being around to care for anymore would be a bit lonely. Even if they were just goldfish, it was still something to watch over.
“Koi get pretty big as well, f they have the space to grow that is.” Hey, he knew a thing or two about fish. Koi were generally something you had in pond outside though. However, the thought of a pet wasn’t all that bad of once. He always figured when he had his own place he’d eventually get a dog. His life was far too busy to have a dog in it though. Between school, work, and his court he just didn’t have time for one. He didn’t care much for pets that stayed in cages either. They were more fun than fish, but a lot to take care of with little reward. He had had a hamster growing up, but that didn’t really appeal to him these days.
“We should get a cat.” He said the thought out loud before really thinking about it. With it voiced though, it actually sounded like a great idea. He said it again with more enthusiasm. “We should definitely get a cat!” Cats were perfect apartment pets. Of course they’d have to make sure it was okay with Nischal. It would probably be fine, but he wasn’t entirely sure about the rules for the apartment building. After all Jason had just sort of moved in one day without really realizing he had. One day all of his stuff was just here.
“Yeah...and we don’t have the space.” Or even if they did he didn’t think it a good idea. He had, a few months back, but that wouldn’t be easy to accomplish and would be pushing such a big sort of pet onto the others...and it wasn’t his home. THough it did feel like it - it really did. It still wasn’t fully, he didn’t pay to be here. “We haven’t got the place to put a pond and a tank seems like it would be a lot of space and pointless.” As nice as koi fish were, and they really were pretty.
“A cat...a kitten maybe?” He questioned tilting his head a bit. “Maybe not too small but not too old?” Kittens got adopted all the time - right? And as much as an older cat could use a home, he felt bad for older animals living out their lives in shelters and such, he didn’t want to get attached to apt that they wouldn’t have for long. “A shelter pet though, right? Something in need of a home.” Because then it meant a lot, they would be giving a home to an animal in need. “A nice warm home in time for the holidays….” Trailing off he was smiling as he stood up, the water mess cleaned up.
“We should ask Nischal…” Or maybe Jason should. It was a good idea though and had him almost bouncing on his feet as he stood there in his bathroom. “We can do the shopping. I’ve got enough money to get what we’d need.”
“Yes, a kitten!” The excitement was clear in his voice. He just kept nodding along to everything Xi was saying, the idea was really stuck in his head now. Yes, he needed to ask Nischal, but he was sure he could convince him one way or another if he really, really, didn’t want one. A little smirk crossed his face. “I’ll be right back.” Jason practically leapt out of the bathroom before returning to his room. Nischal was probably only half asleep and not taking him very seriously, but so what. He wasn’t against the idea. Some very audible excitement could be heard as he burst out of the room again.
“I’m gonna get ready. We should get there early. I bet we could be the first ones there.” He already had clothes in his arms to change into after his shower. So he really wouldn’t be that long at all.
Xi-Wang wasn’t surprised by Jason rushing off to talk to Nischal...he really wasn’t, he was a bit surprised at how fast he returned though. The others excitement really was catchy though as Xi nodded his head quickly, almost frantically, before rushing off to grab some clothing before heading for his own bathroom so he could shower and get ready - they had to get ready.
Maybe they wouldn’t be the first ones there but he wanted to get there as soon as they could. He wanted to see every possible cat and kitten that he could, not wanting to miss a single one, he hoped they’d at least look at them all and giver all of them a chance...he wanted to be fair to them all. He knew, already as he showered, that he’d feel bad for not picking any other feline over whichever one they picked out. He’d feel like he was leaving others behind and making them sad, even if that wasn’t a possible thing. He couldn’t back out though, even if he knew he’d feel guilt over not picking others, the idea of giving a nice warm home to a homeless animal was pleasant.
Focusing on the good, because there was a lot of good there, Xi-Wang finished his shower and after drying off he dressed and brushed his hair, and teeth, and hurried to the kitchen to grab a drink to go. “Jason?”
Jason took the quickest shower of his life. Usually, his morning showers were long. He enjoyed the warm water and it helped him to mentally prepare for the day. Wanting to get to the shelter quickly though, he cut his time short, while still properly cleaning himself. He dressed, brushed his teeth, and rushed out without bothering to do anything with his hair aside from towel drying it.
“I’m ready!” He called out when he heard Xi ask for him. He rushed into the living room and pulled his jacket off the coat rack. In his rush he didn’t bother with a beanie or his gloves, though he did spend a second looking for his keys. They were never in the same place. He had a bad habit of leaving them in his pocket and just pulling them out whenever and wherever.
“Let’s go find a new sweetheart.” He hadn’t woken up that morning thinking they’d go on this sort of adventure. He had never had pets growing up, his parents were too busy to have an animal to care for on top of their kids. When Jason got older he stopped asking for a pet. Mostly because he spent too much time away from home himself. Once he had his own place and a life separate from his parents home he had often thought about adopting a cat himself, but had never really found the time. With three of them sharing an apartment though, he knew whatever kitten they brought home would be spoiled.
Poking out of the kitchen, drink in hand, he tilted his head. “Want a drink to go?” He didn’t know how long it would take at the shelter, he knew there was likely to be paperwork and what not, so it might be a good idea to bring drinks with them since they’d not had anything to eat or drink thus far. “I can grab you something.” Already he was moving back into the kitchen and opening the fridge. Glancing around to see what was in there, as if he’d forgotten already. He knew what Jason tended to drink, he know the same for Nischal as well. He went for one of the more likely to be asked for drinks.
Taking the drink in hand he moved to show the other what he’d grabbed. “This is ok? Or something else?” It was best, in his opinion, to ask and make sure he’d made a good choice...that Jason didn’t want something else, that he wasn't just assuming and going to force that choice upon the other.
“You know what I like!” By the time Xi popped into the living room, Jason finally had his keys in hand and shoes on his feet. He kept store bought cold coffee drinks in his fridge, for those mornings that he was running late and didn’t have time to wait for the keurig to do its job. Thankfully, his roomie knew him well.
“That’s perfect,” He accept the cold glass drink and popped off it’s lid to take a cold sip. That first bit of caffeine in the morning was always nice. Admittedly, maybe he was a little too dependent on the substance, but that was something he could worry about later. Much later, hopefully. Before long they were out the door, in his car, and on their way to the adoption center.
With a rather large bottle of green tea in his hand Xi-Wang was soon seated beside Jason who was driving; he had never driven Nischal and Jason’s vehicles. Neither had ever brought it up either, for which he was glad, he didn’t actually have a driver's license or a permit, his mother hadn’t wanted to waste her time with him earning either thing. It made getting around a bit more difficult, as he had to rely on public transport being on time, but it was cheaper he figured.
“Do you have any preferences?” He asked while glancing to the other, one hand moving to untwist the cap on his drink. “Male, female...how young...color?” Or would they just go for whatever kitten grabbed their attention...what if each of them liked a different kitten? Or one wanted a kitten and one a cat? Lifting his bottle to his lips he took a slow sip, glad for the slight distraction drinking provided him.
Jason took a moment to think about Xi’s question as he followed the directions his phone was giving him. He didn’t really have any preferences. Though, he might prefer a younger cat or kitten, just because he wanted them to be around forever and ever.
“I don’t have a preference really, not gender or looks wise. I think I’d prefer a younger cat though. Because it’s gonna be a terrible day when they get old and I want to care for them forever.” He knew he was being silly, but it was the honest truth. Though, he wanted to say he wouldn’t turn down any cat that needed a loving home. He took another sip of his coffee as they rounded a corner. They weren’t far from the shelter now. He could see the sign further down the road.
“I agree….I think I’d like them around for a long time.” So starting out young would all for that. Though he did admittedly feel bad about any older cats they wouldn’t adopt….and he hoped they’d find a home, he really did. He was one of those sorts who felt bad for making a choice and not choosing someone else because he was leaving someone out. That was an issue he always had, in various situations, but it was something he kept mostly to himself.
Maybe one day it was something he’d work out, maybe even with help, he was sure it wasn’t a good thing. To feel guilt, for days at times, just because you picked one person over another or in this case one cat over another. That he’d picked the goldfish he’d won over others...yeah, he was sure it wasn’t a good issue to have.
“I’m glad Nischal is ok with this...a pet will be nice to have roaming the apartment.”
Jason would feel bad for any cat left out, but he would know that somewhere along the line someone would adopt them. Or at least he hoped very much that would be the case. He also hoped that the volunteers at the shelter gave them lots of love and attention until they found their forever homes. After all, you wouldn’t volunteer at a shelter if you didn’t care for the animals, right? One could hope at least. Once they had a kitten in their home to love the feeling of guilt would go away.
“Ah, I knew he’d be okay with it. And I’m sure he’s just as excited for us to bring a little cutie home.” Nischal would probably spoil the little thing, if the way he spoiled Jason was any example of how much of a caring person he was. Honestly, any cat would be lucky to go home with the three of them.
“And we’re here!” He rolled into the parking lot and found a place to park his car. He was maybe a little too excited, because he had to back out a bit to adjust how his car was aligned in the lines. He really was a good driver, he’d been doing this since he was sixteen. It was just hard not to be in a rush when he was this thrilled. He took another big guild of his cold coffee and opened his door.
“C’mon, let’s find us a new roommate, eh?” Jason would have dragged Xi out of the car and all the way inside if he didn’t have better self control. It was so hard though, so very hard.
“I wasn’t so sure he’d be ok with it. I didn’t know if he’d like a cat...or what he would or wouldn’t like.” So he hadn’t brought anything home on his own, most things required permission from the home, or appartment, owner anyway and that was Nischal. “I’m glad you asked though - thank you.” He really was glad for jason being that bridge between him and Nischal, only because he was still bad at asking for things for himself. Not that this was just for himself, how could a pet be just for himself when it would be wandering the whole home they shared?
Almost as fast as Jason, he did have to recap his drink, Xi-Wang was moving to unbuckle his seatbelt and get himself out of the car. It was a bit of a pain, as he did bump his head once in a while when he rrushed - like now.
“I’m coming, I’m excited for this.” He was excited enough that some might say he was vibrating with energy, despite the cold, as he hurried himself inside to where it was nice and warm. “Now to figure out what to do.” Sign in first apparently, which he did, and then what?
With how much Nischal paid for his apartment, it made sense that they’d be a et friendly place. With the usual restrictions to apartment life that is. They might have to make some sort of pet deposit, but it was something he could easily handle. Nothing to be concerned about.
“No problem friend. I was the one that suggested it in the first place.” Though, he did hope this would help Xi out of some of the funk he’d been in lately. Things were crazy for all of them, but he could see his friend taking steps in the right direction.
Once inside they signed in and he asked for directions to the cat room. The dogs were already barking with excitement outside and he wished he had time for a dog. Really, but between school, work, and the DMC, he just couldn’t be home often enough to care for one. As soon as they were guided to the cat room though, everything else on his mind went out the window.
“I don’t even know where to begin.” There were so many, which made sense in a city as big as the one they lived in. So many cute kitten faces and only one could go home with them. “You can’t let me go home with more than one. Promise me, because I would happily take in more.”
“I can’t promise that….because I’d feel bad leaving any behind...especially siblings.” Xi-wang answered in a whisper, dark eyes already focused on the kittens in the cages. Peeking over Jason’s shoulder, as he stood behind the other. “We should start seeing if we can handle them and how they behave…” If they liked them, or what sort of energy level they had. Kittens were kittens, yes, but some were big on cuddles from what he could figure.
“I don’t know if I won’t try and plead the case for two.” Wriggling around Jason he stepped further into the cat room and started moving to peer into cages. “They’re all too cute.”
For a split moment Jason thought about driving back home and dragging Nischal out here so at least one of them could keep them from going home with an armful of kittens. That was crazy thinking though. He’d be fine, he could handle this. One little cutie, that’s all they could adopt. Just one. Only one. Not more than one.
“Definitely need to love the cuddles. I’m gonna snuggle the heck out of them.” There were so many of them though, he really didn’t know where to start, so he just followed along behind Xi, peeking over his shoulder on his tiptoes. Oh gosh, he knew he’d want to go home with all of the ones he held.
Poking finger tips into various cages, though he knew he likely shouldn’t, Xi-Wang finally motioned to one of the kittens. “Can we see that one?” They had been nibbling on one of his fingers, which was honestly adorable, and as he stepped back they let out a mewing sound that just tugged at a person.
Looks aside, because they certainly stood out looks wise, he’d been more attracted to the personality of them going right for nibbling him. The fact they had two different eye colors and was white, pure snow white, didn’t matter. Although them being poofy was just another thing he liked - they were fluffy!
While the volunteer, who was staying with them, went to open the cage and pluck the little one out for them to hold. “This ones cute.” Yes, he was lowering his voice and all but cooing, as best as he could anyway.
Jason could only nod along as Xi asked to see one of the kittens. It was so cute and he could have honestly squealed like a little girl. He held it in though and waited patiently for their volunteer to set the little cutie into his roommates arms. They were, so, terribly cute and he just couldn’t handle it at all.
“They’re the cutest little thing. And I wear so many dark colors. The hair is gonna be everywhere and people will now I have a cat and be so jeeeallloous.” He barely took a break between words as he wiggled his fingers in front of the kitten in his arms to play with. He felt like his heart was already melting for the little cutie. He knew he would fall in love with the first one they held. He just knew it.
“I don’t think my heart can handle staying around longer.” As much as he loved them all, he knew he would cave. They only needed one cat though, all good things in moderation.
Laughing at Jason’s comment he shook his head. “It’ll get on all of our clothing. “Since he tended to bounce between light and dark clothing, he was more fussy with style and comfort than color. “But it’ll be worth it.” And, as Jason said it, people would be jealous though Xi-Wang wasn’t about to say that especially like Jason did.
“You want people to know and be jealous, and ask to see pictures - don’t you?” He asked, already knowing the answer. His room mate really would be the proud owner, or parent, of a kitten and show off pictures at every chance he got - he knew it.
“Ummm...is there anything we need to know about this little one?” Already taking the kitten into his arms, turning so he faced Jason, he moved close enough for his friend to engage with the little kitten as well. They were, without a doubt, going to need to learn about kittens and cats. There was no way around that and Xi-Wang figured they’d have to start today...once they adopted a kitten and did some pet store shopping for needs.
“Of course, I’m gonna take no less than ten pictures a day. And I’m gonna show off all of them.” Jason was a professional photographer. He took his camera everywhere with him. He could imagine his friends and peers asking for pictures and being puzzled when he pulled out his huge sony camera rather than his cellphone. The crystal clear image quality. Oh, it was going to be amazing. They’d all be so jealous of his little cutie at home.
He continued to play with the little cutie while Xi asked the appropriate questions regarding their new housemate. Jason was only half listening as the volunteer spoke, but he did chirp up when they mentioned something about him being close with his brother.
“He has a brother?” It had been easy to miss, obviously their little white angel had been the more outgoing of the two. But, once his brother left his side, the other kitten in the same cage had come to the front, mewing for his cellmate. He had the same eyes as his brother, but his white fur was marred by black stripes. He was just as adorable and Jason couldn’t separate them, how could he? He picked up the other kitten, he was a little more shy, a little less playful, but didn’t outright try to push him away as he held him in his arms. “We….we can’t leave this little guy behind.” He turned to Xi for an answer, they weren’t leaving with just one kitten today. Were they?
“No - I agree. They’re family...they’ve been together since before birth...it would be wrong. They’ve been through whatever together.” Whatever had brought them here, to a shelter, they’d been through together. And he knew he was attaching human emotions, and feelings, to the two kittens but how could he not? He knew it but he knew people did it, it was how people related to things and such.
With the little white one in his arms, a tiny paw reaching for it’s brother, he moved close enough to let the white one paw at his sibling. “We’ll take them both...Nischal won’t mind - right?” He was sure Nischal would understand, he had to, once they explained it. Nischal wouldn’t be upset, he was too caring to be upset. It just meant more shopping, more food, more litter and other things - little things. They were little things when it meant the siblings would stay together.
“We can do the paperwork...for them both?” He asked, hopefully, at the volunteer. Deer like brown eyes, almost dark enough to be called black, turning onto the volunteer as they were wide and hopeful. He was good at puppy dog eyes, or some variation of them.
“Let me worry about Nischal.” Jason said confidently. Honestly, he knew Nischal wouldn’t have any problems with their decision. He might have just asked for one kitten earlier, but there was no way his partner would say no to two. Jason knew the importance of siblings, even if he bare talked to or saw his own. He briefly wondered what Ebony was up to these days. Probably trouble, before returning to his original focus.
He turned his attention to the volunteer, turning his own puppy dog eyes on the unsuspecting person. They didn’t have anything to worry about though. The shelter was more than happy to see the two of them go to the same home. He did explain that they’d have to go to the vet for the day though, shelter had very strict procedures in place to help maintain a healthy pet population in the area. So, no, they wouldn’t go home with kittens today. But tomorrow they could pick them up at the Vet, make sure they took their medicine, and be happy new kitten owners.
“Yesss, I’ll go fill out the forms now. You can stay here with them and think about names.” While they had generic shelter names, Jaso assumed they wouldn’t be sticking with those. He placed a second kitten in Xi’s arms and then raced off to do the appropriate paperwork for their adoption.
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Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 9:12 pm
Left with both kittens in his arms he took the time to nuzzle them both. Naming pets was a lot harder than most people made it seem. You’d ask a person the name of their pet, or what they were going to name them, and they’d have something right off the bat it seemed. But he wanted something cute. He didn’t know why one name came to him, maybe because someone at one of the grocery stores he frequented was talking about their cat Curry, but he had the idea of naming his for a food. He just hoped Jason didn’t think it was too odd, as he knew some people might think just that.
A name picked for one of them, the little white one, he handed the siblings off to a shelter worker, so they could be brought to the vet which the shelter used. Leaving the kitten room he hurried off to join Jason.
“I think I’m going to name the white one Baozi. But I don’t know about the other...you can name the other one. I think it’s fair we each name one of them.”
Jason was just finishing up with the paperwork and payment when Xi joined him at the front desk. He handed the paper work off to the volunteer behind the desk and then turned to his friend. “Well, we’re all set to go here. I got info on the vet, we can pick them up tomorrow.” He also had a list of recommendations for them to pick up at the petstore.
“You named him after a dumpling? If we’re naming them after our favorite food….Then his brother can be Donut.” Boazi was a much cooler name, but poor Donut would just have to understand that Jason had simple tastes. Besides, it made sense with the round black stripes on the kitten’s body, so he could be proud of that. Nischal would probably laugh when he heard their names. Though, he probably wouldn’t be surprised.
“I did?” He questioned, sheepishly, while he did reach out to grasp the others coat and smiled at him. “I like Baozi…” Though he did prefer soup dumplings. But the name worked, unlike calling his cat soup dumpling in Chinese.
“You don’t think it’s odd right? I mean you’re naming his brother donut so it’s not odd - right?” Otherwise Jason wouldn’t being doing similar to him, naming a kitten after a food. “We can go then and get them things from the pet store?” Excited to get what they’d need, and get their home ready while waiting for tomorrow to come, Xi-Wang was excited for this all. It was a lot but he was excited and he couldn’t wait to get home, with everything, and have Nischal help them prepare. Because they would need to figure out where to put things - right?
“Are you talking about the food or the cat?” And it was already beginning. Jason didn’t think naming pets after your favorite food was all that bad of an idea. Aa long as it wasn’t something like naming a chicken ‘pot pie’, that was just cruel.
“Not at all! I’m just glad you didn’t want to name him something generic like...Snowball or Fluffy.” Jason was not one that liked common names for pets. Heck, if he ever had kids he hoped to give them some more unique names. The last thing he wanted to do was pass on a name like Jason. Thanks, Dad. You made him a naming snob. He had to grow up with nicknames like ‘JJ’ or ‘Junior’, just a cruel joke.
“Yeah, let’s get going. Although, let’s...try not to go too crazy.” They had already ended up with more than one cat. That meant, two beds, lots more toys, two collars, tags, etc. It was going to be extra hard to hold back at the pet store now.
“The food….which is why I named the cat Baozi.” He said with a small bit of lightly laughter, he liked both. Was this going to become a joke, or a small laughable issue, in the house over the cats names. Asking about Donuts orr Boazi and no one sure what someone meant...or deciding to take it the wrong way - on purpose. It sounded like something which would happen in their home.
“No - no! I’m a bit more creative than that. Knowing two languages helps a bit.” Though he’d stayed away from a generic name but in Chinese as well. He figured he’d done well and was a bit unique at the same time. “I think my half sister would use some generic name….she’s young and like that.” She was in that age and seemed to be of that way...though she was smart...he was still worried she knew about him. He hoped if she knew, or suspected, she didn’t tell anyone in his family. He didn’t need, or want, that to happen.
It was definitely going to be a running joke in the apartment, Jason had no doubt of that. He had wanted to keep with Xi-Wang theme, lucky for the cat. If Jason had been left to his own whims the poor guy would have ended up being named after his favorite comic book hero. Donut was a much better name than Hal or Alan. Donut was cute! So he was happy his brain had gone in a different direction thanks to his friend.
“You can’t fault her for a name like that. But we’re adults. We must use food names.” He laughed as he opened up the door and lead the way to his car. He unlocked the doors and sat down inside, pulling out his phone for directions to the closest pet store.
“Okay, let’s starting making a list of things we need now. So we don’t go crazy in the store.” He turned on his car, and cranked up the heat because, holy heck, he just realized how cold he was without a beanie to cover his ears and gloves protecting him from the freezing steering wheel.
Nodding his head, smiling, he couldn’t help laughing a bit more as he held onto the others coat. “No, she’s a teenager still.” Not that he wasn’t still a teenager himself, at nineteen till August, but she was still a few years younger than himself. Shuffling after Jason, still holding onto the others clothing, he was excited for the shopping they’d be doing soon. “Maybe one day she’ll come to visit...I think I’d like to see her in person. I don’t think I want to go to see them in China - not yet.” Though he did want to go to China...he just didn’t think seeing them, in China, he could keep his secrets so safe. Normally he was good at such a thing but he didn't think he could manage.
Once seated in the passenger side he nodded his head. “We need litter and a box - maybe two...nothing too big since they are small. Food and bowls - two sets. Toys…ohh and don’t cats need scratching posts also...or they’ll get at the furniture. Anything else?” He really wasn’t sure but that seemed like everything?
“Well, you should let her know she’s welcome any time. We have the extra rooms at Nishcal’s.” His partner had a ridiculously large penthouse, plenty of room for guests. It had honestly been a bit overwhelming for him at first. There were literally places in that apartment that he never saw, because he never had a reason to go into them. It could get a little lonely living in a place like that on your own. He sometimes wondered how Nischal managed it all before he moved in.
They were off on the road again and Jason was nodding along as Xi listed the things they’d need to get. “We could get collars for them too. And tags, just incase they get out.” It was unlikely, but it never hurt to play it safe. They were too young for microchips at this age. “And some toys so they don’t get bored, that’ll help keep them off the furniture as well. Plus, they’ll have each other to keep themselves entertained.”
“Lots of extra rooms….too many empty spare rooms.” Or barely full rooms that contained very little, and were mostly unused. Maybe they could find things to do with those rooms eventually? One could be mostly for the cats, a little box, scratching post, and some toys? Maybe even a cat bed, or two. Oh! That was something he did forget to mention to Jason!
“And beds?” Though they might just wind up sleeping on a couch, a chair, or on their beds. But it was worth it to let the kittens have their own beds? It might come in handy when they were older, bigger, and decided they wanted to have their own beds and couldn’t fit in one bed together as well.
“So many things...but it’ll be worth it, especially when they get home tomorrow.” Watching as buildings passed them buy he shifted in his seat, excited for the shopping they were about to do. It would be alot, and no doubt cost a lot, but it would be fun and something to do with Jason. “We should ask about healthy food choices...and treats? I mean maybe to help with training….cats can be trained - right?”
“We could turn one of them into a kitty room! We could even get a little sign for their door.” Okay, maybe that was going a little too far. It was clear he was going to be a doting father to these little kittens they were bringing home.
“Yes, they need their own little beds, even if they’re not used, it’s just cute.” It’s not like Jason would be keeping them off the furniture though. He’d be more than happy to share his space with them. He had a feeling they’d probably be spending their nights curled up in Xi-Wang’s bed though. He tossed around a lot at night and the last thing he wanted was to kick a cat off without realizing they were there.
“Umm, I think it just depends on the cat? I think the vast majority of them kinda do their own thing. According to friends with cats anyway. But, yeah. If you work with them hard enough. We’ll definitely be sure to get the best foods for little Boazi and Donut though.” He finished off his coffee from before. It was still cool thanks to the temperature outside. Then he pulled into the shopping center that housed the pet store. He was more careful with his parking this time.
His own drink was cold to start with, which was fine by him, and was still half full when they arrived at the petstore. As Jason parked he took a sip from his drink and capping the bottle placed it in the cup holder. “I thought so….they all seem to do their own thing. But maybe we can at least get some results with training. I think I’ve heard some people can train them to use the normal toilet, not that we should do that. But it says some will train a bit.” Which was good. They could, if anything came up, train out some bad behaviors.
“Park close...since we’ll have a lot to load up...oh I hope we can fit everything.” He hadn’t thought about that, and he should have, but there was bound to be a lot for them to purchase and bring home. “Nischal might have to help us inside as well….” They could call him when they were close to the loft so Nischal could let them in and help them carry things inside, he had a feeling it was going to be needed.
Once parked he was out of the car as fast as he could be and heading for the store - Jason could catch up...well maybe.
Jason had never seen his roommate be so quick. Outside of their Court duties that it. His friend was out the door before he even had the car turned off. It was so warm in his car, but he didn’t have to brave the cold for long before they were inside.
“I’ll call Nischal when we’re close to home so he can come down to help us. It would not be fun to make multiple trips.” There was an elevator, so it wasn’t the most inconvenient thing in the world. It would give them more time to get things set up, though they had a whole day before the could even pick up little Boazi and Donut.
“Mmm, that’ll be good. We can hold the elevator open then until it’s loaded with everything and then go up.” And hold it open as they unloaded it and then got it to the apartment they all lived in together. It would be better to have Nischal to help, another set of hands so it would go faster.
“Ohhh...lets get beds first.” Because he wanted to look at the soft plush beds, he was rather easy to predict. Soft and plush things were going to be the first things he went for. Grabbing a cart, they were going to need it, Xi-Wang went to ask for help, because he’d never stepped foot inside a PetCo before. There had simply never been a need to be inside a pet store, his mother and her wife never would have gone for a pet.
Jason’s mind also went to the beds first. He wanted to get all the super cute things out of the way first, because they’d be the most tempting to spend all of his money on. It definitely would have been worth the effort to try and bring Nischal along. They had left in a hurry though and he had not wanted to wait even a second longer.
The employee let them know what asiles to to go down for various kitten things. Admittedly, he was getting a little distracted by all the customers roaming around with their pets in tow. Basically all of them were super friendly and he kept pausing to give them love.
Jason wasn’t the only one pausing but Xi-Wang was rather determined and made things quick with each pet, but he did want to pet and love them each. Round the corner of an aisle he stopped and stared at all the bed options. Oh! So many. Some were clearly small and good for small dogs or cats, like what they would soon have, but some were big and oh they looked nice! They were plush and big and the cats could share...and he might even be able to kinda fit a bit of himself on it with them…..yes the thought did pass though his mind.
“Jason...they have a lot of options.” He called out, hoping for the others help, before he grabbed two...or three beds - likely three. It wasn’t his fault such things caught his attention and were a weak spot for him, he liked to sleep himself and beds were important.
“I think this is going to be hard…”
Jason had been playing with a lab puppy when he heard his name. He excused himself from the pup and it’s friendly owner to pay more attention to his friend’s dilemma. Oh, the beds. It made sense that it would be Xi’s biggest weakness. This was where he would have to put his foot down, though there were a good number of options for them.
“They’re fairly small for now. Two can fit in even the little beds. Let’s just get two...for now! We can pick up a bigger one later, when we have to come back for more food.” They all had cute little designs on them as well. He puttered around for a bit and then picked up two with similar designs, but different colors. Nice and fluffy still, perfect for two new kittens.
“How about these two for now?”
Meanwhile, as Jason looked over their options, Xi-Wang had tried not to set his hand son any of the beds. He knew what would happen if he had his way, they’d wind up with at least three beds, so he waited for Jason to make the picks and he nodded his head. “Ok...we can get another next time.” Or well...sometime soon. “Umm dishes and litter boxes next then toys? We can do food and treats last? Ohhh and don’t we need scratching posts...I almost forgot that.”
And that was what he went to find next since those options were right next to the beds in the forms of small posts but also large cat towers with areas to lay and hiding little boxes and ohhh they were almost as tall we he was!
“One or two of these also?” How were they going to get them home though?
Once approved, he set the beds in the cart and followed Xi further down the row where the scratched posts were. He knew a few things about cats, that they could get bored pretty easily. It was a smart idea to have a scratching post near more tempting areas throughout the house.
“Nischal...has a pretty big place.” He pondered over it a bit. They should probably have one in each bedroom, to protect their bed frames and dressers. Definitely needed at least one in the living room, possibly two since it was an open floor plans that included the dining room.
“I’m not sure, but I know I would feel bad if anything of Nischal’s got damaged.” Jason used to have plenty of his own things, but he had only kept a recliner, his bed (which was put in one of the spare rooms for guests), and a computer desk (also in the spare bedroom). Everything else was Nischal’s and he was worried the kittens might wreck havoc on his things.
“Let’s say at least two for the living room. Should we have them in our rooms as well?” Though, it might be annoying to hear them scratching at them in the middle of the night.
“Mmm, yeah. And his things are expensive. I wouldn’t want them to ruin his things…” he had come with even less than Jason, in some ways, but he’d gained some things over time. He’d come with his clothing in bags and his computer - that was it. Aside from a few odds and ends he’d had nothing else that was his, his plushies and his pillows and bedding. He had a bed thanks to Nischal and he had a dresser and bedside table and those things all thanks to Nischal.
His room was big though - really big and so he’d filled it slowly. Money earned from his job, working for Jett, had seen him buying things to fill the space with. Pillows, lots of pillows, that went about his floor and a low table so he could sit on the floor and not worry about the table being too high. He had gotten little glass orbs which he had hanging from his ceiling, small tea light candles in each little orb, and there was more. The bathroom he had was much the same - his.
He didn’t want to see anything ruined by the kittens they’d be bringing into the apartment. “Yeah...just incase. So four...plus any other rooms you can think of? And small ones and the big ones? So they can get up high? Cats like heights - right?”
“Let’s still with four...for now. Again, we can get more later. I figure we can probably turn one of the spare rooms into a funhouse for them.” Not right away though, he didn’t want to spend a fortune on day one. Plus, he could probably find a better deal for these sorts of things online, if he didn’t mind putting them together himself. While it was nice to shop in store for simple things, he had always been more of an online shopper. He liked the convenience of items coming to him, rather then going in search for them himself. Plus, there were the benefits of customer reviews as well.
“We can get some in a variety of sizes and shapes though!” There was even one that had a little loop for them to crawl through, one with a platform at the top. He figured for now these would be plenty to keep them entertained. They could get something bigger and bolder for them as they grew into it.
“Ok, that works.” Online shopping he did half in half with shopping in person, he tried to get out fairly often and enjoy things as much as he could. There were also some things he’d rather see in person before getting, especially clothing since he liked to check the fit of things. But for this he could agree to getting things later and, if Jason mentioned it, online as well.
“So let's get them and then to the other things we need.” Toys and food, litter, litter boxes and dishes. Jason also had mentioned collars but would the cats even leave them on? He knew some dogs didn’t like to...would it be the same with kittens?
Jason picked out a nice variety of scratches posts for their little kittens and then moved on to the grab the rest of the things on their lists. Bowls, toys, litter and litter boxes were pretty standard. They didn’t have to spend too long picking them out, though of course they got the cutest ones for their little pumpkins.
The last thing he really wanted to get was collars. He couldn’t really see them getting out of the apartment. But, just in case it never hurt to have that sort of information on them. It could be they wouldn’t like them, but they were cute. He would do anything to make his kitties the cutest things on the block.
“We should pick out some collars that make their eyes pop.” He wasn’t going to be that person that got anything super flashy, but there was a pair of yellow ones that would really stand out against their fur. “What about these?”
Getting the cutest things they could find, because really would they settle for anything less, was fairly easy. Between himself and Jason it was easy, with them agreeing on what they bought, they had plenty of toys for the kittens to play with once they arrived home. Xi-Wang really was excited as the shopping continued on, and round down, as he was reminded of what would soon be living with the three of them. Little kittens! They were precious little things.
“Those are nice...and we can get custom tags made. I saw a machine by the grooming section before. We can put the information in and it’ll engrave the tags and we can put those onto the collars.
“We should do that before we leave - so it’s all good and ready.” They’d just have to add any vet tags to the collar...or keep those on them. More things to jingle might just make the cats remove the collars in order to play with them - right?
“Puuurfect~” The pun was not missed by him. It was great that they were pretty much flying through the list of things they needed. Just one more quick-ish stop by the grooming section. Cute tags picked out, it was just a matter of waiting for the machine to do its job. It was the most painful wait he had experienced that day.
After that it was a matter of paying, they split this bill for this one. With their new items bagged and placed back in the cart, they left the store two very, happy individuals. This was going to be so great. He just didn’t know how he was going to get through the rest of the day in anticipation for tomorrow. Sure, they had things that needed to be set up. But, that would only take up so much time. There was still lunch (which his tummy was telling him should be soon), dinner, and bedtime. Ugh, how was he going to sleep?
Splitting the bill was the least he could do, considering how much they’d just bought and spent. He wasn’t about to let Jason eat the bill on his own, since in part a new pet was his idea. This was something they both wanted and so they both got to pay, which he didn’t mind at all.
Perhaps they were on the same wavelength because he was hungry also, it had been awhile since waking up and food was becoming a need. “I’ll order food. It should arrive when we do.” He could cook, any one of them could, but ordering food might be easier. He had enough places saved onto his phone it wasn’t hard to place a call. It wasn’t for Chinese food, like one might figure from him, but rather it was Italian food. Something different.
After asking Jason what he wanted he placed his own order and decided on something for Nischal. This was done while they walked to the car, and he was hanging up as they arrived at the car, so he could help Jason fit everything into the car.
“Let’s call Nischal and get going...and let him know to expect food arriving…”
Italian sounded fantastic. Not that Jason didn’t love that his food horizon was expanding with his ‘exotic’ roommates, but it was nice to get back into something familiar from time to time. Though, if he was really going comfort food it would be fancy grilled cheese, fries covered with gravy, or donuts. However, that was also common food at the house when he was in charge (which he rarely was, they were just infinitely better cooks than him).
Jason popped open his trunk and started to load in things as Xi finished up ordering their food. His trunk was fairly full by the time they were done. It was a good thing they had limited themselves at least a little bit in there.
“I’ll call him on the way! He’s gonna be so excited.” He closed his trunk, carefully, and before long they were on the road again. He explained to Nischal that they’d be home soon, food and cat accessories in tow. He sounded excited and less tired then he had that morning. He left out the fact that they had gotten two kittens. Though, it might be obvious with the things they bought. Hopefully he could surprise him with that news tomorrow.
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