A Game of Keith and Mouse

The Beginning

Adam and Shiro hadn't planned on becoming parents so soon. They figured they would wait until marriage, and then start looking at toddlers they could adopt.

Their plan went out the window when Shiro went out to get some milk and came back with milk, a growling jacket in a ball, and multiple scratches on his face.

"Woah, what happened to you?" Adam asked, rushing toward his fiancé. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shiro assured him, "I just.... well, after I got the milk, I went into the alley behind the store because I thought I heard crying."

"Takashi, what have I always told you?"

"That one day I'm gonna die in an alley?"

"No." Adam said, "I keep telling you about how serial killers will lure people to their kill sights with the sound of crying kids. And then, yeah, you'll die in an alley."

"Well, that's not what happened." Shiro said, jacket in his hands growling and wriggling.

Adam jumped a bit in surprise. "Shiro, what's in the jacket?"

Shiro frowned and set the jacket on the floor. A large, purple cat crawled out. It looked at Shiro and growled, then ran off into their apartment.

Adam took off his glasses and wiped them on his shirt. He put them back on and took a deep breath.

"Takashi," He said calmly, "What the fuck is that thing?"

Shiro grimaced, "I think he's a cat."

"Cats don't growl, and that thing was the size of a dog."

"Maybe he's a Maine Coon. I hear they get big."

"He's purple."

"You got me there."

The two men stood there in silence for a moment before Shiro spoke. "I named him Keith."

Adam inhaled deeply. "You named him?"

Shiro nodded, "Can we keep him?"

Adam scrunched up his nose in thought. After a moment of consideration, he said, "Fine."

Shiro fed the cat some leftover salmon from yesterday's dinner. The cat, Keith, seemed to enjoy it very much.

"You're so cute," Shiro cooed at it.

Keith looked up at him and twitched his ear.

"Adam and I are going to take care of you," He said, gingerly putting his hand on Keith's back. When Keith didn't scratch him or growl again, Shiro began to pet him. "You have a home now."

Adam awoke the next morning to a cat's face inches away from his. Shiro awoke to Adam screaming and falling from the bed.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked.

"Keith woke me up," Adam said from the floor.

Shiro looked down at Adam on the floor, then to Keith sitting on Adam's place on the bed. "We should probably get him a cat bed. And cat food, and vaccines so he doesn't get parvovirus."

"That's dogs," Adam said, pulling himself up. "But yeah, I'll call the vet to see if they do same day appointments."

Keith didn't seem to want to go to the vet.

"Bad cat!" Shiro cried as Keith clawed at his wrists.

Keith leapt out of Shiro's arms and into the top of the fridge. He yowled as water hit his face.