Page 28 of Conflict Conclusion

“Oh my god.”

“Okay, you’re right, let’s go back to basics. Cheddar.”

James tried to turn around in his arms, but Leon held him steady. “Are you hungry? Is that what this is?”

“I mean, we haven’t had dinner, and I was a bit too wound up at Hailey’s party to eat.”

The muscles in James’ back tensed, and he stopped struggling. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay⁠—”

“It’s really not. I feel like today was probably a lot for you with Hailey, then I came barreling into your place and dropped a cat and my mom’s big move on you. I’m really sorry.”

Leon hooked his chin over James’ shoulder and pulled him even tighter against his chest, until their bodies were lined up, knee to shoulder.

“You didn’t drop anything on me. You’re right here with me dealing with the cat, and, I mean, aside from you needing to move somewhere else, your mom’s move doesn’t really affect me.”

James somehow stiffened even more, his spine ramrod straight, really messing with Leon’s relaxed slouch. “Darlin’—”

“What if…I want it to affect you?”

Well, that wouldn’t be too hard, given that Leon’s chest was fighting a contentious battle between trying to collapse under the weight of James possibly moving farther away and that balloon in his chest expanding happily at having James in his arms. That was truly all he wanted right now. To be able to come home after a long day of work or roll over in bed after a nightmare and pull his boyfriend against his chest. He just fit so perfectly in his arms, like they were two halves of a sort of anxious, sometimes ridiculous whole.

“What if I don’t want to move into Aspen and Noah’s new building or their old building or any building that’s not…yours.”

The balloon won out, inflating to the point of bursting at the idea of having James so close by.

“That would be amazing, darlin’. It might be a bit tricky to time a new lease with whenever you sell the house, but if you need somewhere to crash for a few weeks in between, you’re always welcome at my place.”

And maybe that in between time would be a good test to see if James would want to move in after his lease was up. It would also let the orange fluff ball and Yarmen get to know⁠—

“Oh,” Leon said, adjusting his grip on James as he continued to remain frozen like a statue. “You said you’ll need the cat to stay with me and Yarmen? Is that because of the move?”

James nodded stiltedly, his eyes fixed on the faded white wall in front of him. “Is that…okay?”

“Of course, darlin’. I’d love to have him, and maybe…” Was Leon really going to suggest this, in the middle of the vet’s office? James hadn’t given any hint that he was ready to move in with Leon right now, but he had said he was open to living in the building with him. Was there any chance he might be ready to move in by September?

“Maybe…?” James prompted, his fingers locking around Leon’s wrists.

Perhaps because of James’ stranglehold grip, or perhaps because no matter how far they got in their relationship, next steps would always be scary, Leon’s fingertips began to tingle. He forced himself to take a deep breath, then another, and then—just to be safe—a third, and⁠—

The door opened, and one of the vets Leon had seen before walked in. He was a tall, wiry man, with kind eyes and an even kinder smile, which he was wearing as he wheeled their disgruntled looking cat into the room with him.

“So, I have good news and bad news,” the vet said, wheeling the cat to a stop right in front of James. He turned and clicked a few buttons on the computer while the cat flicked his tail in annoyance.

Leon was a little worried for the safety of James’ spine based on how tightly wound he was, but Leon wasn’t doing much better. The tingling had turned to numbness, and his chest was starting to ache.

What was the bad news? Were they going to lose their— no, James’ new cat before they’d even really had him?

“The good news is that nothing is broken. Given that she allows me to touch her leg like so—” The vet gently ran his hand down the injured leg, and only when he neared the bottom did the cat pull away. “—it looks like a sprain. Because we don’t know when she injured herself, and assuming she wasn’t able to adequately rest in the wild, I’m going to prescribe some mild anti-inflammatory medication.”

“Wait…she?” James asked, speaking Leon’s thoughts aloud.

The vet’s lips turned up at the sides. “Yes, that is the bad news. Or, not bad necessarily, just contradictory. I know you told the receptionist and vet tech the cat is a boy, but she is, in fact, a girl. Sorry to disappoint you if you'd already picked out a name for a male cat.”

“I thought orange cats were always guys?” Leon asked, lifting his chin off James’ shoulder. He didn’t go far; he just tipped his head to rest against James’.

“Ah,” the vet said, running a gentle hand down the cat’s back. She seemed a lot calmer now, potentially because no one was trying to scan her, X-ray her, or figure out her gender. “That’s a common misconception. Most orange cats are male, but some twenty percent or so are female. It requires both the mom and dad cat to carry the gene responsible for the orange color.”