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“Honey!” Ed sings out as he steps through the door, tossing his keys onto the side, “I’m hom-Stede? Stede!” Ed notices Stede’s briefcase, coat and shoes leaving a sloppy trail deeper into the flat. He rushes through the dark house to the bathroom, the only room with a light on. He can hear gentle muttering on the other side of the door.
“Stede? Babe? You sick?” He asks, pushing the door open.
“It’s ok, Princess, it’s ok. You’re being so brave, yes you are sweet girl. Yes, that’s it, good little baby-“
Stede is bathing a tiny in kitten in their huge, elaborate, claw foot tub. His phone is propped up in a corner, a YouTube video pulled up about how to bathe a kitten.
“Well, well, isn’t this adorable?” Ed chuckles, leaning against the door frame.
“Ed!” Stede starts, “Hello, darling! I’m sorry I wasn’t there to greet you! Only, my hands are rather full…”
He looks down at the gently mewing creature that is indeed occupying all of attention. “Oh, Ed! I know we said no pets, but I just couldn’t leave her! It had started to snow, and she was doing this little dance like her paws were freezing! And I-I just couldn’t-“
Ed kisses Stede on the top of the head to stop his babbling, then sinks down next to onto the floor. “Course not, babe. Lemme call Fang and see what he can do-“
Ed is already pulling up is phone as Stede turns his attention back to the little black kitty.
“Eddie!” Fang takes in Ed’s backdrop of the bathroom cabinets and his face falls. “Oh, Ed, everything ok? Did you talk to Stede? Do you need me to come over and hold your hair back?” Fang asks rapidly with concern.
“What, dickfuck, no-“ he says quickly. He can feel Stede’s eyes on him but Ed decides to ignore that last 15 seconds happened and move on like he doesn’t feel incredibly awkward, “here with Stede-“ Ed moves the camera closer to Stede, who gives a little wave and a “Hi, Fang!”before Ed flips the camera view to the cat in the tub, “and this little guy-“
“Girl-“
“This little girl.” Ed corrects as Fang begins cooing.
They explain the situation to him, Stede blushing when Fang showers him with praise for rescuing the little baby. He insists they meet him at his clinic in twenty minutes so he can look her over.
They bundle the very wet kitten in a few of their fluffiest towels, then climb into Stede’s car. Ed holds the little bundle as they drive, her big, hazel eyes staring back at him with so much trust-
They look like Stede’s eyes.
Well, fuck. I guess we have a cat now.
The drive to Fang’s clinic is short. He comes running to unlock the door when they arrive and he hurries them into an exam room.
“Alright, little lady, how are you doing?” Fang asks the kitten as he gently unwraps her. With great dexterity she leaps onto Ed’s shoulder, hissing at Fang.
Stede manages to coax her down into his hands, but she absolutely refuses to be held by Fang or placed on the table without jumping back on Ed. In the end, Stede holds her while Fang did his exam.
“Pretty common stuff for kittens off the street.” Fang says, clicking is penlight off as he finishes his exam. “I’ll take her to the humane society for you-“
Stede has gone deadly pale and his holding the kitten, Queen Anne Ed’s decided, tightly to his chest.
“Nah, mate. Give us the meds, she’s coming home with us.”
Stede places a hand over Ed’s looking at him in a way that Ed knows means, are you sure, love?
“Yeah.” Ed hands over his credit card and Fang leaves to get medicine and run the card.
“Did you hear that, little-I guess we need a name-“
“Queen Anne.”
Stede nods. “Did you hear that little Queen Anne? Your our baby now.” Stede’s voices catches a little in the word “our” and Ed can see he has unshed tears shining in his eyes.
Ed gives a sniffle. Probably allergies.
A large vet bill, and an even larger payment at the pet store later, Ed and Stede return home with little Queen Anne.
As a family.